home brew EMT roof rack
08-09-2009, 07:56 PM
#1
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Year: 93
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home brew EMT roof rack
i have a few people ask me about my rack. so i thought i would just start a thread. so here it is and no laughing please
you will need...
6 pcs of 1" x 10' EMT (electric conduit)
1- galvanized chain link (cyclone) fence top rail
1- 1 1/2" or 2" x 1/8" aluminum plate
1 small box of HD self taping screws
4- 1" U bolts
1" EMT pipe bender
all the material is available at home depot as well as the pipe bender witch you can rent.
im not sure of the price on the pipe and such. i had all the pipe left over from a job.
First I removed the rails from my stock roof rack. You will need a stubby screw driver or a 1/4 inch socket with a short phillips bit to remove the screws on the under side of the rails.
Then I drilled out the holes where the screws were to attach the u bolts. That gave me an idea of how wide the rack needed to be. My rack is 58 inches front to back and 42 inches wide. You're pretty much stuck with the width unless you mount yours differently than I did. The length you can make whatever works for you. Not being framiliar with a pipe bender, only seeing it done a few times I had a lot of guessing to do that's why theres six pieces of emt on the list instead of four, I went through all six.
I measured in two foot on one end and made a bend and then guessed on the other side. With a little practice and know how you'll figure it out. The hardest part is getting the other side to match. There is an arrow on the bender be sure to use that as a referance point to try and I do mean try to duplicate this on the other three pieces. Once you have your four like pieces cut four 32 inch pieces of the top rail. I was originally going to use cuplers but had this piece of pipe in my van and just so hapened to be the perfect size to slide into. I cut ten pieces of the aluminum plate at four inches clamped them together and pre drilled all my holes. If you use aluminum plate rather than steel you can cut it on a miter box. It makes for much cleaner cuts. I fit together the bottom half of the rack and put it on the roof of the truck. temperarily put my ubolts in place and screwed it together then removed it from the truck and put it on my table to make the top portion to match. I temperarliy screwed the four inch plate to the rack and reinstalled it on the truck tightening down the ubolts. of course where I placed the plates was right where the ubolts were mounted and had to move them. Hopefully you'll have enough foresight to not repeat my mistake. From there you can add as many as you need to mount your lights, shovel racks, children, etc.
From there some good etching primer and some black paint and your in business. This thread is going to solve your problems or create a whole mess of new ones. It's the best I could muster.
thanks for looking
you will need...
6 pcs of 1" x 10' EMT (electric conduit)
1- galvanized chain link (cyclone) fence top rail
1- 1 1/2" or 2" x 1/8" aluminum plate
1 small box of HD self taping screws
4- 1" U bolts
1" EMT pipe bender
all the material is available at home depot as well as the pipe bender witch you can rent.
im not sure of the price on the pipe and such. i had all the pipe left over from a job.
First I removed the rails from my stock roof rack. You will need a stubby screw driver or a 1/4 inch socket with a short phillips bit to remove the screws on the under side of the rails.
Then I drilled out the holes where the screws were to attach the u bolts. That gave me an idea of how wide the rack needed to be. My rack is 58 inches front to back and 42 inches wide. You're pretty much stuck with the width unless you mount yours differently than I did. The length you can make whatever works for you. Not being framiliar with a pipe bender, only seeing it done a few times I had a lot of guessing to do that's why theres six pieces of emt on the list instead of four, I went through all six.
