It’s difficult to transport oversized cargo through van, car, or smaller vehicles. And that’s where the roof rack can add extra space without giving a headache.
But you can skip purchasing overpriced racks for homemade options. Several DIY roof rack options are available to save your cost. In the article, I put together the best ways to implement the project.
You should take some time on the individual DIY method to decide one for yourself. Let’s get on with the top 15 do-it-yourself ideas to accomplish rather easily.
Table of Contents
1. Accessorized Roof Rack
Convenient rack project lets you satisfy the requirements without complexity. The structure features a metal body instead of wood, adding some cost to the budget. But the outcome measures high dependability to hold anything against outdoor elements.
There is a total of 23 steps to cover the entire processing in simplified details. Its very first step concerns with necessary tools & materials, followed by a sequential installation guide. And the last step puts an end to the task to enable rooftop carriage.
For the best part, every step includes relevant pictures to maintain further clarity. Supporting words for representing images skips unnecessarily verbose explanation. It’ll definitely help with the immediate understanding of the depicted task outcome.
2. Functional DIY Roof Rack
Skip all the anxiety to introduce a rooftop rack to your wagon or SUV. The tutorial starts with basic thoughts on a homemade rack to solve customer confusion.
Then it goes with the list of necessary materials for making up the assembly. It intentionally builds a sturdy rack to hold items on different occasions. And the cost measures $40 for the three board types with supporting screws.
Fewer words in simple sentences cover the task from top to bottom. You can move to the pointed steps with further pictorial depiction. There are only 6 steps to follow before making the attachment.
3. Simple, Cheap DIY Rack
You can modify the van’s rooftop to securely hold certain items. And the featured guidelines specifically focus on installing solar panels. Of course, you can utilize the space for other purposes on-demand within limits.
There are 4 contents in total to cover its entire task without exceeding simplicity. You’ll have to understand the design considerations before anything else with its good.
Likewise, the structuring starts with gathered tools, materials & design specs. Solid explanation continued till its completion in simple, fluent & attaching words. Also, there is one reconnaissance picture of the implemented design prior to the construction.
4. DIY Van Roof Rack
The deliberate profile lets you settle down for a simply designed rack. It specifically aims at holding solar panels rather than extended storage. Of course, the tutorial maintains a sequential order to keep the process simple.
It all begins with the necessary gear to complete the job. Bolts, nuts, brackets, caps & sealing tape initiate holding support for the 2N aluminum profile.
And the entire process consists of 5 well-defined steps, starting from roof cleanup. It follows aluminum profile installation, panel attachment & securing the panels. The final step concerns with finishing touches.
5. Homemade Roof Rack
Things not fitting inside the vehicle often happens to land on the rooftop. And the featured process goes perfect for a vehicle already has a roof rack option. Attaching a supportive DIY is pretty simple through pictorial steps with words.
The tutorial is highly mechanical with precise measurements for drilling holes. Then the template follows actual implementation, featuring metal bars & connectors. Everything remains clear with several pictures, lacking arranged or numbered steps.
6. Small Car Roof Rack
Certain vehicles are small in size, lacking the necessary space to carry bulky stuff. And the guideline focuses on installing a roomy rack on top with absolute simplicity.
There’s no defined step to get on with the construction. You’ll have to figure out the details by yourself. Completely verbose details kept going in a fluent motion.
Fortunately, the presentation is pretty simple in words. Unlike others, the tutorial utilized lumber leftovers. The simple idea seems practical, cost-efficient & effective.
7. Roof Rack to Hold Anything
Building a lightweight roof rack for a vehicle can get any better. The featured guideline comes in two different portions to enable complete understanding.
Wordy segment primarily focuses on materials to use for the rack. You’re to choose from steel or aluminum, depending on design specifications.
Included video, in the end, depicts the construction, covering from the start till its end. It focuses on the dynamic presentation of building a custom rack by yourself.
