DIY unistrut roof rack

L

llennium

New member
I’ve had a few inquiries about my roof rack after posting some pics on the “what did you do to your 4runner” thread. I decided to put together a write up on what I did hoping it would answer some questions and provide a beginning for those thinking of doing something similar.



I’ve wanted a Frontrunner roof rack for years after an outing with a group that included a Land Cruiser with one installed. We stumbled on some cut firewood during our trip and he offered to carry it back to camp. We were able to toss the wood to him while standing on his roof rack, stacked the wood and adjusted the tie downs as needed to strap it in place, very versatile.

Using “The Google” I was unable to find a DIY version of this rack but did stumble onto a company called 80/20. I used their software to put my design together and estimate cost, which came out roughly the same price as the Frontrunner.

I finally stumbled on this build and liked his basic design. I wanted something similar but decided to use unistrut as the cross members as opposed to wood.


Unistrut is used to mount electrical components in commercial construction and has many options for mounting. I didn’t want to order any special parts and opted to use what was available locally. Below is a list of the items I used when putting mine together. I’ll update if I realize I left anything out.

4 - 1 5/8” x 13/16” Superstrut Shop SUPERSTRUT 1-5/8-in x 13/16-in Gold-Galvanized Half Slot Channel Strut at Lowes.com $16.42 ea. $65.68
2 – 3/8” channel spring nut Superstrut 3/8 in. Channel Spring Nut (5-Pack)-ZA1003/8EG-10 - The Home Depot $4.31 pkg. $8.62
1 – 1/4” channel spring nut Superstrut 1/4 in. Channel Spring Nut (5-Pack)-ZA1001/4EG-10 - The Home Depot $4.18 pkg. $4.18
20 – 1/4” x 1” #20 hex bolt 1/4 in. -20 tpi x 1 in. Zinc-Plated Hex Bolt-800596 - The Home Depot $.12 ea. $2.40
20 – 1/4” split lock washer Crown Bolt 1/4 in. Zinc-Plated Med Split Lock Washer-804836 - The Home Depot $.15 ea. $3.00
10 – 1/4” Nylon lock nut Everbilt 1/4 in.-20 tpi Zinc-Plated Nylon Lock Nut (2-Piece per Pack)-802251 - The Home Depot $.1.18 pkg $11.80
2 – 1 1/2” x 63” angle steel 1-1/2 in. x 72 in. Plain Steel Angle with 1/8 in. Thick-42090 - The Home Depot $17.94 $35.88
4 – 3/8” Nylon washer Everbilt 3/8 in. Nylon Washer (2-Piece per Pack)-814788 - The Home Depot $.65 pkg. $2.60
8 – 3/8” Hex bolt Crown Bolt 3/8 in.-16 tpi x 1 in. Zinc-Plated Hex Bolt-87196 - The Home Depot $.20 $1.60
8 – 3/8” Zinc washer Everbilt 3/8 in. Zinc-Plated Steel Flat Washer (8-Pack)-802501 - The Home Depot $1.18 $1.18

Total $136.94
Adjusted total for my rack (excluding parts I had on hand) $101.06

When thinking through the build of my 4Runner I wanted a very stock looking build but able. I wanted the roof rack to have the following requirements:
Low profile
Removable if needed.
Versatile mounting for attachments
Scepter water cans
Scepter/Rotopax gas cans
Shovel mount
LP tank
Wind fairing
360 lighting
CB Antenna

Next post will be how I put mine together.
 
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I wanted to keep this build as inexpensive as possible and use what I had on hand. The angle I used was old bed rails for a twin bed. The newer style has a rivet holding the legs on but the older set I used was welded. I cut the welds and removed the legs, then cut to length, 63 inches. I wanted as much real estate as I could get but keep it reasonable. These could be cut shorter as I found out later due to sunroof interference with the front cross member.



The stock roof rack rails have a slight curve front to back. I didn’t want the sides of the rack to be seen from the side so the mounting holes couldn’t be uniform front to back. I pulled one of the rails off and clamped the angle iron to the rail where I wanted it mounted. I marked the angle where the holes would need to be and drilled, then duplicated on the other angle. When measuring the stock rails I found they weren’t exactly the same distance across front to rear. This was going to make the build more difficult so I decided to build the rack in place with raw materials. Once the fit was confirmed it was disassembled, prepped, painted and put back on.

