roof rack reinforcement

[riverfever]

I have a Surco rack. The only thing I don't like about it is that the floor is not solid. I usually keep the spare up top but recently threw it back inside b/c it was bending a crossbar in the floor a bit. When I go camping, the cooler and some of my gear actually rests partially on the roof and I don't like that. I was wanting to get a big piece of aluminum sheet (maybe 1/8") and bolt it to the floor. Can anyone suggest a place to get this?

 

[Frank Z]

Colorado_XJ (Rich) works for Sigma Metals, give him a shout...or a PM. If that doesn't work head down to Western Steel and look around in the yard.

 

[riverfever]

Colorado_XJ (Rich) works for Sigma Metals, give him a shout...or a PM. If that doesn't work head down to Western Steel and look around in the yard.

Oh....that's right. I couldn't recall his username. He gave me a card at the meeting. I'll bug him. Thanks Frank.

 

[Midnight Krawler]

Hey, I just did that to mine. I used 1/8" aluminum diamond plate. I removed the cheap cross ribs and replace them with the diamond plate. Now If i can only figure out how to post pictures. My cross ribs were bent up by my spare tire up there and stuff seemed to just fall through onto the roof. But now, I have a solid floor and hidden spare tire mount. No more straps. I'll take some pictures and try to figure out how to post them.

 

[Frank Z]

www.tinypic.com

 

[riverfever]

Please do...I'd really like to see it.

 

[FitchVA]

i bought my surco used from a guy in town. he had a pretty easy fix for the weak floor system.

first, here's how i arranged my factory rails to help hold the weight...

as you can see, the rear most factory rack is right under the back edge of the tire.

you might notice that the front of the tire is cocked up a bit. the prev owner screwed this little piece of angle down. the front of the tire lays on it, and I positioned the front factory roof rail under it. it makes a big difference.

here's a close-up

i didn't realize how much this helped until i took it off. i took it off because i moved my spare inside. but on a trip where space was at a premium, i put the tire back up on top. w/out that little bar, the spare was wiggling around, the rack squeeked, and i wasn't happy. if i ever put it back up on top, i'm reinstalling that little piece of angle