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pretty sweet basic design, did you do anything to cover the end holes to prevent rust from the inside out? can you give us a write up of the dimensions and costs? i'm looking to fab up my own as well
that is a very good question - I had not sealed the ends. I thought about that and I plan to either purchase plastic end pieces (not sure where to get them at this point) or I will use black RTV silicone to seal the ends using a razor blade to trim it. I am in a desert climate so its not a pressing issue for me.
the costs? it depends on where you can buy the material. I picked up what I needed for about $50 cut to length. The hinge and the tabs were scrap I had laying around but you can pick those up at a local hardware store.
when you go to build it take your time and take measurements off your jeep so you will get exactly what you need. sketch it out, think about how the end pieces will be joined and what you will be putting in there so you will have the room you need (tire, cooler, camping gear, etc.). I can sketch up something but really you want to take your own measurements and decide how you want everything to come together for your own needs. if you still want a sketch let me know and I will pencil something out and post it.
I am thinking of building a roof rack for the WJ... Hummmm, I will try to remember to get photos as I build it. I will order corner posts from a place I know and powder coat it when done.
So my rear bar collapsed after traveling down a washboard road and after a quick investigation it turned out to be the plastic incerts that gave way (one sheared off the other pulled away). I looked into replacing them but thought i would have the same issues so i decided to make an incert out of aluminum using some scrap i had. The only weight i have had on the basket is the spare tire. I replaced the rear which you can see in the photos but have not gotten to the front yet. The front is the first photo. Anyone else experience a problem with these pieces?
You can see the bar sagging. Upgraded incert installed. Keeps the bar level and direct downward force on the braket. Test fit. Top of incert. Bottom. Note the slot ground out to provide room for the joint inside of the rack bar itself. Matching up to the plastic piece.
How do the factory roof rack rails attach to the roof? I would look into removing the entire factory setup and making new mounts to attach your basket to the roof.
good suggestion. it looks like they are screwed on, which makes them easy to remove. the thing that gives me pause on doing it is the roof is curved in both directions so i would have to find something that would fit correctly without looking bad.
Get some flat bar, something like 1.5x3/16" or 1x3/16". Drill holes down middle of flat bar to match holes in roof. Bolt flat bar to roof, it will form to the roof. Start snugging the bolts down in the middle and work your way to the ends. Leave enough room in the bolt holes to allow the flat bar to move when snugging it down.
Then you can position your basket (rest it on scraps of wood to set the height) and measure for legs down to the flat bar. Tack the legs to the flat bar, take the assembly loose and production weld. Flat bar should hold its shape then.
