DIY Roof Rack Fairing - Whitson Metalworks

[momo.75]

Dang those lights are bright! I might just have to get me some of those. For anyone wanting to mount them directly, or between the rails, a fender washer above and below the flooring mesh would be rock solid.

That is how i mounted mine to the rear of the rack. I just added some small metal strips that extended out past the rails. I have been thinking about adding some to the sides as well.

 

[Darklight]

Thanks guys for the comments.
I was thinking of adding a couple quick fists to mount a shovel. Was planning on using large fender washers in between the mesh flooring and a bolt to mount the quick fists to. Thanks Josh for throwing that info out there. Now I feel like that is a safe bet. How's that baby doing these days?


Bobby

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

Baby's doing great! Don't discount the mesh as a surface to bolt things to, it's very stout stuff!

 

[VA4Runner09]

So been doing some researching and just found this for those that are about to build their own fairing.

Plastic Sheets | MSCDirect.com

Going to purchase a sheet here soon so if there is anyone in the nova area that is in need of one feel free to contact me.

Should help at least cut down on some labor and don't need to worry about the paint peeling or anything crazy like that.

Going to try and get Matt's template here at the end of January and scan that bad boy in so everyone can have access to it if they want!

Thanks again Matt, great write up!

 

[HokieRunner]

template now available for download

Update: Brian (VA4Runner09) was kind enough to scan my fairing template.

You can find the file located in my build thread (see sig at bottom of post). Just download, print, trace and cut. Enjoy and thanks again, Brian!

 

[Darklight]

Ubber helpful!


Bobby

 

[philskeeter]

thanks for this thread it was very helpful! I still need to smooth some things out but the bones are complete so the rest is pretty simple. I changed some hardware so it isn't like the original but it's kind of close or one of a kind I guess you could say.

 

[nitrag]

[MENTION=112497]VA4Runner09[/MENTION] how did that sheet you ordered turn out? 1/8" thick and tough enough?

 

[VA4Runner09]

Definitely enough! That stuff is unbreakable man. I literally scored the thing like 20 times as hard as I could with a blade to try and break the oversized sheet in half and it wouldn't break with all my weight on it. LEXAN is definitely the way to go. With it already black she looks pretty darn good.

[MENTION=112497]VA4Runner09[/MENTION] how did that sheet you ordered turn out? 1/8" thick and tough enough?

 

[nitrag]

Definitely enough! That stuff is unbreakable man. I literally scored the thing like 20 times as hard as I could with a blade to try and break the oversized sheet in half and it wouldn't break with all my weight on it. LEXAN is definitely the way to go. With it already black she looks pretty darn good.

Oh man oh man yours looks perfect! Thanks for the pic. What weather stripping did you use? Anything special?

 

[VA4Runner09]

Oh man oh man yours looks perfect! Thanks for the pic. What weather stripping did you use? Anything special?

Just the stuff that Matt mentioned in his write up. Took some coercing to get her on there but finally got it. This is definitely no quick mod. Took me about 6 hours with my dad's help.

Helpful hint for getting a nice finished look: take a belt sander with a medium-fine grit on it and run it around the edges. It will smooth out the jagged marks from the jig saw or whatever you end up using to cut the lexan with.

 

[nitrag]

Just finished mine. I appreciate the write-up and list of materials everyone. Take note (in post #49) of how far wide the outside plates are. You will want this to contour the fairing more and cut down on the cap on the outside edges.

Definitely a several day project, especially if using a dremel. Take your time the slower you go the better it will look.

 

[ClintR2]

have you had any fading with the plexi glass?

 

[wadle5]

have you had any fading with the plexi glass?

None. Still looks great. Only current picture I have


Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[wadle5]

have you had any fading with the plexi glass?

A tip I did as I learned from the first one. I plastidipped one side black. Once finished I faced that side towards the back of the truck. 2 reasons bugs and rocks won't cbio at the plastidip and show. Also while washing if having the plastidip side facing forward it would just catch bugs and because it was textured it never cleaned up well. The below picture I'm trying to show how clean the look is.

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[momo.75]

When I did mine I used a satin vinyl to wrap the face of it. Bug guts wash right off.