Socco Builds A Roof Rack

[Socco]

Hey Y'all,

I was never in the market for a rack, but a few upgrades led to my change of heart. After doing the TBU, I picked up a spare 5 Star rim as the steel spare wouldn't fit over the front calipers any longer. Then I found that it really didnt fit under the truck very well either. Taking up too much room in the back, I started to look up. I always wanted to carry some Jerrys of fuel and to have a place to mount auxiliary lighting. Hence, now I needed a rack. So after admiring other dudes' racks :boink: (obligatory rack joke: check) I decided to give it a try. I could have just bought one and have been done with it, but I rarely get a chance to play with my MIG.

With an el' cheapo pipe bender and a tube notcher picked up from Harbour Freight, I started to make a mess...err...rack. In my "design" I drew from several ones that I liked to make what I had envisioned. Here she be...

 

[Socco]

After Rhino Liner....

Next is wiring up the lights and finishing the front stabilizer feet.

 

[downpour11]

Came out sweet! Nice work!

I saw the title of this thread and thought "Damn! I LOVE that book!" lol

 

[brosama]

Looks good dude!:guitar3:

 

[Rocky5000100]

Lol that was a big jump from the first pic to the third pic.

Looks sweet!

 

[KidVermicious]

Lol that was a big jump from the first pic to the third pic.

Looks sweet!

Are you implying the OP may have left out a step?

 

[jmildoc]

That is nice!! how much you got into that??? What is it made out of?

 

[Socco]

Thanks to everyone for the compliments! Its nice to see enthusiasm from someone other than myself...My wife got pretty bored hearing about it!

Lol that was a big jump from the first pic to the third pic. Looks sweet!

Ha! Yeah, at first I forgot to resize my pics so I was having a real B of a time uploading them last night. Besides, the "During" pics were boring.

That is nice!! how much you got into that??? What is it made out of?

I stopped keeping track of the $. Not because it was expensive, but I just got lazy. The 1" 16ga tubing was around $100, The 1/4" plate for the tabs and the expanded metal was kicking around the house. The bar stock for the mounting feet was $20-$30. Stainless hardware will be near $30. The most expensive part was the Liner, it was done for $200.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Well done Seth, got my first hand impression of your rack build on Facebook and I thought......that was very cool!

 

[Hog1983]

My build seems to be slowly fading... I'm holding on to hope that I can start sometime before I die! What are the specs on the tube you used, and @ how much do you have in that?

 

[Bandit Runner]

Looks great! Can't wait to see it with some lights mounted.

 

[Diesel_Dog]

Sweet looking Rack. Saw the pictures on the BC runners Facebook page as well. You say you did the bending and notching with harbour freight stuff? Is there anything at princess auto that wold be similar? You've inspired me!

 

[Skidmarcx]

Nice work!

 

[Socco]

My build seems to be slowly fading... I'm holding on to hope that I can start sometime before I die! What are the specs on the tube you used, and @ how much do you have in that?

Tube was all 1" 16 gauge mild steel. I think there's around 85' there with all the risers and cross bars.

Sweet looking Rack. Saw the pictures on the BC runners Facebook page as well. You say you did the bending and notching with harbour freight stuff? Is there anything at princess auto that wold be similar? You've inspired me!

Thanks! Princess only has the bender. KMS has both:

Magnum Tubing Notcher [MAG-PN12S] - $67.95 : KMS Tools & Equipment from Vancouver BC, Largest selection of tools in Canada Portable Hydraulic Pipe Bender [TBR-TA1202] - $169.99 : KMS Tools & Equipment from Vancouver BC, Largest selection of tools in Canada

The bender is $100 at HF, I sold mine after using it for $80. The trick to using it is to pack the tube FULL of sand, otherwise it will kink. I had to stop myself from buying a real bender.

 

[Diesel_Dog]

Thanks! Princess only has the bender. KMS has both:

Magnum Tubing Notcher [MAG-PN12S] - $67.95 : KMS Tools & Equipment from Vancouver BC, Largest selection of tools in Canada Portable Hydraulic Pipe Bender [TBR-TA1202] - $169.99 : KMS Tools & Equipment from Vancouver BC, Largest selection of tools in Canada

The bender is $100 at HF, I sold mine after using it for $80. The trick to using it is to pack the tube FULL of sand, otherwise it will kink. I had to stop myself from buying a real bender.

Cool thanks for the reply. Is the rack flat or does it have a bend in it to match the shape of the roof?

It's going to look bad a$$ with some lights mounted on the front!

 

[Socco]

Started wiring up the roof lights today. I took a deep breath and drilled a big hole....I'll be using 12/1+16/6 Trailer wire as conductor between a fuse/relay block and a J box on the rack. More pics to follow, I promise.

 

[Kae006]

Can't wait to see it with the lights, looks awesome thus far!

 

[Socco]

Ok, so a little more progress to report on. The most exciting part is that I finally figured out how to use Photobucket to put pics on the post. Enjoy!
So I found a nice little spot for my Relay/Fuse block

Ran 8 GA wire from the battery, through a 50A CB (under the red cap) along the rear brake line and up into the cab.

Mounted the block to the inside of that hidden pocket in the rear. The stuff that looks like green bubble gum is actually plastic (PP) welding rod.

Remounted the rear trim panel...IT FITS!!!!arty:

The cover sits just shy of even with the panel, doesn't stick out like I'd feared.

Got the switches from OTRATTW wired up to WeatherPack plugs, for easy bolster plate removal in the future.

Wired the switches so that the icon and wording is illuminated with the parking lights. The Red "On" indicator is paralleled with the output so it lights when switched on.

I've got the Left Alley and Rear lights completed, but I ran out of corrugated loom and time the other day. Hopefully I can get it finished up on Friday night. Stay tuned....

 

[1blink]

Looking great. The roof rack is impressive.

 

[TheArkMaster]

Looks awesome man! :bluejump:

Love the front!