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?