Bandit Runner's Roof Rack Build

[Bandit Runner]

Had a little time to play around with the roof rack today. I didn't do much fabricating, but I set the main tubing on the truck and determined the height and location. Checked a bunch of dimensions, and everything seems to be working out so far with no major issues. Took a quick pic of the tubing mocked up in position:

 

[ranbar02]

I can't wait to see this finished. Hurry up already! Awesome build, just like everything else you do.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Well, I think I finally decided which LED lights to use for the rear of the roof rack. I'm going to go with a pair of these:

Link:
Lights

They are bright flood lights and very low profile, and not too expensive either. I am going to build a small "cage" to protect them from branches, etc. Here are a couple of pics of how I plan to mount them.

 

[GladeRunner]

I'm enjoying watching your progress on this project Bandit. Looking good so far.

Those little LED's really put out some light! Are you going to run a switch for each side (drivers/passenger side) or run all side lights on the same switch?

 

[Bandit Runner]

I'm enjoying watching your progress on this project Bandit. Looking good so far.

Those little LED's really put out some light! Are you going to run a switch for each side (drivers/passenger side) or run all side lights on the same switch?

Thanks. There will be a switch for each side. I hope to do something similar to Kurtis, like this:

 

[GX4SEVEND]

Two things..........first, awesome find on LEDs. That's a sweet price for a pair. Second, your fab skills are amazing man. It definitely sets your runner apart from others, especially since all your stuff is original and no one else has it. Awesome build.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Two things..........first, awesome find on LEDs. That's a sweet price for a pair. Second, your fab skills are amazing man. It definitely sets your runner apart from others, especially since all your stuff is original and no one else has it. Awesome build.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I definitely like designing and building my own junk, so that it is different from everyone elses.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Got quite a bit done on the roof rack this weekend. First I got the flat mounting bars cut and drilled. I still need to chamfer/round the corners yet. A test fit pic:

Then I wanted to start making the riser pieces that sit at a 45 degree angle. I figured the intersections for the tubing in CAD, and used toilet paper rolls to make patterns. I also made a 45 degree wooden block with V-notches on 2 sides. This was used to locate and set the risers at a consistant 45 degrees.

It took forever notching all of the riser tubes, because all I had to use was an angle grinder. There was a lot of trial and error because each piece is a little bit different length, but I finally got them all cut.

Then I used the wooded V-block to set the risers onto the main tube. This worked fantastic, and I don't know how I would have done it without it. Got all the risers tacked onto the main tube. (Rack is upside down in pic):

Next step is to get the flat bar mounting pieces welded onto the bottom of the risers.

 

[tyr0981]

looks awesome man! i've been contemplating a rack for the high lift, shovels, maybe even a tire carrier! good research and ideas man!

:roadkill:

 

[Bandit Runner]

looks awesome man! i've been contemplating a rack for the high lift, shovels, maybe even a tire carrier! good research and ideas man!

Thanks, Much appreciated.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Got some work done on the rack this weekend. Got the flat mounting bars welded on.

It doesn't seem like much, but this was a big milestone. It was quite a job getting everything centered and lined up just right. Also, the flat bars have to match the curvature of the roof, which was a challenge. Anyway, everything turned out really well. Its actually starting to look like a roof rack.

The next steps are to get the front feet and the light bars welded in place.

 

[ranbar02]

Sweeeeeet!!! hurry up and finish this thing.

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

Rack is looking KILLER!!!

 

[Bandit Runner]

Well its been a while since I’ve updated this thread. No major work has been done, but a few small things have been completed. The flat bars have been fully welded onto the risers, and all welds have been cleaned up.

I also was able to get the front legs welded on. Again, I jerry-rigged a small fixture out of scrap wood to get the location and angles just right and consistant. Here’s a pic of the fixture and the rack on the truck, while I was setting the front legs in place:

I still need to add the front feet, which will be small pieces of flat bar.

Then this past weekend I had a chance to test fit the rack onto the truck. I checked all the mounting hole locations, and checked to make sure everything was even and symmetrical from side to side. I found that the driver’s side of the rack is just under 1/16” lower than the passenger side. That’s pretty darn close, and I can definitely live with that. You definitely can’t see that small of a difference just from looking at the rack while its on the truck.

A few pics of the rack on the truck:

Then I decided to put the car top carrier on, to make sure everything checked out there. It fit fine with just enough room on the sides:

 

[blcktpgsr]

Will you be adding some expanded metal later on so you could actually have a platform for things to sit on, instead of on the actual roof?

I'm really impressed with your abilities, and your concepts are truly one-of-a-kind.:trophy: Can't wait to see it all painted and with all the proposed lights added. By the way, those banks of light are NICE!

Well done Bandit!

 

[Bandit Runner]

Will you be adding some expanded metal later on so you could actually have a platform for things to sit on, instead of on the actual roof?

I'm really impressed with your abilities, and your concepts are truly one-of-a-kind.:trophy: Can't wait to see it all painted and with all the proposed lights added. By the way, those banks of light are NICE!

Well done Bandit!

Thanks a lot! I have no plans to put an expanded metal floor in it. The only time I put anything on the roof is when we go camping, and that camping equipment all fits in the car-top-carrier, to keep it secure and dry. I've always just set the car-top-carrier directly on the roof, and it works just fine.

Other than kayaks, the only other thing I could see putting up there would be a few pieces of lumber or a ladder that was too long to fit inside the 4Runner. These items wouldn't need a floor either, as they can just sit on the front/rear cross bars.

I think not having the expanded metal floor will help reduce wind resistance and noise too. Maybe?

 

[Bandit Runner]

So I finally got a chance to order the rear lights for the roof rack. They just came in a few days ago. I went with two of these:

The ebay link I posted earlier, was sold out, so I had to find another source. I found them at a site called "blitzpro" here:
Roof Rack Lighting

And the best part is that they were even less expensive than on ebay – only $30 a piece and free shipping. I opened up the package and this is what I got:

They appear to be of good quality with aluminum housings and glass lenses. Nice thick wires too. I connected the wires to the battery terminals, and they lit up very brightly with a nice flood pattern. The light shown quite a distance too, even lighting up the neighbors house about 100’ away. I was very impressed by the light output of something so small and inexpensive. These will be perfect for rear facing roof rack lights to light up the surrounding area. I tried to take a picture of the light output, but the batteries on the camera died – sorry.

 

[jmildoc]

Very cool, looking forward to seeing them on.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Well, I know its been a while since I updated this thread, but it has just been too cold outside to work on the roof rack. I am anticipating a big update after next weekend though, as I’ve decided to make a fairly significant change to the roof rack.

What I have been working on is a wiring diagram for all the lights I am putting on the roof rack. There will be a total of 18 lights on the roof rack. Two LED spotlights in front, two LED flood lights in back, and 7 small round LED lights on each side. Most of these lights don’t come with switches, relays, fuses, etc, so I had to figure all that out on my own.

This is what I came up with:

I am by no means an electrical guy, and this is my first time putting something like this together. I just went by other light wiring diagrams that I found on the internet. So if any of you electrical geniuses care to take a look and critique the diagram, I would be greatly appreciative. Thanks.

 

[4ever4running]

The wiring diagram looks good to me! Am I understanding it correctly that you will be pulling the power for the switches from your "horn/hazards"? and you will be pulling the power for the switch lights from the "tail lights"?