want to build a roof rack

[BGGB]

has anyone ever built a roof rack or know of a site with one, i have an 88 that i plan outfit with one and need some ideas. as always thanks

[LaneRover]

If you want some detail pics of my Brownchurch let me know.

[BGGB]

any pics are welcome my email gb0566@ship.edu
thanks

[Tim Smith]

Me too please!
smithco1(at)gmail.com

[SafeAirOne]

has anyone ever built a roof rack or know of a site with one, i have an 88 that i plan outfit with one and need some ideas. as always thanks

I have built one out of 3/4" square tubing (mild steel), some 2"x2"x.125" welded wire screen, and some 1" square steel tubing for the mount clamp.

Not the greatest photos, but they're all I have on hand:

[Rineheitzgabot]

Perhaps this link will inspire some ideas:

http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5273

(More shameless show-boating...)

[rbonnett]

Perhaps this link will inspire some ideas:

http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5273

(More shameless show-boating...)

Nothing wrong with show boating when the boat is worth showing

One thing: my 109 has a Safari roof so I'm concerned about where the weight is going to end up. I can't quite tell from the pics whether the rack actually bears on the roof top, or whether the posts are holding it above.

[BGGB]

great responses, thank you. does anyone have any input on how many supports i should have, i see ones with 3 4 and 5 mounts, i want it to be able to support some weight so i was leaning to 4. how many do your racks have?

[LaneRover]

For those interested in Roofrack picks. I can e-mail you bigger pics if you would like, but this seemed the quickest way to get a bunch of pics posted.

Brent

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13425&id=535599102&l=4ada4e8fbb

Let me know if there are problems with the link.

[alaskajosh]

great responses, thank you. does anyone have any input on how many supports i should have, i see ones with 3 4 and 5 mounts, i want it to be able to support some weight so i was leaning to 4. how many do your racks have?

My application was a little different as I was only doing a "front quarter" type thing (raising Carawagon roof in play). But if I was doing a full roof rack I'd copy the examples I've seen that use the windscreen hinges for support in the front and/or vertical arms in the rear (on either side of the rear door/tailgate) that come down and bolt through the galvy body capping at the "waist" of the car. These take a lot of stress off of the gutters.

Be happy you're not working with the flimsy Defender roof/gutters which, I've read, are only "rated" for something like 75lbs including the weight of the rack!!

FWIW, I'm always more impressed when builder/fabricators achieve strength through design instead of heavy, overkill material... think airframes.

Good luck and kind regards, Josh

[SafeAirOne]

I have built one out of 3/4" square tubing (mild steel), some 2"x2"x.125" welded wire screen, and some 1" square steel tubing for the mount clamp.

Not the greatest photos, but they're all I have on hand:

These photos didn't show up on the first attempt:

This rack is 56" or so wide and 48" long and you can put hundreds of pounds of stuff up there without worry about the rack. With full diesel and water in the cans, there's probably 260lbs alone, plus the other stuff I occasionally put up there on the longer trips. The 3 evenly spaced supports on each side are more than adequate. Of course I don't recommend travelling with hundreds of pounds of stuff up there--it's not safe, there's the high CG and the rollover potential, yada yada yada....

[Rineheitzgabot]

Mine is actually resting on the "ribs" that are stamped into the top, for rigidity. The pinch-mounts tug downward, slightly, on the top to prevent noise from vibration.

The gutters and the "ribs" together, support the load of the rack and whatever is on it.

The pinch-mount concept is more important to me, because when I take my top off, I hang it from the ceiling in my garage using the rack, which is key in making certain that it doesn't fall. So the gutters must be able to accomodate a pretty serious load, but only in reverse; that is, in the upward direction, rather than downward. They do fine as long as my children don't hang on it.

-Gary