JohnWongFat

I built a Safari rack based on everyone else's build strings. I've never arc welded before, and it was a bit of a learning curve, but I got through it. I think it turned out pretty well for a computer geek. All in all, the experience was well worth the results. Hope you like it!

P.S. Please excuse the messy garage!


https://i.imgur.com/YhjKu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KTEwY.jpg

Bowslinger

Looks great man! I like it!!

jowint

Very nice job!

sbhockey

Looks like what I'm planning on building. Looking forward to seeing it mounted up.

JerrytheJeep

Dude you stole that right out of my mind that's crazy, I drew this up a few months ago

JohnWongFat

Thanks guys! Yeah, I got it mounted tonight, the pics are kind of crappy because I had to take them in my tiny garage. We'll see how it holds up this weekend, taking it out tomorrow. I think the rack will look a lot better when it's black.

https://i.imgur.com/lO4QH.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/kbP1r.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zN2NN.jpg

K-SKI

looks good where u get the cross bars that is what i need ot mount mine

JohnWongFat

They came with my Jeep when I bought it. They are Thule rails if that helps. I just drilled through my rack and those and bolted it on.

notop46

Nice rack dude! Great job on the design and execution. Did you use an arc welder with rods? If so, great job on welding light material. We all look forward to your next project.

JohnWongFat

Yeah, I used an arc welder that my buddy has with 6013 rods. I had to tweak the amperage depending on what i was welding. On the sides where I was going flush, 60 amps did the trick. On the T sections (cross members and uprights) I had to do 75 amps to get it to stick to both sections of metal. It was a pretty cool learning experience. I burned through a few sections and had to fill in the hole a bit at a time, so that was interesting. Unfortunately, the powder coating place out here wants $250 to powder coat it, so I think it's going to get a few coats of Rustoleum and I'll see how that holds up. I'll post some pics once I get to that point. Thanks for all the compliments!

xman2yman

I really want to built my own rack but I do not have a welder and I really don't have the funds to go all out with one. What are some good welders reasonably priced for a project like this?

mickey_00xj

http://www.harborfreight.com/interes...der-98871.html

This is what I use. I've built my bumper, rack and other random stuff with it. Works great for the money. I'm upgrading to a MIG, but for now I can't complain about the results. Only bad thing about flux is all the slag you have to chip or grind off when you're done, other than that it holds up just as good as anything else.

xman2yman

ok thats not too bad there.

JohnWongFat

Yeah, that's not bad at all. The stick welder I used has the same problem, you have to do quite a bit of clean up on the welds, but it's still a lot of fun. One thing I learned, was that I should have done the middle section first when I put the top piece onto the bottom. Instead, I did the corners first and it bowed the metal pretty significantly. There's a lot of extra welding rod on those uprights because of it, but oh well.

notop46

I always prefered 7014 rods. They welded nice and the flux seemed to pop off after the weld cooled.

I put rustoleum on mine and it has held up for 4 years of wear and tear. It would have to be the ultimate rack to spend that kind of money on powder coating. Even then, I would want to paint the inside (see my bumper build thread in fabrication) to be sure that it did not rust from the inside out.

I think the next one I build will be out of stainless tubing to eliminate all of the rust and painting issues,