1stGenYoda

I got this idea for a rook rack for my 4runner and didn't know if you guys would have any input?

If this is a bad idea or not, would it ruin the seals under the top? Cost of fabbing it, and what not.

I also got rolls of weather stripping that maybe could be added under to help water proof it... just tossing around ideas because im going to be painting my top and a previous owner already had a rack on the top (as you can see) I wanted to go a different route so I don't compromise the previous patch job.

Sorry for the crappy paint but it was fast and easy haha.

ToyoTech559

i have thought about this but i dont think you will be able to bolt the top back down if its spaced away with your rack spacing it out

1stGenYoda

Then maybe something like this, it would make it stronger and have places to mount the rack right?




And as for the top staying on maybe you could find longer bolts? or make the mount this enough to it wouldn't be a problem, I figered that this would be the strongest way to have a rack

ToyoTech559

how much weight you plan on putting up there. you can drill a few holes in the top and bolt the rack down instead. it doesnt need to carry off over to the side imo. i seen a few racks just bolted down from the top with more weight than i would ever put up there and havent seen them fail yet.

im looking to find a 2nd gen factory roof rack and bolt that to my roof and than putting a basket up there

1stGenYoda

I dont know for sure, planning on putting most stuff on the rack and keeping the cab free of items, there was already a roof rack on it from the previous owner and had the holes plugged, so I didnt know if that would complicate things?

ToyoTech559

you might be able to just reuse those holes. i would reservce the top for light stuff such as tent, sleeping bags, folding chairs and so on (less valuable stuff). all other stuff should be in the cab ( expensive stuff )

1stGenYoda

Well what about gutter mounts? not the stock gutters but making "gutter mounts" and bolting to the side?

ToyoTech559

gutter mount will be find up front with the metal gutter. but i have seen and heard the rear fiberglass gutter isnt up to the challenge of handling heavy weight

1stGenYoda

Ya thats why I was asking about making my own "gutters" like an L-ish shape piece of metal and bolt rhat onto the side of the shell

ToyoTech559

oh yea you can do that but why not just bolt the rack from the top straight into the roof?

1stGenYoda

Do you know the size of the bolts on a second gen roof rack? The patches on my top look like they are the size of a quarter. I dont know how well that patch is. It would be really easy to do it that way I just dont want the patches coming out and messing up the top bad.

Numbchux

It's really imperative in a thread like this that you tell us how you do and intend to use your rig.


So, I'll just answer and subsitute my own uses and needs. It's a neat idea, but I'm picturing some issues that may present themselves with the real-world application of it.


My rig is top-heavy enough. Getting the heavy cargo as low as possible without sacrificing ground clearance is extremely important. So for me, there's no reason to consider putting more weight up there than the topper can hold.

Also, for trail use, the support brackets that you are talking about would protrude outside the existing bodywork. This would most definitely be a problem on narrow trails.

And, it would likely not be possible to have it hug the bodywork nearly as much as you have pictured. Example, I worked with one stage rally team for several years, and for awhile, we had a 3/4 ton chevy short box truck, which did not have enough space for all our equipment. So we built a rack to hold the tires up above the topper. Because of the weight, we built it to bolt to the top of the bed rails, much like you have pictured. But because it had to be attached before the topper, it needed to be quite a bit bigger to facilitate the installation of the topper afterwards. It was still EXTREMELY difficult to get the topper on or off (only did it once!).



We later added wooden boxes to the sides that completely blocked the rear view mirrors




Anyway, not a bad idea, IMO just overly complex for the payoff.




Also, I'm pretty sure Yakima makes (or made) mounts specifically made for what you're describing, to permanently bolt to the side of the vehicle, and make a place for a gutter-mount rack to mount.

1stGenYoda

Thanks for your input! That put a real work example to my paint drawing lol.

The runner is for wheeling and camping, so part of the time I will be wheeling with camping gear, so being top heavy isnt a good idea, again thanks for the example because I didn't even think about the topper coming off and putting out back on.

Later down the road I want to SAS it

What's your input about the patch job and doing the gutter or top Mount?

RAD4Runner

I agree with ToyoTech559 on all of the above.

I've seen second gen rails.
Pros:

• They will distribute the load very well along a long strip of the fiberglass, in stead of just spots that could weaken.
• You will be flexible where to place the crossbars for your basket.

I was looking into that, but I could not find the rails, and Chefyota4x4 had Blazer rails so I got those. Will do it similar to what RBX and Redeth did on theirs.

1stGenYoda

Ys thats what im going to end up doing, I looked more into the patches on my runner and found the holes ro be not very big, ill probably use the old spots but drill larger for some plastic spacers so I dont crush the topper