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New to VX community and know this topic must have already been discussed many times so, sorry ahead of time. I want to install a roof rack onto my new ‘99 VX and don’t know what I need to secure them to the VX. Are there aftermarket alternatives out there? I would be open to buying OEM rack if anyone out there has a complete set in good working condition.
Cheers!
You will either need to 1) buy the OEM crossbars from someone else (my shipped from another VX’er today), or 2) custom fab some sort of foot mount and cross bars.
Custom jobs have been done in the past, and I even considered it myself. However, once a set came up for sale, and they appear to be in great shape, I couldn’t resist.
Thanks for the reply! I am hoping to find someone who either knows what brand and model of rack will fit (with or without modification to the rack) or someone who will sell their. If you know of a thread that covers this, please let me know. Thanks again!
See post #5 of this thread: http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...ight=roof+rack It looks like Yakima Low Riders will fit right onto our roof rails with no modifications. VXorado has since sold his VX, but I have seen these racks in action in Moab and they don't move around even while off-roading.
See post #7 of this thread: http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...ight=roof+rack It is a picture of VXorado's rig with the Yakima Low Rider mounts.
Hope this helps as a quick, inexpensive fix. OEM VX racks have been running in the $300-$400 range.
I am getting ready to post my roof rack (here and/or ebay). It's the OEM unit but I also have a fairing which needs to be adapted. There is a set of mounts that will accomplish this on ebay ($32/set). <==link I've been trying to decide if I should buy the mounts (and any other bolts from the hardware store) to make it all work. Or...maybe I should leave that up to a buyer?
Racks are expensive to buy/resell. IIRC, I paid $350-$400 for mine via this forum. I used it a couple of times but finally built a trailer and added a hitch.
I do well with light fabrication and that sort of thing. But, I don't anticipate much (if any) would be required for the fairing. Fairings eliminate the "whistle" caused by air flowing over the rack. And, would help (slightly) with mpg.
The price I ask will be affected by whether I purchase the add'l parts first.
Gregg
I fitted Thule Rapid System 754 mounts with a number 254 bracket kit, modified to fit by sawing flush the redundant dowel pins and bending them to about 70 degrees internal angle to form a hook section along the lower 3/8ths or roughly 10mm of the clamping edge. They must be positively hooked under the rail recesses or they will pull out when tightened if left square or without enough mechanical bite. Do not rely on friction alone, only a positive hook which couldn't slip if you poured oil over it. The feet do however sit on a rubber pad which has to be positioned carefully on the top of the plastic rail moulding.
I bent the clamps to fit in a 6" super heavy duty old Woden engineer's vice, (similar to a Wilton type), using a club hammer and a block of wood for even distribution of force and to protect the powder coat. I basically hammered as much angle into them as I could and they are very solidly fitted. The 254 clamp kit comes with 6 brackets but the sales assistants in Halfords here in England were reluctant to open more than 3 random boxes to show me the different sections and it was fortunate that one of them remembered the part number of some brackets that he thought matched my description or we'd have been there all day.
I can take photos of the fitted mounts if requested and add them below.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da.../IMG_16671.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da.../IMG_16661.JPG