roof racks?

[homestarrunner]

i've been thinking about a roof rack for my '91. I like the racks off the xterras. even some random factory rack would be cool. i like the racks that are set near the rear of the truck, not clipped into the door area. my question... do these factory style racks mounted directly to the roof (not clipped on) require some kind of roof reinforcement to prevent denting the roof when loaded, or can i just bolt it on through holes i drill? thanks.

 

[willyt4r]

nutserts

To attach a used roof rack to your T4r, you will have to get the correct fasteners. They expand under neath the roof panel that cinches them in place when screwed in. A used roof rack can be found for $40-80 from Craigs list. There are some factory ski rack ( stronger) on ebay for about $110

 

[homestarrunner]

so with the proper fasteners they can support a decent amount of weight? say a spare tire, or a few bikes, or whatever? i'm not so worried about getting a rack, it's more the installation i'm not sure about.

 

[Nineteen]

Sorry I don't have any info to add on the topic, but man that Homestarrunner handle cracks me up.fftopic:

 

[willyt4r]

100 lbs only

The factory ones are only rated for 100 lbs. You will have to seek after market for more robustness.

 

[Savage]

I've been researching the same thing. You should use the inserts to fasten to the roof. Be careful if you have a sun roof. I think the heaviest load rating I've seen is around 125 lbs. But then you don't need to be putting much more than that up there. Perrycraft seems to have a couple of good options, I think I saw a Rhino Rack option too that looked like it might work. I'm just gonna wait till I can find a junker in the weeds I can jerk the factory rack off of and put on mine. Good luck. Remember...measure twice etc...:headslap:

 

[bshinn]

The factory ones are only rated for 100 lbs. You will have to seek after market for more robustness.

That rating is more for liability issues than roof strength. You can blow through 100lbs with 2-3 F/S mountain bikes & some camping gear. The worry is more about vehicle stability with that much load that high above the CG.

I carried 10 6x6x12 PT pine timbers on the top of my 88 FJ62 & the roof was fine, drove like $&!t, but the roof was fine.

I think you could get enuf stuff for a weekend in the woods on top without any damage, provided you dorve like you have some sense.

 

[manhunter]

Not sure if your 91 has pre-existing channels on the roof with a factory rack, but if so, that is what you would fasten the after-market ones to. I have a Surco Safari roof rack loaded with the spare tire, hi-lift jack, and couple of other recovery tools. The weight does not seem to be an issue, but it squeaks and rattles alot while driving (maybe I need to re-tighten all the bolts).