DIY Roof Rack

Gen X

First Fill-Up (of many)
Supporting Member
Location
Ashburn, VA
I wanted a simple roof rack that fit within the stock roof rails. I didn’t want a basket that added height, and didn’t want to spend the money for a DepHep or Gobi. I couldn’t find anything that met the size I was looking for so decided to make my own. I made this one for a little over $100

This is 62” long and the inside width of the stock rails is 33”.

Parts List

1-1/2 in. x 14-Gauge x 72 in. Zinc-Plated Slotted Angle - 2 of these, $18.28 each

1/2 in. x 10 ft. Electric Metallic Tube (EMT) Conduit - 5 of these, $3.32 each. I wanted a relatively narrow space between the cross bars so used 14 total. At 33” each, I could only get three per each 10ft piece of conduit. Unfortunately more leftover scrap than I would like, but no other way to get the size roof rack I wanted.

1/8 in. x 3/16 in. Aluminum Rivets (50-Pack) - 1 pack, $5.98. You’ll be six rivets short if you don’t destroy any during the fabrication. I bought another pack. I’ll use them for another project so didn’t count it in the cost breakdown.

1/8 in. x 1 in. Zinc-Plated Fender Washer (100-Piece) - 1 pack, $9.68. So, I couldn’t find a large pack of 3/16 x 1 inch fender washers, only a small bag with three. Since I needed four of these per each cross bar, I decided to buy this pack and drilled them out to 3/16 to fit the rivets. A little bit of a PITA, but the fenders are needed as the rivets aren’t big enough for the holes in the slotted angle iron.

#6 Nickel Plated Finishing Washer (100-Piece) - 1 pack, $5.25. Stainless steel is less expensive, but again I couldn’t find a large enough pack for what I needed, four per each cross bar again. You can do without these, but I added them to make a smoother finish. Without these, the rivet sticks up just a hair more, it’s pretty flush when you add these.

1/2 in. 2-Hole Electrical Metallic Tube (EMT) Straps (4-Pack) $1.11 / 1/2 in. Electrical Metallic Tube (EMT) 2-Hole Straps (25-Pack), $5.24 - 1 pack each. You’ll use two per cross bar.

Nilight 90020B 2-Pack (Standard) Mounting Bracket - 3 of these $9 each. There are two per pack, I used these to attach the roof rack to the stock rails. I used some 5/16, #18 x 1 inch hex bolts and nylock nuts to attach the rack to the brackets.

Assembly photos:

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I used vise grips to hold everything in place while crimping the rivets.

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Close up of the finished rivet side. This will be the topside when installed.

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Primed:

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Painted:

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Here's install photos. I could have made this a hair wider, maybe 33 1/8. I attached everything on the driver side first, then on the passenger side noticed the brackets aren't quite at 90 degrees. Had to rotate them a bit inboard to attach to the angle iron. Not a big deal, just something to consider if you make one.

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Pretty satisfied with how it sits. We'll see how it works, I'll be adding my Yakima ski box soon.
 
Last edited:

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
That looks really good! I'm definitely interested in seeing it on the truck. I was planning on welding up a recessed (read Dep style) rack, but this could work as well.
 

Gen X

First Fill-Up (of many)
Supporting Member
Location
Ashburn, VA
Unfortunately I didn't get to try it out for long. I got in wreck a little over a month later. I did attach my Thule cargo box to it and loaded with three sets of skis and all the needed gear. Probably 80 pound of gear. It felt solid and I kept the spacing between the bars small so weight would be distributed better.
 
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