I have this rad, custom made roof rack, I've had it for a few years. It was on for about a year of hard roads before the crappy rails couldn't hold it up any more. Long story short, after I took the rack off (it wasn't being supported by the rails).. one side of the rail got disconnected while I was on the highway and then the rail swung up and over the rig into the other lane of traffic still attached by little screws to the other side. I've since taken both rails off and the rack is sitting somewhere. I want to put it back on.... Don't know what to do about rails though, the ones from this 88 were so nasty I wouldn't want something like that again. are they more solid on the newer years? And would they be easy to just swap out, IE from a junk yard?

 

Could you use a gutter mount?

 

Gutter mounts are what I suggest. They're like $12 each shipped

 

Yes. Those rails were never designed, not intended, for any load larger than the original sliding supports could handle. 200 lbs max per the owner's manual.

 

X4 on the Gutter Mounts and if you plan on heavy loads the more of them the better!

 

Are you sure about that..lol

 

Thanks guys, I had just never heard of the gutter mount. So I'll look into it. Sounds like a better hardware to go with

 

Uh, well, maybe not quite that many. He must be ready to carry at least enough to cave the top in

 

That is a rig from Australia. They have 1000 kilometer washboard dirt roads and carry heaps of supplies on the roof. A typical rack with 3 gutter mounts per side will eventually rip off the gutters or punch through them.
My gutters are starting to getting tweaked too with just 2 on each side. I added a third and placed them at pillar posts.

 

Looks like that needs to go on my "To do list" toward the top of it, before that happens to mine.