Ideas for mounting roof rack...

[TwoTrack]

Hey guys,

I am planning on getting a Rage Roof Rack. Inexpensive, good size, good reviews. Problem is, I want to bolt it directly to the top of my camper shell. It comes with U bolts so that you can mount it to cross rails, but I don't want to do that. I want to get it as low as I can. I need some ideas for mounting it.

This is the rack.

I have thought of a few different things, but don't really like them all that well. What do you guys think?

 

[4RunnaSpence]

Whatever you do, make sure you seal the holes with silicone-based epoxy or something of that sort, or else you could get into a lot of problems. Is the shell a single layer of material or are there a few layers with insulation inbetween?

 

[rusty_tlc]

Rather than silicone sealant I'd use the stuff they use to seal around vents on RV's, it holds up for years.

Your going to want some space underneath so stuff doesn't get trapped there.
Maybe weld up a couple of flat plates with a short section of square tube between them. Something like this;

 

[TwoTrack]

I believe there are a few layers with insulation.

**Thats the basis of most of my ideas, but I don't have anywhere to go to fab something like that up. I need to try to find something I can "bolt" together.

 

[ADKdakota]

I'll think about it more but off the top of my head im thinking a washer and a nut on one side of a piece of half inch threaded rod fed up through the roof of the cap, with a large washer and some sort of spacer to lift it a little off the roof so stuff doesnt get all caught under the rack (Half inch EMT conduit maybe?) with a washer on the other side of that spacer, with a bolt that holds that half of the setup to the roof. Then, what I would do is take a piece of 1/8" steel plate wide enough that will span a couple of sections of the grate in each direction (One above grate, and one below) and drill a hole in the center of those to fit the threaded rod, and put a washer on top of that with nut to hold it down....OR, a much better alternative would be to have someone weld a plate to the top of each of these threaded rods instead of using the two plates to "sandwich" the grate, and drill two holes appropriately spaced in the plate to accomidate a U-bolt that anchors the frame of the basket to the roof, which will be much more sturdy

Hopefully that makes sense.

 

[Chazz Layne]

I'm not sure if there are fiberglass-specific needs you'll have to address, but I have a similar setup on the Disco's metal roof:



They make anti-vibe mounts in varying heights that work great for roof rack stand-offs. A few of those and some wide/thin aluminum flat bar and you'd be set. Good ideas were already mentioned above for waterproofing, another option would be a silicone mat sandwiched between the aluminum flat bar and the roof of the shell.

Details of my build: http://www.chazzlayne.com/2010/03/defender-4-x-5-half-roof-rack/

T6061 aluminum flat bar (I used 3" x 1/8" on top, 1" x 1/4" inside): http://www.metalsdepot.com/products/alum2.phtml?page=flat&LimAcc= &aident=

Anti-vibe mounts: http://www.vibrationmounts.com/Store.asp?Page=Products1.htm

Silicone mat: http://www.vibrationmounts.com/Store.asp?Page=Products1.htm