"replicate" then....dosnt sound like we r fornicating around....
Roof rack. Once the hole was drilled in the fender the genie was out of the bottle. Was really nervous about this one.
The rack is a ******ttyBilt Defender. It is a 11 year old truck so I didnt want to spend alot of money but I kinda wish I got a better rack...but it works.
I really wanted a place to put some lights and a little more storage since the truck was for a family of 4....and maybe even a dog.
Had to make sure I didnt interfere with the sunroof.
Fabbed up some brackets. Plan was to mock them up in place then tighten the bolt, and weld them up on the inside for good measure. Made some gaskets out of bike inner tube.
Then cam the nervous part. The drilling. Started with a small hole and swept around with a wire to see if I needed to move it.
Then made it bigger.
Added a little sealant to the riv nut...
And crushed them in place.
In the end I did bent a cross member into the path of the sunroof and had to drop the head liner to bend it back.
Little mock up.
So in the end I am happy the way it turned out. I was very lucky I didnt cause any major trouble.
Anyone planning on doing this, I would recommend dropping the head liner. Its not that hard. With the sealant and blind end crush nuts, I very confident about water intrusion.
GC
