Looked at the Rhinorack Backbone system for my Prado but baulked at the price and limits on what it can fit so made my own.
I picked up a alloy full length roofrack of gumtree for $300 but the mounting brackets were poor quality and pretty flimsy so this is how I fitted it up.
Removed the original Rhino bars and made new stainless steel brackets to bolt onto the original mounts. They are 50x3mm 304 angle cut down to fit and bent at slight angle as roof bolt holes aren't vertical
As I intend to make up a boat loader, thought was to make the rails so i could fit anything so used 40 by 5mm alloy angle to bolt up to new brackets. Had to machine ( plane ) a curve along edge to fit curve of roof.
To reduce the weight and get rid of the agricultural look I machined series of slots along edge and also next to bolt holes to make fiitting up easier. I found in initial fit up I couldn't tighten the central bolts easily.
First fit up
Finished
I picked up a alloy full length roofrack of gumtree for $300 but the mounting brackets were poor quality and pretty flimsy so this is how I fitted it up.
Removed the original Rhino bars and made new stainless steel brackets to bolt onto the original mounts. They are 50x3mm 304 angle cut down to fit and bent at slight angle as roof bolt holes aren't vertical
As I intend to make up a boat loader, thought was to make the rails so i could fit anything so used 40 by 5mm alloy angle to bolt up to new brackets. Had to machine ( plane ) a curve along edge to fit curve of roof.
To reduce the weight and get rid of the agricultural look I machined series of slots along edge and also next to bolt holes to make fiitting up easier. I found in initial fit up I couldn't tighten the central bolts easily.
First fit up
Finished
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