How to Make Your Own Pickup Truck Rack
Many car enthusiasts prefer to fabricate their own unique parts rather than buy prefabricated parts from big retailers. Custom parts are a way for owners to invoke their personal interests and preferences into their automobiles. Trucks have many exterior options that can provide functional, as well as aesthetic improvements. Cargo space can be upgraded by adding bed extenders, roof racks or tool boxes. All these come with with price tags ranging from $200 to $1,000. Instead of buying these upgrades, you can build your own using basic hand tools and a small welder.
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Things You'll Need
- Metal tubing or "L" piping
- 1 inch flat metal bar
- Metal cutting tool
- Angle finder
- Welder
- Paint
Instructions
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Pick out the metal that you wish to use. Do not use plastic, simply because it may not have the strength to hold your cargo safely. The most common material is "L" pipe, so called because when viewed from the side it resembles the letter "L." Using this material will also add a raised edge to help secure your cargo. Another good choice is 1 inch square tubing.
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Measure the area that the roof rack will cover. Remember to start your measurements so that the view from front seat is not obstructed. A good roof rack will extend to within six inches of the side of the vehicle and eight to ten inches away from the windshield and rear of the roof. Depending on the vehicle, sizes will vary.
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Cut your metal to fit the appropriate measurements for your vehicle. Arrange the metal pieces in a square by placing the side pieces down and positioning the front and rear pieces into the sides. Check to make sure that the alignment is at 90 degrees, to ensure a proper corner. Cut the 1 inch flat metal to fit inside the square running parallel to the front and rear pieces. Depending on the length of the roof rack, you might need multiple cross member bars. Position the cross members 16 inches apart, or in equal lengths along the roof rack.
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Weld the bars in place once the entire base has been laid out. A simple 80-volt welder will provide enough power for this type of metal. Weld the cross members in place and the base is finished.
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Construct another square of equal size to the base. Ensure the corners are 90 degrees and weld them in place.
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Cut six to eight bars from the tubing. These will be welded to the top of the base and the bottom of the additional square. These bars should be three to six inches long, depending on how deep you want your rack to be. Position the bars with equal distance between them and ensure they are level before you weld the supports in place. Place the square on top of the supports on the base and weld the square to the supports.
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Paint the rack the color of your choice. You can leave the metal bare, but it will be prone to rust. Apply two coats of paint and allow it to dry before putting it on the vehicle. Trucks have many different roof systems and your homemade rack may be secured to roof rails or you may need to find or make a mounting system to secure it to the roof. Rain gutter mounting systems are available and usually cost around $50.
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Tips & Warnings
If you do not have access to a welder, there are metal fittings available that join metal to each other. Most of these joints are made for round tubing, so your rack will need to use round tubing.