I measured in two foot on one end and made a bend and then guessed on the other side. With a little practice and know how you'll figure it out. The hardest part is getting the other side to match. There is an arrow on the bender be sure to use that as a referance point to try and I do mean try to duplicate this on the other three pieces. Once you have your four like pieces cut four 32 inch pieces of the top rail. I was originally going to use cuplers but had this piece of pipe in my van and just so hapened to be the perfect size to slide into. I cut ten pieces of the aluminum plate at four inches clamped them together and pre drilled all my holes. If you use aluminum plate rather than steel you can cut it on a miter box. It makes for much cleaner cuts. I fit together the bottom half of the rack and put it on the roof of the truck. temperarily put my ubolts in place and screwed it together then removed it from the truck and put it on my table to make the top portion to match. I temperarliy screwed the four inch plate to the rack and reinstalled it on the truck tightening down the ubolts. of course where I placed the plates was right where the ubolts were mounted and had to move them. Hopefully you'll have enough foresight to not repeat my mistake. From there you can add as many as you need to mount your lights, shovel racks, children, etc.
From there some good etching primer and some black paint and your in business. This thread is going to solve your problems or create a whole mess of new ones. It's the best I could muster.
thanks for looking
08-09-2009, 08:27 PM
#2
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Year: 1998 XJ
Model: Cherokee
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i have a few people ask me about my rack. so i thought i would just start a thread. so here it is and no laughing please
you will need...
6 pcs of 1" x 10' EMT (electric conduit)
1- galvanized chain link (cyclone) fence top rail
1- 1 1/2" or 2" x 1/8" aluminum plate
1 small box of HD self taping screws
4- 1" U bolts
1" EMT pipe bender
all the material is available at home depot as well as the pipe bender witch you can rent.
im not sure of the price on the pipe and such. i had all the pipe left over from a job.
First I removed the rails from my stock roof rack. You will need a stubby screw driver or a 1/4 inch socket with a short phillips bit to remove the screws on the under side of the rails.
Then I drilled out the holes where the screws were to attach the u bolts. That gave me an idea of how wide the rack needed to be. My rack is 58 inches front to back and 42 inches wide. You're pretty much stuck with the width unless you mount yours differently than I did. The length you can make whatever works for you. Not being framiliar with a pipe bender, only seeing it done a few times I had a lot of guessing to do that's why theres six pieces of emt on the list instead of four, I went through all six.
I measured in two foot on one end and made a bend and then guessed on the other side. With a little practice and know how you'll figure it out. The hardest part is getting the other side to match. There is an arrow on the bender be sure to use that as a referance point to try and I do mean try to duplicate this on the other three pieces. Once you have your four like pieces cut four 32 inch pieces of the top rail. I was originally going to use cuplers but had this piece of pipe in my van and just so hapened to be the perfect size to slide into. I cut ten pieces of the aluminum plate at four inches clamped them together and pre drilled all my holes. If you use aluminum plate rather than steel you can cut it on a miter box. It makes for much cleaner cuts. I fit together the bottom half of the rack and put it on the roof of the truck. temperarily put my ubolts in place and screwed it together then removed it from the truck and put it on my table to make the top portion to match. I temperarliy screwed the four inch plate to the rack and reinstalled it on the truck tightening down the ubolts. of course where I placed the plates was right where the ubolts were mounted and had to move them. Hopefully you'll have enough foresight to not repeat my mistake. From there you can add as many as you need to mount your lights, shovel racks, children, etc.
From there some good etching primer and some black paint and your in business. This thread is going to solve your problems or create a whole mess of new ones. It's the best I could muster.
thanks for looking
you will need...
6 pcs of 1" x 10' EMT (electric conduit)
1- galvanized chain link (cyclone) fence top rail
1- 1 1/2" or 2" x 1/8" aluminum plate
1 small box of HD self taping screws
4- 1" U bolts
1" EMT pipe bender
all the material is available at home depot as well as the pipe bender witch you can rent.
im not sure of the price on the pipe and such. i had all the pipe left over from a job.
First I removed the rails from my stock roof rack. You will need a stubby screw driver or a 1/4 inch socket with a short phillips bit to remove the screws on the under side of the rails.
