hey guys,

i really wanted a roof rack, and after seeing the other posts about making your own roof rack i decided to take a shot at it. here is what i'm doing to build my own roof rack... i dont have any plans persay i'm just wingin it as i go.

if you have any comments...constructive stuff, nothing negative i'd love to hear them so i can improve my project. for starters...


i have a supply of EMT 3/4''(inch) x 10' about 120' (feet) in total, for bends i'm using a standard rigid 3/4'' EMT bender found at home depot for 39.99$, if you can find a cheaper bender great... its all the same .....in theory

Tubing comes in 10' sections at $ 2.47 per tube. So 120 or so should cost you $ 29.64 plus tax. for rough joint MOCK UP i'm using simple 3/4'' emt joints. they have a set screw on either side to old the pipes in place enough for you to make measurements and such. i plan to tack/mark these tubes in place and then have a local welder do a really good job on them in his shop. i cant find my camera but i'll grab pics in the morning.. dammit

 

Personally I wouldn't be too keen on welding that many small joints on galvanized metal. Zinc fumes are quite toxic. I'd make sure you have a weldor lined up (who understands what you're planning) before you spend a lot of time on it.

 

yeah, no way would I weld that much galvanized metal, but if you're hell bent on doing it make sure you have a well ventilated area and drink milk before you weld..I've heard that helps you from getting sick.

 

I know you have been looking at my rack as an example, I would find a local steel supplier to get the metal from. They will come inlonger lenghts but the steel will be more what you want and will weld easier. The tubing bender is going to be tough to get them all the same and uniform. I would say to go to an exhaust shop or a fab shop and have them do the bends for you. It should be somewhere between $8-$10 per bend and at least you know they will be right. For the 8 bends it will add some cost but nothing too excessive.

Good luck on the build and keep us updated.

 

my rack will look like a real SD or voyager rack when i'm done... so its will have way more than 8 bends to in... my welder said he didnt care about the galvanized metal.... i have a nbc mask i'll use

 

you will be fine with the welding as long as you do it in a well ventilated area and keep an air mover of some sort directing the fumes away from you

 

Okay, forget what I said about the bends, you really should buy a real bender then. There are some nice options out there that are less then the big benders if you are bending less than 1" tubing.

Good luck on the build, keep us posted.

 

"poor mans roof rack build with pics..."??? I didn't see any pics - lol.

I can't wait to see pics of this, I was thinking about building a rack for my Zuki. I will certainly subscribe to this thread.

Good Luck man-

 

i need my camera... lol i already have the lower bar around the roof done.. now i just need rain gutter mounts and then i can start making the roof line hugging basket

 

If you are going to use the EMT screw connectors, you could make it stronger by lining up the connector/emt to where you want it - then remove the screw mark the EMT through the screw hole then drill the EMT, then install the screw. This way the screw goes through the pipe/EMT ---instead of crushing it (its normal configuration), this way it could withstand a little lateral force without coming apart. EMT by nature has no stresses applied to it - only - through it (pulling in the wire).