Roof Rack Re Do

Well I had to get a different car for my new position and so I had to move some roof racks to the new car.  I had the old aerodynamic Yakima Cross bars from my Buick Roadmaster that were unneeded because I'd already drilled it for a very long spread of Thule Cross bars.

To put racks on the Focus Sedan I had planned to used self sealing jack nuts like I did on this Scion:



Then I found these rails from Proline: http://www.prolineracks.com/proline-roof-end-track-slats.html




With shipping and some accessories it cost me less than $60 to put these rails onto the car so I could move my racks back and forth anywhere I wanted on the roof.  They came pre-curved to fit the roof and arrived in less than a week with all the mounting foam and self sealing screws needed.  I think the paint job on the rails was less than ideal, but it is basic black semi gloss so I guess I can repaint them in time on my own.  The project was easy to do in an evening and the racks are quiet and cost me less than a single mile per gallon in efficiency.

I think the finished project looks OK. It is a car I can drive to work without looking like a boat bum and yet it has a very usable rack:



I think it is too bad you cannot buy these wide Yakima Aero bars today.

To finish off the project I added a front tie down strap that is so unobtrusive that I expect I'll just leave it out all the time instead of tucking in every time I take the boats off:


What do you think?

4 comments:

  1. Looks like your roof rack fits tight on your Focus! With that, you can be quite sure the boat won't fall over when you mount it. In fact, it seems you have some skill in placing the boat smoothly atop the roof and securing it firmly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you should repaint the rack. You can’t avoid leaving scratches on the rack since it is in constant contact with your luggage and other heavy equipment. And you can somehow hide the worn-out look by changing the paint finish. With better paint, you can parade the nicely fitted rack to your heart’s contentment. :D -->Arlyne

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post. I have a Chevy HHR Panel w/o roof racks and looking to add some long rails to mount Kayaks with affecting the look.

    ReplyDelete