8. Universal Soft Roof Rack
Obviously, you won’t require sturdy racks to carry particular items. Some light items can ride the rooftop with a much simpler holding assembly. And that’s where a soft roof rack can save your time, cost & effort to a great extent.
It has to start with the necessary equipment to pull off the job, specifically requiring foam tubing & polyester/nylon buckle. There are 7 defined steps to make up the holding assembly. And the followed 3 steps help with the installation towards holding.
Each step features a supporting image to give a basic representation of the process. Though it concerns with a surfboard, you can easily get similar items on board. And the article even explains some considerations to handle the quirks.
9. DIY Aluminum Roof Rack
The tutorial contains all the necessary basics to help you with the project. Obviously, there are no defined segments to provide an orderly presentation.
Lots of words continued explaining the whole task from practical perspectives. You’ll have to go through the entire article to figure out the essential facts.
There’s one integrated video to demonstrate the process thoroughly. It lets you build an incredibly versatile aluminum rack to hold additional belongings.
10. Roof Rack without Rattle
You’ll have complete coverage on available roof rack ideas right here. The article discussed almost everything in plausible detail.
It requires a simple setup within a low budget through recycled materials. There are convenient ideas to implement to match the intended model. The tutorial comes in 7 explained segments against one video guideline.
For a start, popular accessories, installation & additional considerations follow the featured video. And you’ll get to know the different types concerning uses, advantages & disadvantages.
11. Roof Rack Design, Construction & Testing
Whether it’s a car or van, you can attend an inexpensive yet dependable roof rack. The video covers everything from the start. It seems enriched with lots of information regarding proper buildup.
Obviously, the dynamic presentation maintains a normal motion. It’s somewhat longer than other videos, featuring overall pros & cons. And the vocal commentary kept things pretty easy to adapt.
You’ll have to spend about $360 on materials. It’s not exactly cheap but gets you the sturdiest rooftop space to utilize. Meanwhile, the whole processing is likely to cost you 24 hours of labor.
12. Customized Roof/Cargo Rack
Simply create an overhead space to haul larger cargo. And the video puts focus on sturdiness to promote durability, & steadiness. The entire processing gets captured in a moving frame with supporting details from the narrator.
Of course, certain mechanical processes like welding & sawing are necessary. Throughout guidelines are highly practical; remaining easy to catch for any passionate driver. But the output is extremely hard to hold anything not fitting inside.
13. Superstrut/Unistrut Roof Rack
You can easily extend the existing carriage basket, featured on the vehicle rooftop. The video lets you customize the space for holding more items at a time. It specifically utilizes Superstrut/Unistrut to pull everything together in a convenient way.
It depicts the whole processing in a single video in normal motion. You just have to follow the steps, understanding the narrated commentary. Overall budget looks pretty good for the cost, apart from its somewhat low time-consuming process.
14. Custom Roof Mounting System
Décor the vehicle rooftop with a customized rack to promote the storage capacity. The featured tutorial uses aluminum scrap pieces to create a nice supporting structure. There are fewer words to pay attention to, you just watch the video & implement your idea.
Measuring, cutting, sawing, shaping – everything continues in a smooth motion. It’s so detailed in the frame, you won’t feel any necessity for additional words. Just like the captured steps, the intended process to modify the empty space requires precision.
15. Bundle-Saving Roof Rack
Turn the empty rooftop into a usable space to hold certain loads. You can definitely save the primary shopping cost, using recycled materials. The featured tutorial utilizes steel scraps to create heavy-duty, reliable & appealing racks.
Complete guidance leads you to the structuring of caged support with surrounded rails. Clear depiction of the steps comes with the narrator’s personal words. You just need to hold your attention to get the essential points on the catch.
Conclusion
You don’t have to fall for fancy roof racks when you have time & resources. And that’s what is likely to take for implementing one method by yourself. Getting to the core of each one, you just need to match your requirements with the outcome. Right there, you’ll have amazing overhead space for hauling cargo.
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