I deviated from work on the all-consuming list of ‘honey do’ items geared toward getting our house ready for a graduation party next month, and installed roof rack rails on my TJ hard top.
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The rails are off an older Ford Explorer and needed to be shortened about 3.5”. Because the hard top is a Steel Horse 2-piece unit, I needed to split the rail sections at the hard top seam. Eventually, they’ll get repainted.
There are 3 fasteners holding the front rail sections and 5 fasteners each for the rear rail sections. The fasteners are the same size (6mm) screws as were used on the Explorer. The bolts go through the top to the inside, where the rail sections are backed up by 2.5” wide strips of 1/8” aluminum and fender washers. Also, there’s amble windshield sealant (good grief that stuff is expensive, $36/tube) under the length of the rails and well as circling each drilled hole.
The 1/8” aluminum in there now is probably temporary. I’m thinking there is got to be some sort of additional storage solution I can create that will attach to the roof rail fasteners, so someday I’ll be designing & waterjet cutting different backing strips that will provide additional functionality.
The main need for these rails is to provide attachment points for lifting the hard top for removal. I don’t intend to suspend the top by the roof rails for storage, only using the rails to lift the top off the Jeep such that I can bring my overly complicated (still in design) hard top storage system underneath to provide support. At that point, the lifting straps attached to the rails can be removed.
I also have a lifetime supply of Yakima roof rack parts and attachments (you could call it a fetish) that can be put into use on the Jeep now that it has rails.[/URL][/URL]
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[URL=http://s217.photobucket.com/user/imagineer_projects/media/IMG_0964_zpsony3nkno.jpg.html]
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[URL=http://s217.photobucket.com/user/imagineer_projects/media/IMG_0967_zpstlkhuexa.jpg.html]
The rails are off an older Ford Explorer and needed to be shortened about 3.5”. Because the hard top is a Steel Horse 2-piece unit, I needed to split the rail sections at the hard top seam. Eventually, they’ll get repainted.
There are 3 fasteners holding the front rail sections and 5 fasteners each for the rear rail sections. The fasteners are the same size (6mm) screws as were used on the Explorer. The bolts go through the top to the inside, where the rail sections are backed up by 2.5” wide strips of 1/8” aluminum and fender washers. Also, there’s amble windshield sealant (good grief that stuff is expensive, $36/tube) under the length of the rails and well as circling each drilled hole.
The 1/8” aluminum in there now is probably temporary. I’m thinking there is got to be some sort of additional storage solution I can create that will attach to the roof rail fasteners, so someday I’ll be designing & waterjet cutting different backing strips that will provide additional functionality.
The main need for these rails is to provide attachment points for lifting the hard top for removal. I don’t intend to suspend the top by the roof rails for storage, only using the rails to lift the top off the Jeep such that I can bring my overly complicated (still in design) hard top storage system underneath to provide support. At that point, the lifting straps attached to the rails can be removed.
I also have a lifetime supply of Yakima roof rack parts and attachments (you could call it a fetish) that can be put into use on the Jeep now that it has rails.[/URL][/URL]