Then I drilled out the holes where the screws were to attach the u bolts. That gave me an idea of how wide the rack needed to be. My rack is 58 inches front to back and 42 inches wide. You're pretty much stuck with the width unless you mount yours differently than I did. The length you can make whatever works for you. Not being framiliar with a pipe bender, only seeing it done a few times I had a lot of guessing to do that's why theres six pieces of emt on the list instead of four, I went through all six.
I measured in two foot on one end and made a bend and then guessed on the other side. With a little practice and know how you'll figure it out. The hardest part is getting the other side to match. There is an arrow on the bender be sure to use that as a referance point to try and I do mean try to duplicate this on the other three pieces. Once you have your four like pieces cut four 32 inch pieces of the top rail. I was originally going to use cuplers but had this piece of pipe in my van and just so hapened to be the perfect size to slide into. I cut ten pieces of the aluminum plate at four inches clamped them together and pre drilled all my holes. If you use aluminum plate rather than steel you can cut it on a miter box. It makes for much cleaner cuts. I fit together the bottom half of the rack and put it on the roof of the truck. temperarily put my ubolts in place and screwed it together then removed it from the truck and put it on my table to make the top portion to match. I temperarliy screwed the four inch plate to the rack and reinstalled it on the truck tightening down the ubolts. of course where I placed the plates was right where the ubolts were mounted and had to move them. Hopefully you'll have enough foresight to not repeat my mistake. From there you can add as many as you need to mount your lights, shovel racks, children, etc.
From there some good etching primer and some black paint and your in business. This thread is going to solve your problems or create a whole mess of new ones. It's the best I could muster.
thanks for looking
Thanks for the write up, i was just in lowes today looking at conduit to start my rack. i do have one question now and sorry if i missed it but how did you connect the ends of the conduit. weld? i have been looking for metal bushings that i can slide inside the 1" emt and secure and then slide the other side on and secure. that away it is reenforced on the inside as well. cant find any bushings tho. hopefully my question made sense.
08-09-2009, 08:59 PM
#3
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i used the galv top rail as the bushings. i cut them at 32" and slid them in it makes it ultra beefy. the sides are the 1" conduit. and at the front and back is where i used the top rail. you know though they do sell pre bent elbows. if you use them in the corners and then use the rail on the sides,front and back that might work better. i screwed it all together. its strong as hell belive it or not.
08-11-2009, 11:18 AM
#6
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Year: 1996
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thats a really awesome rack, hope you dont mind but im probably going to steal your idea, i got some of that pipping laying around in the garage. 
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08-13-2009, 09:36 PM
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so far its holding up good. i used a good etching primer and sanded the heck out of it. well the kids did. they love to help. a piece of sand paper will keep them occupied for a good half hour. i couldn't have made the rack with out them. 
please steal away. i liked the look of the round tube plus i had all the stuff layin around.
thanks to all glad you like it. most poeple think i bought it.
please steal away. i liked the look of the round tube plus i had all the stuff layin around.
thanks to all glad you like it. most poeple think i bought it.
Last edited by gornikebounder; 08-13-2009 at 09:40 PM.
08-14-2009, 10:23 AM
#12
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Year: 1998
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I also used the same material for the railing on my rack, I welded it all together, I am going to use the same mesh stuff that they put on utility trailors for the floor so I would be able to throw muddy chains and stuff up there and it not fall through.
your rack looks good nice work!!
your rack looks good nice work!!
08-14-2009, 02:32 PM
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Year: 1993
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you could probably use some of that grated steel sheet for the floor and fasten it somehow, maybe the self tappers or something. thats probably what i would do
08-14-2009, 05:06 PM
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Year: 1998 XJ
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I am gathering all the materials to do mine now and was thinking about the flooring for it too. my only consern is that when i mount it to the current upward curved side that my flooring for the rack is not going to be flat. it is going to have an arch in it. i was thinking about taking the curved rods out and intalling some flat rectangle tube or something. any ideas on that. maybe it can help all of us out that are going to mount there racks on top of the factory top rails. hopefully this made sense
Or do you think the arch is enough to even worry about