Nice looking bars it's a shame they aren't dimensional with our interrail distance. 5th gen rails are 40.5" apart. Toyota-4Runner.org
Get more from your factory roof rack with t-slotted aluminum (8020) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter tbisaacs
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Check out my post and pic on page 6. I mounted mine with the hardware kit from Front Runner
Does anyone have measurements from the bottom of the cross bars to the closest part of the roof? Looks like it gets pretty tight. I have a newer Thule roofbox with the claw feet and I want to make sure it'll still have room under the cross bars to ratchet down
I just got my bars today. Once I install I will take a measurement (2008) and report back. I think Thule makes a t slot conversion kit for the "claw" -- Xadapt or something like that.
These didn't fit in the slots of the 8020 I ordered from TNUTZ too thick and too wide. May try to find regular carriage bolts I can make fit or just get different eye nuts.
Just looked at the adapters, they look like a good option but i really love how easy the claw feet are. I pull the box off after a ski day, so usually 30-40 times a winter I'm taking it off and hanging it up in the garage.
I just installed a LC200 rack on my '14 LX: Builds - eatSleepWoof's '14 LX
I was expecting to have the same width between the rails as @tbisaacs's 42 7/8", but was surprised to find a considerable difference.
At the very front of the rack, my cross bars should be 43 9/16". At the very rear of the rack, the cross bars should be 43 1/2". Right in the middle the cross bars should be 43 17/32".
I'll be ordering either the 10 or the 15 profile soon. Can anyone confirm that the 15 profile does not come in contact with the roof? I'd love to be able to re-use my front-runner accessories and various M8 hardware, but definitely do not want roof contact.
I was expecting to have the same width between the rails as @tbisaacs's 42 7/8", but was surprised to find a considerable difference.
At the very front of the rack, my cross bars should be 43 9/16". At the very rear of the rack, the cross bars should be 43 1/2". Right in the middle the cross bars should be 43 17/32".
I'll be ordering either the 10 or the 15 profile soon. Can anyone confirm that the 15 profile does not come in contact with the roof? I'd love to be able to re-use my front-runner accessories and various M8 hardware, but definitely do not want roof contact.
All, I've developed an even cheaper, albeit less elegant option. Would love some feedback.
I found something called a SuperStrut at Lowes, in the Electical Conduit area. It's used for holding wiring, conduit, duct work, etc. in commercial buildings for the most part:
The interesting thing is that the rectangular nuts that slide into the "U" of the strut also fit wtith no modification needed in the OEM roof rack:
Using 3/8" Grade 5 hardware available at Lowes, I attached a section of SuperStrut to the OEM rails. As many a ladder haulin' pickup truck driver has said "That ain't going anywhere!":
I already understand that since it is steel and not aluminum it will rust. I'm hoping to have a professional powder coater friend of mine do the honors which I hope would extend the period of time before rust shows up as well as look better of course.
I also already understand that it is not at "flexible" as the Prinsu, FrontRunner, or 8020 racks described above. However, I believe that with the plethora of holes available in the SuperStrut, I'll be able to attach just about anything to it.
I can get some End Caps to close off the ends so it doesn't look so "backyard made".
I haven't crunched the numbers yet but I think the cost works out to about $15/bar not including the powder coating. I've never gotten that done so I have no idea what that would run per bar. Hopefully could get the "family and church friends" discount.
As someone mentioned here or in another related thread, I'm already thinking that I should have cut the strut longer so that it would extend past the OEM rails and give myself a good 4-6" more of width on each side.
Lastly, I THINK I might be able to add some spacers at the front and/or back under the bar in order to get a level "platform" from front to back, even if the OEM rails are curved slightly. If so, I might consider getting some of the LC rails and putting 5 or 6 of these bars on it.
I have not gotten it out on the highway yet to test the noise. It could be all the extra holes in the bar could be absolutely deafening. I won't know until I get a chance to test it out.
In the meantime, does anyone have any tips or feedback on what I might not be thinking through?
I found something called a SuperStrut at Lowes, in the Electical Conduit area. It's used for holding wiring, conduit, duct work, etc. in commercial buildings for the most part:
The interesting thing is that the rectangular nuts that slide into the "U" of the strut also fit wtith no modification needed in the OEM roof rack:
Using 3/8" Grade 5 hardware available at Lowes, I attached a section of SuperStrut to the OEM rails. As many a ladder haulin' pickup truck driver has said "That ain't going anywhere!":
I already understand that since it is steel and not aluminum it will rust. I'm hoping to have a professional powder coater friend of mine do the honors which I hope would extend the period of time before rust shows up as well as look better of course.
