Roof rack build (1 Viewer)

[Atoyot1031]

OK, finished with the rattle can over several days. I'm happy with the results as I've accomplished my 3 goals with this project:

1. Stay out of trouble while the wife is out of town.

2. Create a functioning roof rack that can hold my spare & plenty of other gear in order to pursue a high clearance, receiver-integrated rear tube bumper.

3. Fool people into thinking I know what I'm doing.






Hope you guys enjoy!

 

[Atoyot1031]

Last but not least...



P.S. COMING SOON...

My next stolen idea: I have 68" sliders from Adam at 4xinnovations.com, some 3/8" plate steel, and some more beer!

This idea is stolen from Box Rocket's bargain sliders which have proven themselves. I also got the hot rolled steal from Adam (because he had them sitting around), and am planning cat protection.

Also a trip report on the Aspen area trifecta the weekend before last: Taylor Pass, Italian Creek, Schofield Pass (NOTE: Pearl Pass is still closed by snow).

 

[dcFJ]

Dude that looks very good! Awesome job!

Hey, off topic, can you give me the specs on your wheels? Private message is fine if you want...like width, backspacing, and cost. I've been looking for a good set of black steelies.

Again, great job on that rack!

Dave.

 

[Atoyot1031]

Dude that looks very good! Awesome job!

Hey, off topic, can you give me the specs on your wheels? Private message is fine if you want...like width, backspacing, and cost. I've been looking for a good set of black steelies.

Again, great job on that rack!

Dave.

Sorry, I"ve got no idea on the rims other than 16"s. I bought them off of a friend who got them on his 80 when he bought it off a guy in Maine.. Sounds like something off of Ferris Bueler...

 

[dcFJ]

It's all good man...thanks anyways.

 

[Otto Von Squiggy]

Good question.

It's setup so that I can put long gear in there. For instance, the tent poles for my hunting tent are 6' long 3" wide.

What the heck kinda tent do you have ???

 

[Atoyot1031]

What the heck kinda tent do you have ???

Love your name...




...but the affectionate name for our elk hunting tent is "The Commie Lodge". Not sure of the square footage, but it is a huge-Russian-military-surplus tent with sliding glass windows, coal-burning heat, surround sound, an arctic-liner, a red carpet (yes, we are in Aspen), a URINAL, kegerator, separate cooking tent, separate heated outhouse tent, generator-based power source, blah, blah, blah (if you can think of it, we probably have it)...

So yes, our auxilary tent stakes are 6' tall, and our main stake is ~12' tall. They may have lost he coldwar, but those silly Commies sure know how to build a cold-weather tent.

P.S. The stove is a U.S. Marine Corp. issue stpve that is capable of burning wood, coal, diesel, or gasoline. Our fuel of choice for conservation and preservation issues is coal (approximately 500 lbs. for 10 days of sub-freezing temps)

 

[Barbarosa]

holly crap. that tent should be the Tag-MyHaul or Lodge-et-all or hold-it-all-lodge

LOL ... that's awesome.

btw, i am lifting the photos and list to make my little bookie from which to attempt this rack myself. I do like what you did. the only thing i will look at from a different point of view will be the towers... it does look too tall.

post what you find as you are looking at the other tower options... someone on here made there own... i will see if i can find ...

 

[Barbarosa]

other riser options found on this post thread of the jmoose...
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/88016-diy-roof-rack-h-moose.html

 

[photogod]

Really nice work, for a cave man!

 

[Atoyot1031]

Thanks! Barbosa, I measured and it only sits a little less than 3.5" above the roof ribbing. On my old truck it cleared the factory rack, whereas my new 80 never had one. Something to keep in mind depending on what Mr. T did or didn't bolt to the top of yours...

Good luck & feel free to hit me up with any questions. Honestly, I think the hardest part was the notching (from what I remember).

 

[CreeperSleeper]

*hi-jack* Sweet tent! Mine is a bit smaller:

 

[Atoyot1031]

*hi-jack* Sweet tent! Mine is a bit smaller:

That's nice, Chad! It kinda looks like our cook tent!

Just kidding! Ours houses four of us, our bar, complete with game room, satellite TV, and surround sound. This year I'm movin' out though. I'm gonna stay in what I have dubbed "The Officer's Quarters", which will be my new Starcraft 10RT. I'll still visit the Commie Lodge for entertainment purposes though. The problem is that it is hard to get an actual hunting done when staying with those fools. It's like the old joke, "My drinkin' buddies have a huntin' problem..." (DISCLAIMER: They don't mix the two, they just don't accomplish much of any of the latter...)

 

[woytovich]

So what's the big secret with the rack clamps? Why not post the source here?

 

[75PIG]

Very Nice!

 

[Atoyot1031]

Thanks, yours is comin' along nicely...

 

[Atoyot1031]

OK, this rack has worked wonderfully on my last two 80s. However, this Spring I upgraded to 37s and the cruiser wouldn't fit in the garage anymore. So I decided it's time to complete some upgrades to the rack and lower it so that it will fit in the garage.

I decided to build a "hatch" for the open space above the sunroof, mount the thing on adjustable Defender HD Roof Rack Mounts, and give it a fresh hosing down with some rattle can.

The hatch is the same construction as the rest of the rack (1" conduit, 1" box steel, and 1/4" rod stock fence on 4" square). I'm using angle iron welded to the inside of the rack opening which will act as a stop for the hinged hatch with neoprene washers to eliminate any vibrations. Welded door hinges with non-removable pins will allow it to open (again without vibration).

I still have to work out a couple details on how the hatch will stay open or closed, but it shouldn't be a big deal.

The hatch will also work nicely like a tank hatch if I need to lay down some suppressing fire.

Most of the work is complete, and I just got the rack clamps after waiting 3 months.

I'll post up pics soon...

 

[Atoyot1031]

Here's a link to the new mounts:
Rain Gutter Clamps Roof Rack Brackets
Not bad for $140.

Here are some pics of the mounts, as you can see they have ample adjustment.

 

[Atoyot1031]

Finished up the hatch and was able to try it out on a trip to Great Sand Dunes NP. Here are a few pics:

1. Here's a not so great overhead view of the hatch. You can see the welded hinges in the foreground and the frame for the hatch that fits inside the outer frame of the entire rack.


2. A close up of the SS pins I used to secure the hatch. The stops for the hatch have neoprene attached to them to avoid any noise.


3. The rack loaded up on our way back from the Sand Dunes at Twin Lakes. There is roughly 1/2" clearance between the rack and the roof now.

 

[outdoorplay]

I’m a newbie here, but being inspired by all the cool people with similar interests and innovative ways to make up for the lack of $$, I wanted to build a rack also. It would be nice to make one that can support a couple people sleeping on top, which leads me to the question.
Does anyone know how much weight the rack can support from the rain guards such as the one earlier displayed on this form?