Roof rack is a GO!!!

I have submitted my design to my Fabrication teacher and he has given me the go ahead. I will be fabbing it while in class and at home.

The design is a full roof design with an integrated light bar. I may also be including a rear ladder with this project but that will be at the last minute, if at all. I havent decided on how many lights it will be able to hold and Im not %100 sure on what the decking will be. Stay tuned to see what the final product will look like.

Awesome, I cant wait to see the first "cut"!

aww man...i cant wait..its gonna be fun...cant wait to put it together i got some really (i think) cool ideas...

This sounds like fun!

Mike,
This is on the short list as well for me! I'm tired of airing down to get the Baja rack to clear the garage door. I want a flat expedition style one. But longer and wider than my Baja rack! I'm curious to see what you come up with. I am also debating on using 1.5" tubing so I don't have to buy another die set for the bender. Keep me in the loop bro!

yeah i will be ordering my materials probably next week and get it started soon after that ....my main concern is choosing the right decking...there are so many choices and i want to make sure i pick the right one...

ok well the roof rack is done..the only thing i have to do now is run the wiring for my lights and install them..the roof rack is done and painted ...i changed my design about ten times while doing this project but i feel that i came up with the best design for my purposes. It incorporates all the aspects that i think i will have to deal with...lights protected by a cage, plenty of space to load anything, room and strength to accomodate a roof top tent when it is purchased, and personal details just for the "Gunny"...

bigdogdewey2 wrote:

ok well the roof rack is done...

And the pictures are coming when? I'm actually dying to see it!

NC FJ Driver wrote:

bigdogdewey2 wrote:

ok well the roof rack is done...

And the pictures are coming when? I'm actually dying to see it!

Yeah, pics!

ok here they are ..however these are of it unpainted...with no lights mounted...











if you will notice on the legs of the rack you will see the "invasion stars"...its been cleaned up and painted and as of now the wiring for the lights have all been run also...

Nice

Looking GOOD Mike!! can't wait to see it finished! GREAT job!!!

Very cool!! Man I need some money

why u need money man?

Looks great

i agree it looks great.

Nice work as always bdd2. I love the design looks sturdy. What is your estimated load rating? I am interested in what fabrication classes you are taking? I am enrolling in the nc welding certification classes this fall through ab technical community college. I figured it would be good to be certified for my projects, and for the job I coould pick up extra work doing structural beams etc.

Really well done man , I bet it will even look better with some lights mounted!

Getting the lights mounted right now...then all the wiring needs connected

here they are...painted, mounted and lights installed....
I wanna thank Speedrye for the help with the wiring install...fantastic job no way i could have done this without him...if you need any wiring info or help give him a call...hes the man...
anyway here they are...Smoky as far as the load rating on this i am gonna go out on a limb and say at least 3 times stock...i got on the rack today and it is as solid and strong as it needs to be...no flex at all..its solid..

nice I like how the angle matches your bumper.

The rack is really,really sweet in person! When Mike was up on it, you could hear how solid it was. Clearly, it's one solid unit that sounds stout at a minimum.

You're welcome on the wiring. It's functional for now and will be pretty once it's wire loomed and has some proper switch mounting locations.

For anyone interested in switches, the ones Mike got are awesome. I'm running stock ones everywhere, but his are much better quality and match very well. I won't even get into the awesome zombie aspect since the forum would censor most of my ranting over how cool they are.

Mike, Looks great!!! What lights are you running up top?

the lights are 6" Rugged Ridge 100w....hellacious price on them too...im happy with them...i just really liked the "classic" look of these lights...and the way they are mounted and caged on the rack..gives it that Pre Runner look to a degree...i cant wait to get another 3 light set so i can do the front bumper...

Mike, I really like how the roof rack came out. What is the overal height minus the light cage area? I ma looking at getting a roof rack for the Runner but it may be a while like spring time possibly. Maybe we can get together and build one for me? I have dimensions and a good idea of what I want. Also, I have a sunroof and would like to keep the area open around it semilar to the Gobi Stealth for the 4Runner.

Bobby