I also already understand that it is not at "flexible" as the Prinsu, FrontRunner, or 8020 racks described above. However, I believe that with the plethora of holes available in the SuperStrut, I'll be able to attach just about anything to it.
I can get some End Caps to close off the ends so it doesn't look so "backyard made".
I haven't crunched the numbers yet but I think the cost works out to about $15/bar not including the powder coating. I've never gotten that done so I have no idea what that would run per bar. Hopefully could get the "family and church friends" discount.
As someone mentioned here or in another related thread, I'm already thinking that I should have cut the strut longer so that it would extend past the OEM rails and give myself a good 4-6" more of width on each side.
Lastly, I THINK I might be able to add some spacers at the front and/or back under the bar in order to get a level "platform" from front to back, even if the OEM rails are curved slightly. If so, I might consider getting some of the LC rails and putting 5 or 6 of these bars on it.
I have not gotten it out on the highway yet to test the noise. It could be all the extra holes in the bar could be absolutely deafening. I won't know until I get a chance to test it out.
In the meantime, does anyone have any tips or feedback on what I might not be thinking through?
That SuperStrut appears to be galvanized already, so it should hold up well to the elements - I'd probably just rattle can it and save the expense of the powder coating. I don't know what kind of deal you'd be able to get from your friend, but I'd assume you'd spend more for powder coating than you did on the parts themselves.All, I've developed an even cheaper, albeit less elegant option. Would love some feedback.
I found something called a SuperStrut at Lowes, in the Electical Conduit area. It's used for holding wiring, conduit, duct work, etc. in commercial buildings for the most part:
View attachment 2335822
The interesting thing is that the rectangular nuts that slide into the "U" of the strut also fit wtith no modification needed in the OEM roof rack:
View attachment 2335823
View attachment 2335824
Using 3/8" Grade 5 hardware available at Lowes, I attached a section of SuperStrut to the OEM rails. As many a ladder haulin' pickup truck driver has said "That ain't going anywhere!":
View attachment 2335825
View attachment 2335826
I already understand that since it is steel and not aluminum it will rust. I'm hoping to have a professional powder coater friend of mine do the honors which I hope would extend the period of time before rust shows up as well as look better of course.
I also already understand that it is not at "flexible" as the Prinsu, FrontRunner, or 8020 racks described above. However, I believe that with the plethora of holes available in the SuperStrut, I'll be able to attach just about anything to it.
I can get some End Caps to close off the ends so it doesn't look so "backyard made".
I haven't crunched the numbers yet but I think the cost works out to about $15/bar not including the powder coating. I've never gotten that done so I have no idea what that would run per bar. Hopefully could get the "family and church friends" discount.
As someone mentioned here or in another related thread, I'm already thinking that I should have cut the strut longer so that it would extend past the OEM rails and give myself a good 4-6" more of width on each side.
Lastly, I THINK I might be able to add some spacers at the front and/or back under the bar in order to get a level "platform" from front to back, even if the OEM rails are curved slightly. If so, I might consider getting some of the LC rails and putting 5 or 6 of these bars on it.
I have not gotten it out on the highway yet to test the noise. It could be all the extra holes in the bar could be absolutely deafening. I won't know until I get a chance to test it out.
In the meantime, does anyone have any tips or feedback on what I might not be thinking through?
I agree with your thoughts on using slightly longer pieces too for added functionality. And while it isn't super pretty (yet), I'm sure it'll hold up just fine.
There you go calling my baby ugly.
Yeah, I know it’s not the prettiest but if It’s under $100 all in and it serves the purpose for a year or so until I start looking for a RTT and a “Real” rack then I’d say it’s probably a good option. Also, I think that if it were painted and had end caps it wouldn’t look far different from some Thule bars.
However, took it for a quick spin and it was making some noise at 45 MPH. Going on the interstate tomorrow to set just how bad it is. Planning on taking a roll of duct tape to apply to the top and bottom of the strut to see if that reduces it some. Not for long term usage (that would be just a little to hillbilly for me) but more to see if it’s the multiple holes causing the noise.
Tommy Dwyer
SILVER Star
You mentioned Thule, which might be the answer to your wind noise problem. One of their fairings in the small version would fit between the factory rails, and is compatible with square bars. Something like this,There you go calling my baby ugly.
Yeah, I know it’s not the prettiest but if It’s under $100 all in and it serves the purpose for a year or so until I start looking for a RTT and a “Real” rack then I’d say it’s probably a good option. Also, I think that if it were painted and had end caps it wouldn’t look far different from some Thule bars.