The stock rails have threaded inserts that the cross members are attached to with thumbscrews. These appear to be ¼” #20 threads and could be used to mount the rack. I wanted something beefier and used the 3/8” channel nuts. To fit properly I had to grind the top of each nut but they worked as needed. When mounting the side rails I had to use a screwdriver and push up on the channel nut to get the bolt to match. Also, to prevent any unforeseen noises I used nylon spacers between the stock rack and the angle.


I found that each cross member would need to be measured individually due to minor differences. I started in the rear and worked forward. The front, rear and a center cross member have two screws on each side to prevent the rack from torqueing.

I didn’t get both bolts in this shot but you can see how they are put together.


After each was cut drilled and bolted together I disassembled and sprayed with Rustoleum bed liner. The liner worked well on the angle but has already started to come off the unistrut. When prepping the strut I cleaned thoroughly but didn’t sand. If this gets worse I will remove, sand and spray again.

Rustoleum bed liner:
Rust-Oleum 248914 Automotive 15-Ounce Truck Bed Coating Spray, Black - Spray Paints - Amazon.com


A few more pics.




1/4" spring channel nut



The channel nuts can slide when put in place allowing unlimited mounting options.


1 1/4" angle would work as well and look a little cleaner.


I have about a 1/4" clearance from the center of the roof to the bottom of the cross members. This is pretty tight but shouldn't be a problem for my use.
 
Nice job! I like that you utilized the factory rails, many people on here seem to be under the false impression that the stock rack is too weak to use for much of anything.
 
BooRad06 said:
Impressive! Looks great.
Click to expand...

Thanks

cmoua said:
Great job! Looks awesome. Any wind noise?
Click to expand...

Thanks. It has wind noise at hwy speed 50-80 and gets worse with wind. A buddy has some aluminum I can use for a fairing but I've been unable to pick it up. Hoping to grab it this week.

RunnerAK said:
Nice job! I like that you utilized the factory rails, many people on here seem to be under the false impression that the stock rack is too weak to use for much of anything.
Click to expand...

I agree, for my use the stock rails will be fine.
 
Working with what I had on hand I thought I would share how easy it is to create a mounting solution for accessories. I found this shovel at Harbor Freight and was pretty inexpensive. Using some 3/8" all-thread, 3/8" nuts and a few washers. The hardest part of mounting the shovel here was drilling through the blade of the shovel, tempered steel is some tough tuff.


 
Several months ago I picked up some 1/4" aluminum from a body that didn't need it. I used this to build a wind faring since the holes in the unistrut created some pretty bad wind noise, especially with cross drafts while running 70-80mph.

I used some flat steel and bent it to the desired angle and attached it to the unistrut. The faring is attached to the steel with some hex head screws, lock washers and nuts.





 
I would just like to say thanks! :first:

This is exactly the route that I was planning on going. I love the idea of how versatile this is. So many different options and it doesn't hinder the ability to get in the garage.

Keep us updated on other rack mods or ideas.
 
TrdLtly said:
I would just like to say thanks! :first:

This is exactly the route that I was planning on going. I love the idea of how versatile this is. So many different options and it doesn't hinder the ability to get in the garage.

Keep us updated on other rack mods or ideas.
Click to expand...

[MENTION=128313]TrdLtly[/MENTION], I have a trip coming up next week so I added some stainless eyes to strap down a scepter water can. I'll get some pics tomorrow and post.
 
I added some stainless eyes to tie down my water containers. I'm working on a water system that will use the scepter as the source.







 
question...
how hearty is the superstrut for the cross members. What kind of weight do yo think it can handle. does it flex with weight on it so the cross members rest on the roof?
 
4Runrrun'n said:
question...
how hearty is the superstrut for the cross members. What kind of weight do yo think it can handle. does it flex with weight on it so the cross members rest on the roof?
Click to expand...

Thanks [MENTION=86238]4Runrrun'n[/MENTION], I don't plan on putting anything "heavy" up there to keep the center of gravity low when on the trails. Having said that I would make some changes if I were to do it again.
1.) I used the smaller unistrut which is around 1" tall and I believe only 14 gauge. I wish I had used the heavier 1.5"/12 gauge unistrut which would have made it substantially stronger.
2.) I would have mounted it 1/2" higher on the stock rack. This would allow for any flex that did occur to heavy items on the rack.
3.) The unistrut is galvanized and I cleaned with prep prior to painting but it chips easily when scuffed.
Hope that helps.
 
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