Inexpensive Roof Rack!

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bjbg8r
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Inexpensive Roof Rack!

Post by bjbg8r »

Howdy everyone. I hope that all are doing well and are having a great 2014! Recently, I purchased a Ford F-150 SuperCrew and had no way to carry kayaks. I wanted a roof rack, but I don't have the means to pay for a Thule or Yakima set (although they are very nice). I went down to LKQ Pick Your Part at 5109 Causeway Blvd in Tampa (there's also one in St. Pete at 5105 64th Street North) and found a similar year Ford Expedition. They have the same exact roof, except obviously with the Expedition's being longer. I spent $20 on the complete rack, $2 on nuts (keep the original bolts from the salvage yard), and $3 on a small tube of silicone to seal up the mounting holes. All I did was cut 20 inches off of the rails on the rack to account for the shorter roof on the F-150.

This rack looks great, is completely solid, and very functional. Just thought it would be a great way for some of my fellow outdoors aficionados to get a nice roof rack at a great price! If any of you have a question about mounting one of these on your car, don't hesitate to give me a shout! Tight lines everyone!

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Brian

-(2) Hurricane Phoenix 130 Kayaks

"When good men fail to act, evil men will act with evil results."
Rik
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Re: Inexpensive Roof Rack!

Post by Rik »

It's a pick up truck. Why not just load the kayak in the bed?
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bjbg8r
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Re: Inexpensive Roof Rack!

Post by bjbg8r »

Good question Rik. You may have noticed in the background the pop-up camper in the garage. I often go camping and want to take the kayaks with me. Also, with the truck being a crew cab, and me having a toolbox in the bed, it is a fairly short space to support a kayak, even with a bed extender that would fit into the hitch. Additionally, I really prefer to have the truck bed to put gear in. Just my preference I suppose...
Brian

-(2) Hurricane Phoenix 130 Kayaks

"When good men fail to act, evil men will act with evil results."
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jbdba01
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Re: Inexpensive Roof Rack!

Post by jbdba01 »

I have an f-150 super crew too. That's a great deal on the roof top rack.

However, I purchased an extender at Harbor Freight for $60 (on sale) for my truck.

To compliment what you have done flip the extender to have the long side of the extender point vertical (there's a hole on both ends of the extender). That way you have support in the rear as well as on the roof. In other words flip the extender to look like a backwards L.

That said, I fit both my kayaks without the extender in the bed. I just shore them up with tiedowns. One is 12' the other 15'. The extender is just one more thing to deal with for the kayaks.

The extender is mainly for my canoe and when I go vertical it will be for yet another kayak that is about 19', but that is another story for another day...it's another one of my get poor schemes.

Now getting the kayaks on top of that will be something. Lots of work - I suppose you're looking at lifting it 6' versus 2-3'. I used to load things on my 4runner and looking back at it it was a hassle. Now it's load 'er up and secure. I do think that the saltwater from the kayak/canoe ate away at my paint - so wash it down EVERY time.

Did you have to cut small holes in the liner to get the screws in from below - or did you take it off?

Lastly - see those indentations on the roof. Rain collects in there and will eventually rust things up if you don't keep a good amount of wax in there. Mine's a 2004 and is showing it's age on the roof. Otherwise it's in pretty good shape with 40K miles.
JB
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bjbg8r
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Re: Inexpensive Roof Rack!

Post by bjbg8r »

Hey JB,
I ended up taking off the headliner to put the bolts through. I do have a trailer that I'm working on, but it's not in any shape to be taking trips with currently (yet another project on the list). I also didn't want to have to pay for any more registration than necessary. I absolutely hate paying for tags for my vehicles...too many taxes and fees. It will be a little bit of a pain to get the kayaks up there, but I have a Hurricane Phoenix and it is extremely lightweight. I appreciate the tips on the wax for the roof...not sure why Ford made it like that...
Brian

-(2) Hurricane Phoenix 130 Kayaks

"When good men fail to act, evil men will act with evil results."
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jbdba01
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Re: Inexpensive Roof Rack!

Post by jbdba01 »

The indentations strengthen the roof - it's such a big span that it would probably buckle. I suspect it was just cheaper to press it than support it from underneath. Try waxing the roof and you'll get a good feel for how big that roof is. Coming from a 4runner I was pretty surprised - I was on a ladder and still could not reach everything.

I guess they could have gone convex vs concave but that might have looked odd. Dunno...
JB
Edward
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Re: Inexpensive Roof Rack!

Post by Edward »

I have 2000 4runner that I've beat to crap with loading. I had a gust of wind once at FD grab it out of my hands and put a nice dent in the hood, the hitch and a back qtr panel is showing a lot of rust. The roof rack is a 2 tone color of silver and black. I faithfully wash down every time, there is not much you can do. I don't care anymore, just well earned battle scars. I actually use the rear spoiler now and rest the front of the canoe or yak on it, walk to the tail end of the boat, lift it up and slide it on. The spoiler is 2 tone also. If I ever change, as I'm further advancing into the old fart category, I can't imagine anything easier than sliding it into the back of a pick up truck. If you happen to have a 4runner that your no longer wash, I roll down the back window. If I need to carry three, I have one on top and I run a 12'canoe and a 13" yak through the back window. I'm not expecting much when it comes time to sell.
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