However, took it for a quick spin and it was making some noise at 45 MPH. Going on the interstate tomorrow to set just how bad it is. Planning on taking a roll of duct tape to apply to the top and bottom of the strut to see if that reduces it some. Not for long term usage (that would be just a little to hillbilly for me) but more to see if it’s the multiple holes causing the noise.
Thule AirScreen XT
Thule AirScreen XT - Wind fairing that redirects airflow over roof rack for a quieter ride.
www.thule.com
You mentioned Thule, which might be the answer to your wind noise problem. One of their fairings in the small version would fit between the factory rails, and is compatible with square bars. Something like this,
Could probably find one for way less money on flea bay or Facebook market place. Think you’re on to a solid idea, and with longer rails, a little rattle can and end caps will look great and be very functional.Thule AirScreen XT
Thule AirScreen XT - Wind fairing that redirects airflow over roof rack for a quieter ride.
That’s definitely an option! Never really thought about fairings that weren’t sold with a rack. Thanks for the tip!
gaijin
GOLD Star
Unless you extend the struts out over the side rails, there doesn't appear to be anything stopping the struts from rotating down forward or backward. There is only a single bolt going into the side rail which acts as a pivot point. Failing longer struts, you may want to put bracing struts running front to back (longitudinally) connecting all the struts - that should also stop any rotation.
HTH
This thread inspired me to take this on as a stepping stone before going with a full blown roof rack. Definitely wanted something that sat a bit higher so used some 10 series corner brackets to get the extra clearance. I think it came out well. Snapped this as I was test fitting and aligning. I did finish it off with some end pieces as well to make a finished look but never snapped the final pics.
I like this a lot! I've been working on a similar setup.
Yesterday I received my order of extruded aluminium from the Canadian manufacturer/retailer FazStore.ca.
This is what I ordered: 10QE1020-BLACK - 1" x 2" BLACK Smooth T-Slotted Aluminum Extrusion - FazStore
Note that it is described as:
This is NOT so. The profile of these extrusions is narrower than that of the 80/20 product. The 80/20 extrusion's profile accepts a regular, 1/4" carriage bolt, but these extrusions do not. Complete waste of money in my case. Just a heads up for future Canadian shoppers!
(Worst of all, I discovered this after I assembled and mounted all cross bars on the LX!
)
This is what I ordered: 10QE1020-BLACK - 1" x 2" BLACK Smooth T-Slotted Aluminum Extrusion - FazStore
Note that it is described as:
This is NOT so. The profile of these extrusions is narrower than that of the 80/20 product. The 80/20 extrusion's profile accepts a regular, 1/4" carriage bolt, but these extrusions do not. Complete waste of money in my case. Just a heads up for future Canadian shoppers!
(Worst of all, I discovered this after I assembled and mounted all cross bars on the LX!
)
That is so frustrating. The metric profiles and english profiles are just the tiniest bit different. 6mm vs 1/4" grooves. Can you just go with 6mm fasteners?Yesterday I received my order of extruded aluminium from the Canadian manufacturer/retailer FazStore.ca.
This is what I ordered: 10QE1020-BLACK - 1" x 2" BLACK Smooth T-Slotted Aluminum Extrusion - FazStore
Note that it is described as:
This is NOT so. The profile of these extrusions is narrower than that of the 80/20 product. The 80/20 extrusion's profile accepts a regular, 1/4" carriage bolt, but these extrusions do not. Complete waste of money in my case. Just a heads up for future Canadian shoppers!
(Worst of all, I discovered this after I assembled and mounted all cross bars on the LX!
Hadn't thought of that. I would give it a shot, but finding metric hardware around here is damn tough. Looking for something as specific as a carriage bolt is pretty much pointless. I see options on Amazon, but they'll arrive between mid August and mid September. I'm too frustrated at this point to do much more research. I'll keep my eyes open, maybe I'll find a carriage bolt to try out. I suppose I could use a slide-in nut and insert hardware from the top, but that's a much more pain-in-the-butt mounting setup, and definitely not something I'd have gone for from the get-go.
I'd love to go back to my original idea of a proper RhinoRack platform, but it's damn expensive, especially after considering the $500+ I've already spent on the LC200 rails + these cross bars. Not the first time I've tried to go the less-expensive route only to find it doesn't work for me and buy the original, expensive setup on top of the cheaper alternative. Ugh.
Many in this situation are filing/grinding down the carriage bolt heads to fit . . . not sure how extensive your toolshop is, but that is an option.
