badmix
1/2 ton status
I dont do anything hastily on my BOV / K5 Blazer and this project was no expection. Ive thought about doing this for YEARS, literally. I have a note pad with notes from day one of when I bought the Blazer. On that list is a "factory" type roof rack. Ive searched and thought about it, etc. While it is an easy project, I just wanted to make sure it was first and foremost functional and secondly , it looked decent. I wanted a "factory" look and I think ive achieved that , more or less. lol.
The roof rack came off a 90's model Ford Aerostar. I got lucky, in the junk yard was a junked K5 Blazer, so I was able to take various roof rack cross bars and measure them up with the type of topper Ive got. I wanted the widest one without getting into the bend of the roofline. The Aerostar was the best fit. I tried some import roof racks like Nissan Pathfinder, it was exact same design only about 2-3" shorter and same with the small Chevy Blazer. They had a full size Suburban , but that roof rack was too long and I didnt like how it mounted. I want to be able to take the cross bars off and have a streamlined look if I want.
Ive got the holes drilled and its mounted but not permanent, the SS bolts I bought are too long and some are too short in the thicker part of the roof. So, once I go back (nut/bolt place closed), ill do some more detailed pics. The holes I drilled are just shy of 1/4 (wanted the holes smaller than the 1/4 bolt) For the inside, ill use fender washers and acorn nuts (all Stainless steel). I may upgrade later on and run some aluminum or steel stripes across on the inside. I dont plan to haul a ton of stuff just some soft luggage, sleeping bags and maybe a kayak.
I also wanted some type of attachment point for tarps and maybe a some rear lights up top (future project).
Ive still gotta fine tune my tarp setup..it was very windy today, which was good, let me know the weakpoints. I needed another line on each pole to anchor it better.
So there you have it..I have about 30bux in the whole roof rack, 20bux from junkyard and 10bux in SS hardware including some red locktite and clear silicone.
Once I get the proper length bolts, ill coat the area around the hole with silicone and put red locktite in the acorn nut and tighten it all down.
So far, im very happy with the outcome. It pretty much turned out exactly how I wanted.
Thanks for looking.
The roof rack came off a 90's model Ford Aerostar. I got lucky, in the junk yard was a junked K5 Blazer, so I was able to take various roof rack cross bars and measure them up with the type of topper Ive got. I wanted the widest one without getting into the bend of the roofline. The Aerostar was the best fit. I tried some import roof racks like Nissan Pathfinder, it was exact same design only about 2-3" shorter and same with the small Chevy Blazer. They had a full size Suburban , but that roof rack was too long and I didnt like how it mounted. I want to be able to take the cross bars off and have a streamlined look if I want.
Ive got the holes drilled and its mounted but not permanent, the SS bolts I bought are too long and some are too short in the thicker part of the roof. So, once I go back (nut/bolt place closed), ill do some more detailed pics. The holes I drilled are just shy of 1/4 (wanted the holes smaller than the 1/4 bolt) For the inside, ill use fender washers and acorn nuts (all Stainless steel). I may upgrade later on and run some aluminum or steel stripes across on the inside. I dont plan to haul a ton of stuff just some soft luggage, sleeping bags and maybe a kayak.
I also wanted some type of attachment point for tarps and maybe a some rear lights up top (future project).
Ive still gotta fine tune my tarp setup..it was very windy today, which was good, let me know the weakpoints. I needed another line on each pole to anchor it better.
So there you have it..I have about 30bux in the whole roof rack, 20bux from junkyard and 10bux in SS hardware including some red locktite and clear silicone.
Once I get the proper length bolts, ill coat the area around the hole with silicone and put red locktite in the acorn nut and tighten it all down.
So far, im very happy with the outcome. It pretty much turned out exactly how I wanted.
Thanks for looking.
