I had a couple of PM's asking about materials I used for the roof rack I built for my 94 so figured I would post some info in a separate thread

Aluminum used was a combination of 8020 series 10 1" wide, 1"x1" and 1"x2"
Some was purchased from Tnutz.com
https://www.tnutz.com/product-category/extrusions/
I purchased a couple of 145" length pieces from Fastenal.com
If you have a fastenal store near you, you can have it shipped to the store dirt cheap
https://www.fastenal.com/products/de...%20Bars%22%7C~

Some of the material I scored cheap on craigslist.

Brackets and inserts were purchased from tnutz.com
the double inserts are nice $0.30
https://www.tnutz.com/product/double-economy-t-nut-2/
single inserts $ 0.12
https://www.tnutz.com/product/econom...-6mm-10-serie/
corner brackets:
https://www.tnutz.com/product/2-hole...orner-bracket/
https://www.tnutz.com/product-catego...erie-brackets/

For the 1/4-20 bolts I used stainless allen panheads from my local Ace hardware.


I had previously extended my factory mounts about 26" to add a 3rd factory crossmember
2017-08-31_04-54-58 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
Heightwise it ended up being about 3" high

I used some S-track tie down rails for tie down points I had left over from my 81 Trekker project. You can find it on ebay, amazon or discount ramps
my rack ended up 72" by 35". You can go wider but I wanted mine to be the same width as the factory inner rail mounts.

You can cut this stuff with a hack saw, angle grinder with cut off wheel or a miter saw with a multiple use blade, make sure it is rated for aluminum or plastic. If you use a power tool make sure to wear proper PPE (safety disclaimer)

my first step was to make 5 cross bars out of 1"x2" 8020
I threaded the two 1/4" holes on each end with a 1/4-20 tap. using my drill was an experiment, it worked just go really slow.
20180321_155831 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
Mounted them using 2 of these on each bar
https://www.tnutz.com/product/cbs-01...orner-bracket/
to the factory rail inserts
20180322_124347 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
20180322_124327 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

next step was to add the bars lengthwise.
I painted them using some flat spray paint, way cheaper than ordering black anodized strut, which is a bit more per foot but available here
https://www.tnutz.com/product/ex-101...lack-anodized/
8020 painted by ocdropzone, on Flickr
8020 is great since it goes together like an erector set
I did had some additional cross bars that are mounted to the 2 main side rails, mainly because I had some additional material available
4runner rack by ocdropzone, on Flickr
4runner rack side by ocdropzone, on Flickr
front view:
4runner rack front by ocdropzone, on Flickr
rear view:
4runner rack back by ocdropzone, on Flickr
20180506_152048 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

I do have a slight whistle from the rack. My plan is to get some 1/4 round 8020 like this https://www.tnutz.com/product/ex-101...num-extrusion/
to mount on the leader edge of the rack
8020 qtr rnd by ocdropzone, on Flickr

I think I am into this rack for about $200
I was orginally going to cut this rack down heightwise to about 2.5" high because I can't stand how high some racks come out. This thing was probably 9" high when mounted on factory cross bars
20180323_115616 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
4runner rack by ocdropzone, on Flickr

this was a fun project for a few reason
it was budget friendly
I made it myself in a couple of afternoons
it goes together just like an erector set
It isn't as nice as some of the high $$ racks available but I am happy with it, it serves my goal of being cheap and sturdy as heck

that full length roof rack is something I'm looking into doing. I have an arksen rack and it looks about the same as yours. If it is, what extension did you use and where did you find it? I want to be sure I get the right one. Looks super good btw

I have no clue what brand of rack it is, i scored it at a garage sale a couple of years ago for $50. It looks pretty similar to most of the rack out there.

to answer a few more questions i had about how this stuff goes together figured I would post them here:

types of connectors:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/261X9id]
different size L brackets, you use an insert with a 1/4-20 bolt, you can pre assemble and insert thos in the the two pieces to form your 90*
20180512_165148 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
20180512_165224 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
20180512_165358 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
there is a small insertable L bracket that can be used to create a hidden 90. It works but not as strong as the external L bracket in my opinion
20180512_165459 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

20180512_165650 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

Painting vs. getting Anodized
I painted the 'natural' color strut I had.
For the 1/4 round piece I went ahead and ordered a 36" piece of anodized,.
anodized on left, painted on right
The anodized is probably more durable as far as retaining color but it is a bit more per foot so it would up your cost
20180512_165815 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

is there a way to finish off the ends:
yep you can make stuff or but some premade end caps
20180512_170548 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
1"
20180512_171333 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
1"x2"
IMG_20180512_182853_402 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

how does the 1" square compare to the 1"x2" in height
20180512_171616 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

reducing wind noise:
I had a piece of 1/4 round to the front, it cut it down a ton
20180512_171305 by ocdropzone, on Flickr

so I redid the long side rails on the roof rack a few weeks ago.
I swapped the 6' pieces of 8020 for some 0.25" x 2.5" x 72" aluminum. I had ordered 3/16" thick strip but they sent 1/4"
Anyway I gained about 1.5" in width and was able to repurpose the 6' pieces of 8020 for another project I have ideas for



I also added a light bar, again 8020 was very easy to use for the mounts
I went with a top and bottom mount for some stability

How strong is it? If you put a floor grate on it, do you think you could get up there and walk around?

probably but i see no need to walk on the roof, i can reach everything from either the tail gate or the doors

Nice work. Thanks for sharing - it will be helpful when I start mine.

thanks!

Thanks for this! I'll be needing to do a roof rack for the rooftop tent.

OK so i can't leave well enough alone.
So I think this is version 3.0

I went ahead and got some more 8020. 42" wide, I tapped the ends with a 1/4"-20 tap about 1.25-1.5" deep
I used 7' long by 4"x1/8" aluminum flat stock for the sides and some 1/8" thick diamond plate for an air deflector.
each of the 5 main bars are tied to the roof rack on both sides
I would have loved to have found some wider 5" that I could have cut to follow the curve of the roof but I think this will do the trick. It put the sides down just a hair above the roof line and gives me about a 3/4" lip to keep junk from sliding over the edge of the roof

pretty sure this is the final version of roof rack for this 4runner, other than attaching some stuff to it (traction boards, gas can and maybe a storage box)

sold the old rack to pay for this one

Attached Images

       

Hey man, love your build. There’s really no aftermarket options for our gen as far as roof racks go. This led me to your build thread and one of the best looking homemade roof racks I’ve seen. I’m wondering how you went about extending your factory rails as I’d like to go full length when I build mine as well. Thanks in advance boss 🤝