Hi Franco,
My original typed post got erased due to a browser crash so I’ll try again – but this will be a bit more succinct then my last one!
Sorry I didn’t get these up yesterday – I ended up at a junk yard where I found some real treasures that will result in a very different rear bumper and rack set up then I have now. However today I went out and took pictures so I will try to explain some of the design elements for you here.
First, starting with the rear mounts:
I constructed these out of ¼ inch flatbar. It was 6 inches wide. I made these using a shop press as opposed to a proper metal brake so I do not have measurements – it’s kind of a “fab as you go” type thing to fit with the rear bumper. The idea is the flat part connects to the frame where the OEM bumper attaches. From there, it bends 90-ish degrees out to be running parallel with the ground. Once it covers the distance between the frame and the OEM bumper, it bends 90 degrees one again to go straight up towards where the bumper and the body tub meet. In this area is a gap of ¼ - ½ inch where the flat bar fits. At the bumper, it bends 90 degrees again and heads flat; this is where the upright of the rack welds on. You’ll notice some angle iron. That is welded on to reinforce the metal.
In this pic you can see it attached to the frame – sorry for the poor quality; I got this by sticking my camera phone into the wheel well. You’ll notice on the right-hand side of this photo there is another piece of angle iron attached.
If you pull the bumper off your JK you will see a seam where the body tub’s walls and floors connect. It’s a thicker piece of sheet metal that seemed quite strong. The purpose of this second piece of angle iron was to provide an anchoring point for another piece of sheet metal – I’ll call that the Bracing Piece. So, by bolting the Bracing Piece onto the aforementioned angle iron, I could brace the entire mount by tightening a few bolts. This prevents the mount from shaking from side to side on rough roads.
Sorry for the shoddy description; if you like I can draw you a picture. Note that this addition was AFTER I noticed the rack rocking back and forth a bit and hitting the body tub, see below:
Now, the uprights weld onto that mount. The rack main body is attached to the uprights via a hinge that is simply a front control arm bushing (any piece of rubber with a metal core will work; you will just have to adjust for the pipe size accordingly). See picture:
Below that, you’ll see a bolt running through a plate attached to the upright. This bolt then seems to screw against the body of the jeep (I’ve put a plate on there with some adhesive so it takes up all the rub/bounce and spreads out the weight a little bit). This is to ensure the rack doesn’t bounce off of the body or hard top over a nasty bump.
The basket is made out of angle iron and expanded metal. A tip: Make sure your basket has some center-based reinforcement. After the first heavy load, the expanded metal stretched and now rubs against the hard top. The angle iron was meant to hold some cross pieces that would run parallel to the jeep so that I could mount an RTT. Turns out the RTT can mount on the original cross pieces that I designed. I got lucky there.
You’ll note the upper 1x1 for the basket stops just before the Freedom Top Panels. Don’t do this – let it run the entire length and put in little pieces to hold it up all the way along. What this design has done is it’s added a place where the rack is weak and unbraced and I’ve noticed some bending.
As for the front, the rack rests on a light bar and is secured by two tabs.
The light bar is made out of 1x1 also, and is welded onto brackets that attach where the windshile mounts are. To make this, simply remove those windshield brackets with a torx and fab up some brackets with some rectangles of metal. Note: Cover those removed windshield brackets with tape to prevent scratching them. Another note: be CAREFUL when bolting in the brackets again – the captive nut on mine broke free hence the semi-out bolt you see in the photo.
A coat of paint and bob’s your uncle.
Let me know if anything is unclear and I will add more photos/explanation.
For what it’s worth, I’m now changing this design. I got really lucky today and found this at the scrap yard:
(It's a rear tire carrier off an old Nissan with fully functional and well - maintained latch hardware et al)
So it’s time for my own fabbed custom bumper. The plan is instead of those fancy brackets I will weld the rack directly to the bumper; this way it'll be tied in to the frame without the diving board effect of the flatbar and it shouldn't need the bracing bolts to stay off the body.
Let me know if you have questions! Here are some more random pictures for your reference:
Cheers
Craig
Hi Guys,
(I also regularly inspect it for wear and tear)