Soft top D-90 custom roof rack mount and ladder.

[RDC76]

I thought I'd share this here to see what you guys think. The rack is a front runner. The mounting is made from 1-1/2" .120 wall Dom. And 1/4" flat bar. With stainless steel ladder rungs and top grab bar (highest rung is round tube). The objective was something light weight, strong and clean. And also allows the top to be removed with the rack in place. it also needs to look good with the top off and not have bars running in every direction. Hence the minimalist design. The ladder and tube work follows the contours of the body and does not block the lights or license plate. It is very solid and I can walk around up there. It's also completely bolt on. I modified the stock upper tire carrier mount with a tube disconnect. What do you guys think?

 

[RDC76]

A couple more

Sorry for the rotated pic. Above.

 

[RDC76]

Again sorry for the pics being sideways. They are not on the preview?? Here's one of the front bar

 

[RDC76]

It just needs powder coating and final mounting with all the hardware.

 

[RDC76]

Last pic

 

[d110pickup]

I like it!
My only concern would be an owner that overloads the rack; that right rear support looks iffy where it ties to the body above the spare tire hinge. I'm not criticizing your work but I also know some people will overload a roof rack. Did you do anything to beef that on the inside? I do own a soft top 97 Defender so I'm familiar with the construction of the tub & mount there.
Also where did you source the perforated step material?
Thanks,
Mike

 

[vasily]

nice work!

 

[ZG]

Nice!

 

[greynolds]

My only concern would be an owner that overloads the rack; that right rear support looks iffy where it ties to the body above the spare tire hinge. I'm not criticizing your work but I also know some people will overload a roof rack. Did you do anything to beef that on the inside? I do own a soft top 97 Defender so I'm familiar with the construction of the tub & mount there.
Also where did you source the perforated step material?

The other concern I would have is that it looks like it's mounted quite a bit higher above the roof line than it needs to be, which looks a bit awkward to me, but might also raise the center of gravity even more than needed when there's a load on the rack. Otherwise, it looks pretty good to me.

 

[RDC76]

Thanks guys and as a builder I appreciate all critiques and genuine concerns. I can't think of everything. That's why I posted this here to get feedback from you guys that have and put these trucks to use. Mike I put 1/4" steel plates behind all the points of attachment at the body. I also threaded them as its a pain to get your hands in to thread the nuts on as I'm sure you know. Lol. I also covered the sides of the steel plate that make contact with the body with a special Teflon plastic insulating tape. I like it better that rubber as its chemical resistant doesn't degrade over time or smoosh out when tightening and is solid once mounted. There was a 260lb guy up on top yesterday and he shook it up pretty good with no movement or deflection at the mounting points. The end use resides in California and wanted a way to carry his surf boards and beach gear to the ocean with out taking up all his interior. So with his intended use I'm more than confident it will hold up. As far as the height of the rack that was requested to make it easy to remove the soft top with the rack in place. The whole thing is also easily removed by one person. Two even better but possible with one.
Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[RDC76]

I like it!
My only concern would be an owner that overloads the rack; that right rear support looks iffy where it ties to the body above the spare tire hinge. I'm not criticizing your work but I also know some people will overload a roof rack. Did you do anything to beef that on the inside? I do own a soft top 97 Defender so I'm familiar with the construction of the tub & mount there.
Also where did you source the perforated step material?
Thanks,
Mike

I love your signature. Lol!

 

[ZG]

What are you doing for a spare tire?(Apologies if I didn't see that)

 

[RDC76]

It's not in the pics but it will be using the stock set up for the spare tire. I had to take it off to modify the upper mount.

 

[RDC76]

What it looked like after powder coating and install.

Just thought I'd follow up with some pics of it powder coated.

 

[RDC76]

Some more.