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I made my first roof rack!!!


backcountrycrui
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So I sort of coppied another members idea of using a bunk bed frame for the

 

base. Then I used galvo tube for the bent parts. I wanted to be able to

 

mount 3 of the 2.5 gallon jerry cans, spare tire (when I get one) and lights

 

front and back. Also I wanted it to be strong enough to carry a canoe. It

 

is my first welding project and boy does it show.:lol: Over all I have about

 

$7.00 into it including the spray paint. I will probably weld in a couple of

 

pieces in the front and rear to strengthen the top bars. Other than that Im

 

pleased with it. I got a lot of ideas from the members cars here.

 

Here are the parts

 

IMG_1087.jpg

 

IMG_1088.jpg

 

And here is the rack..

 

IMG_1153.jpg

 

IMG_1159.jpg

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Good job using stuff you had readily available to make something custom.

 

Now go drink some milk before welding that Galvanized kills you. :-\:grin:

 

 

I made a good effort to grind off most of the galvo. I heard that is is hard on you.:eek:

 

Nice work...I like the design. :banana:

It would be nice if your spare could squeeze under the back rail, as hefting a wheel around at that height can be tough.

 

~E

 

I will be putting lights in the front and rear areas. So no tire there.

 

However based on a previous post I made regarding the heft of a spare

 

wheel and tire, I decided to put the bar in the middle a lot lower than

 

originally planned. That space is about 31 inches. Wide enough to put any

 

tire, that I would run, up on top. All else fails I will have my 6 year old do

 

it. He is like the Incredible Hulk.:lol:

 

Mike

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I made a good effort to grind off most of the galvo. I heard that is is hard on you.:eek:

 

 

Mike

 

There are both hot dip, and cold dip Galvanized. Most conduit is going to be cold dip. That means the steel is actually cooled when they treat it with galvanization. Hot dip is still somewhat molten, thusly the galvanization is pretty much engrained in the steel. As you can imagine, cold dip is alot better to work with than hot dip. Just grind the outside layer off and you're set. Hot dip isn't as forgiving.

 

It may be an old welders tale, but, I know from first hand experience that drinking milk after welding galvanized will definitely make your throat less irritated. It can't hurt. :)

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You should put some cross bars on the front and back down low to keep short stuff from sliding out and to hold light tabs

 

That is the plan. I ran out of time, for the day, with the father in laws

 

welder. Then I ran out of patience:rolleyes: and painted it THEN I got

 

ambitious and installed the damn thing:lol:. So now I have to removed it,

 

sand the weld point clean and then install the rest of the tube. Sometimes

 

my three year old has more patience than I do.:eek:

Thanks

Mike

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  • 2 years later...
That is the plan. I ran out of time, for the day, with the father in laws

 

welder. Then I ran out of patience:rolleyes: and painted it THEN I got

 

ambitious and installed the damn thing:lol:. So now I have to removed it,

 

sand the weld point clean and then install the rest of the tube. Sometimes

 

my three year old has more patience than I do.:eek:

Thanks

Mike

 

I had the same problem with my bumpers now I don't want to take them off to finish them

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  • 3 weeks later...

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