Roof rack for 1st generation 4Runner?
 

Does anyone know of a vendor for one; or, has anybody fabbed one I could read about? I did a search without success. Thanks. :)

Here is the Yakima Load Warrior on Todd's old 1st gen, and also on my 2nd gen.
Good rack, and there is a lot of stuff available for it now.
I had to make a fw things for mine.

http://www.pnw4runners.com/runs/41203/4_12_2003.htm

Try this thread: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/yakima-fit-1st-gen-4runner-62846/.

I am glad this subject is up again.
I have been thinking about a rack for my 88' runner. I have seen the Yakima racks on some 1st gens. i have also seen some other racks attached to some roofs.
I am wanting another option to my truck. I think that by attaching a rack to the top, especially using the center (horizontal section) of the roof is not very strong. I would not be able to haul much. the other thing is that it would seem like haveing the rack, especially loaded would start to wear down the fiberglass and create cracks.
I had a guy working on a custom rack for me that would put all of the weight on the side corners so that not only would it be stronger, but it would not fatigue the fiberglass. The guy made awesome racks, but he was flakey and never finished any of them. I got tired of fooling with him.
I am trying to make my own using the plans he and I made together. I will keep you updated on the progress.

Kent

Anyone else interested in a roof rack if mine comes out Ok?

I'm interested larg. Where are you at on the project? I have been considering fabbing one. I built my own safari track for my 85 extended cab truck out of 1" crome moly tubing. I had a shell on the truck and I made legs on the corners and brackets that mounted to the bed under the shell. It worked well, except for a lot of flex. This may have been due to the type of tubing. I carried a lot of gear on it and a 12' Valco aluminum boat. I wheeled that rig all over Baja.

I don't need anything that sturdy for my runner, but I would consider making another one if I can't find one I like. If you haven't started yet, I have a suggestion. DON't use crome moly. #1 too flexible. #2 If your not experienced welding crome moly you will get cracks. It is strong and light, but the negatives outweigh the positives.

Re: the Yakima, their website is not very helpful. I can't figure out just what I need. I guess age and alzhemers are taking their toll. :dunno: :laugh:

How much weight are we talking about? How often would this be used? I've had just over 300lbs on my rack for short trips. Long-distance road-trips have been in the 100lb range. It's been almost 10 years since I started using this system and I haven't seen a crack yet. If you're worried about bouncing and jarring when off-road, all I can say is 'Don't put too much on the roof!'. Keep your CG as low as possible. If you're looking for a daily-use work rack, then you'll have to fab up something like the racks made for the pick-ups - Full sized and built for abuse.

i know this is kinda old, but would like to see more pictures, i have a roof rack but uses the rain gutters. I would like to push it closer to the rear.

here's a thread where i have pictures of mine:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...ghlight=yakima