Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2683
Roofracks – Parallel or tapered.
I’m going to be selling on my old roofrack and building a new one.
The old one I’ve had for many years and have adapted it to several Japanese 4x4s then my D3 by making different feet for it.
I only use it occasionally so one of my main concerns is to be able to take it on and off in a few minutes.
I think my D4 deserves something a little more bespoke, and the old one would need modifying again to fit over the roof antenna.
My plan for the new rack is to be similar to the old one but just the bottom platform and a little closer to the roof.
I’ll have the perimeter bent up out of Aluminium tube with a kink around the roof antenna, then weld in the crossbars and feet myself with my TIG set.
But I have a question for those with commercially available racks.
The D3/4 roofline tapers inwards towards the rear of the vehicle.
The outer edge of the longitudinal roof rails are 1200mm apart at the front, and only 1120 at the rear.
This I think is down to the A pillars being more upright side to side than the C pillars
This can be seen in the images of the feet I had to make for my old parallel rack.
So, do the commercially available racks taper along the vehicle to match the rails/roofline, or are they parallel like my old rack?
I’m in two minds as I know a tapered one will look better, but the engineer in me means it’s really going to go against the grain making something that isn’t a more ‘principled’ shape.
Thanks
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
if you're making from scratch then tapered to suit the car.
and instead of rolled aluminium, just do a rail like your current one but drop it to "about the thickness of a reasonably strong rope" above the base rail..
Dean
====================================
2011 D4 XS - OBD port protection, RLD spare wheel protector, All LED interiors lights, Timed Climate enabled, iiD tool paired.
2011 D4 Landmark - Stolen from same dealer before I paid for it
2011 D4 GS - Stolen whilst at dealer ... All LED interiors lights, DRLs, Spare Wheel protector.
1996 300Tdi - Eaten by tin worms
The taper is important to the roof rack fitting staying on the vehicle as it jams it horizontally. I have a boot rack that fits the engine cover on an MGF which has negative taper and it just slides off!A vaccine does not stop you catching a virus, or passing it on, or getting ill from it, really ill. It does reduce the likelyhood of you dying when really, really ill. Stay Alive - KEEP AWAY FROM PEOPLE.
1st Apr 2020 10:02 am
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2683
Hardware wrote:
and instead of rolled aluminium, just do a rail like your current one but drop it to "about the thickness of a reasonably strong rope" above the base rail.
Sorry, don't understand what you mean.
As mentioned my plan is to make it the same as the old one, from Aluminium tube, but just the bottom platform and closer to the roof.
Is that different to your suggestion?
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
1st Apr 2020 10:11 am
allroad4
Member Since: 31 Jan 2011
Location: Carshalton
Posts: 79
The Expo rack is certainly tapered.
1st Apr 2020 10:30 am
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2683
Thanks Guys
On the point of the feet jamming it in position that will be the case if the main rails are tapered or parallel, because the feet will be in tapered positions to match the roof rails.
Nasher.Heaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
and instead of rolled aluminium, just do a rail like your current one but drop it to "about the thickness of a reasonably strong rope" above the base rail.
Sorry, don't understand what you mean.
Nasher.
sorry ... this pic is a bit poor ...
I'd keep double edge rail but, say, 8mm apart. Ropes would go through gap .... and I think anything using t-track feet could also bolt to it.
hope this doesn't sound patronising but you certainly look to have the skill to drop the lower rail almost onto the t-track ... I'd always suggest rubber or plastic between ... and keep the bolt arrangement within your new frame.
where you need to curve it over the roof antennae, it would work if you brought the bottom rail up to the level of the second one for a foot or so. suggest INSIDE to avoid issues with the hi-level brake light unit.
1st Apr 2020 10:48 am
Nasher
Member Since: 07 Mar 2009
Location: Clanfield, North of Pompey - UK
Posts: 2683
Ah, thanks Hardware.
I want to keep it as low profile as possible to keep the height down, hence the single layer.
And I've already invested in some Thule Rubber feet as used on a lot of their roofbars to go between my fabricated feet and the rails.
My plan for the antenna is to kink the rail around it forwards in the same plane as the rest of the perimeter frame, not over the top, so as not to increase the height and enable me to load flat sheets of material on the roof. A hump over the antenna would really get in the way and limit what length of flat items I could load.
Obviously the height of the antenna will then dictate the height of the platform as I don't want it any higher than the top of the platform for the same reasons as above.
Doing it that way also means there is no chance of the rack interfering with signals to the antenna when there is no load on it.
NasherHeaven doesn't want me, and hell is afraid I'll take over.
Last edited by Nasher on 1st Apr 2020 1:08 pm. Edited 2 times in total
My mind is very much on roof racks at the mo. My route in and out of Manchester Royal Infirmary is currently re-routed so they can load some state of the art kidney machines in through where the windows once where ... And EVERYTHING the public might touch is covered in 25mm phenolic plywood with max 10 screws in each. Will they notice me re-purposing them when they've finished the work?.
Dean
====================================
2011 D4 XS - OBD port protection, RLD spare wheel protector, All LED interiors lights, Timed Climate enabled, iiD tool paired.
2011 D4 Landmark - Stolen from same dealer before I paid for it
2011 D4 GS - Stolen whilst at dealer ... All LED interiors lights, DRLs, Spare Wheel protector.
1996 300Tdi - Eaten by tin worms
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
... All LED interiors lights, DRLs, Spare Wheel protector.
