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DIY Roof Rack measurements

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21K views 28 replies 12 participants last post by  EZMac  
#1 ·
My 2010 frontier did not come with a roof rack. I see kits online to the OM racks but there like 300 bucks. Here is what I am thinking. To save some money I can get the reinforcement brackets for around $50.00 Then build my own roof rack assembly that will bolt in. I could build one for less then $100 I'm thinking, The only problem i am seeing is since I wont have a factory rack to go by how do I figure to drill the holes? Does anybody have the measurements where holes would need drilling, know where I can get them or can take some from existing roof rack and send them to me. From what I can see there isn't any spot on the inside of the roof where you would know where they go.
Thank you
 
#2 ·
I have heard many many horror stories of people trying to install the OEM roof rack on trucks that didn't come with it and having tons of problems with things lining up and leaks... There is actually a recent story of a guy that had the dealer install it and it still leaked and wasn't centered... They ended up getting him a new truck.
 
#6 ·
roof rack

I saw the how to install second gen roof rack. Thats how i found out I can buy those brackets.

Thought about some sort of bed rack. but I have a tonneau cover and I dont want it to get in the way of that, But maybe I can give that some more thought.
Thanks. I still am curious if any body has measurements I could use.
 
#26 ·
This. No, seriously, don't go drilling holes in your roof. I even stopped doing these type installs at my old shop because even with professional tools and talented employees we still had leaks and alignment problems.
 
#10 ·
I think everybody is missing the point that OP is trying to save money here. The Yakima/Thule route is going to cost more than just buying a factory rack.

If you have the Utilitrack the cheapest/easiest, in my opinion, would be to build something for that. Depending on what type of tonneau you have you could still make them work together.
 
#11 ·
Depending on the siderail configuration that the tonneau uses, you may be able to put Yakima or Thule crossbars across the bed. Yakima makes a truck bed rack call the "Bedrock" which clamps to the siderails. Unfortunately, although it comes with Utilitrack adapters, the mounts themselves rest on top of the side rails, so even with a tonneau in the "open" position, most will not work.

I am running into the exact same problem, as I have a rack to buy (or possibly adapt what I have) plus I expect to get a tonneau down the road. The only certain way to get a rack system to work with a tonneau is to put it on the roof or the receiver hitch.

I beileve you would need to go full cu$tom to do a bed rack that worked with a closed tonneau, and trying to open a tonneau with stuff above would be a dicey proposition.

In a perfect world I'd like to be able to find a bed rack and tonneau that would let me open the tonneau, mount the bed rack, throw stuff in the bed and travel with the tonneau open, then remove the rack, lay the crossbars in the bed, and close the tonneau once I got to my destination. And do it all with off-the-shelf parts. Adapting the rack crossbars to attach directly to the Utilitrack would be the best way to do this, I think.
 
#16 ·
Jeez, why are so many people afraid to go custom. Buying every part as a bolt-on takes all the fun out of modifying a vehicle. :thumbsup:

Since you want to go the custom route, skip the reinforcement parts from Nissan, thats only needed for the oe roof rack. Design your custom rack to bolt through the current reinforced parts of the roof instead. That way you only have to worry about where your rack mounts and not some factory measurements. Make sense?

Check out the 'Home Made Roof Rack' thread over at Expedition Portal. Some really good ideas there. Can be as simple as making a rack from conduit welded together. Its strong enough since you dont want to put anything on the roof that doesnt need to be there anyways.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I'm certainly not opposed to or afraid of custom mods. I do recognize, however, that not everybody has the tools or talent or experience to do certain things to their vehicles without making a botch of it and likely impacting the resale value of and/or the safe operation of their vehicle.

I have also seen quite a few custom mods over the years done by "professionals" that were done quite poorly both in execution and design.

Both approaches have their benefits and drawbacks.
 
#20 ·
roof rack

I have looked into those brands before. It would cost over $400 to get a system that works with my truck. I really don't want to spend 300 on the oem kit that looks factory when done. If i want to use a roof rack that hooks into the door jam I'll stick with my $30 Reese. where do these companies get off charging 400$ for two tine peaces of aluminum and a hook? Looks like I'm just going to have to buy the oem roof rack kit and measure several times and drill the holes. If stepside can make it work and look nice i know it can be done. My grandfather has been doing auto body for like 50 years so I'm confident that we can make it work.
Thanks for the input guys
 
#21 ·
Here's what I did with what I had available plus some parts from the hardware store.

-Yakima Railgrabs & 78" crossbars
-4 Utilitrak cleats
-4 5/16 x 8" eye bolts, fender washers, and nylock wingnuts

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Yakima would probably prefer that you clamp the Railgrabs themselves to the truck bed rather than the crossbars. I would not take it across country, but after a test drive around town and on the highway, everything stayed put.
 
#23 ·
roof/bed rack

I hadn't visited my post in a few days I had no idea that I had that many responses. mt.aero I was thinking that myself that i could just make my own rack and supports. Over all i still like the idea of a roof rack. that way its up and out of the way of my bed. and if i go the rack over bed route could obstruct my rear view. not that thats a huge issue. I have two ideas for an over the bed rack one drilling and one not.

no drill.. my tonneau clamps on to the inside of my bed rail. With does make it impossible to use the bed extender. any way my thought was to make a 90 degree piece of metal that would fit in between cover bracket and bed then just use existing clamps to hold all in place.

Drill... what i was thinking here. find another set of bed rails. or rails like the bed bolt them to the box side then id be abler to move the rack where i want it with ease. I'm thinking if i do this it will be much more supportive and what i could do is make a headache board that would slide into the rail system and clamp down tight then I could make a detachable roof rack that would connect to the headache rack and then have a removable roof rack as well with no drilling in roof. With this i could make what i need now and add latter and then i would have it all and it would all be removable.

ideas?
 
#27 ·
Diameter of the OEM roof rack rails is 2.17"

The dimensions for the holes I will not give as there are too many variables and ways to get them wrong. Best way to go about that is to have your rack assembled and mark the holes for drilling according to what you have build. Do yourself a favor by dropping the head liner and inspecting the roof for the best place to drill rather then drilling first and finding out later it was an unfortunate spot to drill for what ever reason.

Making your own rack can be cheap, but only if your time is worthless. If you design your rack according to materials you have on hand, that is a limitation that could affect aesthetics and function. Designing your rack and then buying those materials is going to cost you, making $300 to $500 seem affordable.

To do things on the cheap requires a watchful eye and some luck. Keep your eye on craigslist for cheap materials.
 
#29 ·
I know this is two years old. I just bought the reinforcement pieces, I have had an OEM roof rack I got on eBay brand new last fall. A local custom shop is going to do the install for me and run the wires for 42 in light bar. I am nervous about potential leaks, but these guys are grade A. Even installed a aftermarket sun roof for a family friend.

I thought about clamp on, or custom roof racks. Even toyed with the idea of custom bed racks. I decided on the OEM roof rack as the best manageable route. For the bed rack I was lucky enough to get my hands on the old titan bed rack system. I had to flip my utilitracs upside to get the proper fit but it was a nice addition. I still wish I could use them and a tonneau cover.