Copper roof rack? Am I nuts?

[IAmTodd]

Originally posted by Robb
Black, cast iron, gas pipe.

Great minds think alike! I just thinking that!

 

[bipolarbob]

Originally posted by Robb
I think you can buy standard cast pipe down to 3/8 or 1/4. If designed well, it wouldn't be that heavy. A full aluminum basket isn't exactly light.

You can't be comparing aluminum to cast Iron......

Aluminum is the lightest of them all, Cast Iron is close to the heaviest.Go to home depot and pick up some cast Iron.If you ever hit anyone, your rack would fly off and finish them off.

 

[Robb]

Hum..............uh..........the cast would be stronger than the cheap-a$$ aluminum used to make most roof racks..............therefore, much less would be needed to be used.

Um, I am a home owner, I am at Lowe's at least 4-5 times a week..............I know what Lowes has!!!

A complete roof rack made from the smallest iron pipe size available at Lowes or HD would not be TOO heavy. I have seen many made from tube or squared steel, and a well-designed cast pipe one would be in the ballpark as far as weight goes. And whatever the smallest gauge of cast you can get, I would put that against ANY aluminum roof rack available in regards to strength.

My iron pipe idea was just that, an idea. I would put it up against copper, conduit, or anything else available at Lowes or HD.

 

[bipolarbob]

No denying cast would be stronger.I just think even with smaller pipe it would be heavier.I have never heard of making stuff that needs to be light out of cast iron....even if you could make it smaller.There are no cast Motorbike frames, airplane parts, mountain bikes, when was the last time you saw a cast Iron handglider?
It just is too heavy.And I may be wrong here, but I think cast is nearly impossible to thread or weld.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Wieght to strength I think iron would be close to aluminum. But it all depends on the aluminum you are talking about. Sure aluminum is light. Some of it is also very brittle.(I work with aluminum every day) It doesn't weld very good either without a tig. It threads ok. Cast iron threads as easy, I'd imagine. What kind of aluminum do they make roof racks out of? Extrusions maybe? I think I would price some mild steel and call up a few fab shops and see what they'd charge just to weld it together.

 

[ozexplorer]

..conduit!!!... copper pipe!!!...cast iron!!!
Ummmmm, copper...too malleable(soft) to be of any use, steel conduit.....not toooo bad though u would need to thread the ends for the elbows and tees, and cast iron...well we wont even go there!!!!!!!!

Hopefully u havent been committed to a place where all the rooms are padded, but personally I built my roofrack out of STEEL!!!
Admittedly it wasnt for my X, though the idea was the same, using 25mm x 25mm x 1.6mm wall, zinc plated square tube. The basic idea was 2 rectangular frames to suit the roof size of the vehicle, one for the base and one for the top of the basket if u like, about 100mm above the base, a few crossmembers and a 50mmx50mmx4mm mesh floor.
And yes i know everything is in millimetres, hey, i have to put up with u guys with gallons, miles and inches ..lol
10 points for creativety guys, but i would have to say that steel is the go for ease of working, cutting and welding...i know, i fabricate things out of steel every day(not as much fun as it sounds..lol)
Check out this site for some good hardcore aussie fouby gear www.arb.com.au

 

[Hartman]

Whatever you use, it's going to look like it was built from Lowes parts regardless.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Agreed. If you only need to be able to hold a few suitcases, whats wrong with the factory rack?

 

[AlaskanJack]

Originally posted by bigdaddykarl
I've seen those guys at trade shows with that "simple-to-use" welding rod that requires only a propane torch...anyone ever used it?

I tried that stuff at our fair recently and was just amazed at it. I now wish I had bought a few rods of that. Anyone know where they can be picked up???

 

[sncwfo99]

as was mentioned earlier you would be better off building it out square tubing or chromoly tubing. To do it out of black pipe even in 1/2" is going to be heavy. Remember the more the rack weighs the less you will be able to carry on the roof.



I would like to see the stats on this welding rod you guys are talking about. Is this stuff similar to JB Weld only you are using a torch to melt it. I would think you couldn't weld anything very thick with the stuff since a propane doesn't burn hot enough.

 

[dreamr]

I watched a neighbor a few houses down build himself a roof rack out of cast for his cherokee.
It turned out looking really nice, different design than those on the market but very nice. When he went to put it up top I stopped by to give a hand, but it was light enough for him to lift to the top of a lifted cherokee by himself. After mounted it mainly carries a 35 or 37 spare and of course the trail equipment, hi-lift, shovel and axe. Seems to be strong enough. Hasn't caved in the roof. And even though we live in one of the rainiest parts of the country I don't see any rust. I have never been wheelin with the guy, but judging by the vehicle he is serious about his fun.

 

[AlaskanJack]

I would like to see the stats on this welding rod you guys are talking about. Is this stuff similar to JB Weld only you are using a torch to melt it. I would think you couldn't weld anything very thick with the stuff since a propane doesn't burn hot enough

Well its not JB weld. And we did some welsing with the stuff at the fair on an oil pan with a hole in it. the stuff filled th hole and we even hit it repeatedly with stuff and used a punch to hit it and the weld held and the pan just made a dent where we hit it. So this stuff is tough

 

[dreamr]

I want!!!!! where do I buy it????????

 

[AlaskanJack]

Originally posted by dreamr
I want!!!!! where do I buy it????????

THAT"S WHAT I AM ASKING!!!!!

 

[bigdaddykarl]

Alum welding rod for use with propane torch: I've only seen it at car shows/swap meets, gun shows, boat/fishing shows, etc. Never seen it in stores. Though I did see aluminum rod at Home Depot, and it had a melting point on it, but I don't know what the heat is of a propane torch as opposed to a mapp gas torch, or any other for that matter. So if anyone knows of a source, let it be heard! I'll keep searching.

Hartman, I hope to prove you wrong, I know what you mean though. Kinda like the PVC pipe intakes that I've seen around, they just look hokie. For your sake, I'll go out of my way to make it look pro. Wish me luck.

So far, it's coming out pretty well. I have the corner units assembled, and it feels hella rigid. Having listened to all of you, I've beefed up my orignal design, and I'll continue to test and retest until I get it strong enough. What I'm thinking though, is to use mine as a prototype to let a local steel shop use as a template. If I can get them to assemble a few for me, and then take them to the local powdercoater, and I can do it for under $200, would anyone be interested?

I guess some pictures would help, I'll post some as I get a little further along, but meanwhile, picture this: 40"x 60", about 5" tall, 3/4" tubing, corners cut at 45 degree angles, expanded steel floor. No, they won't be copper-painted-black like mine, but steel, honest-to-goodness steel. Any takers?

 

[Dre]

how about building one out of 2X4's? won't rust, easilly paintable and wood is real easy to work with...


anyway,copper might be good and if you solder everything right should be as strong as aluminium... just design it right and come-up with some kind of mounting brackets and you should have a pretty nice roof rack. Painting is not a problem as well... make sure paint you use is epoxy paint... will stick to anything.

good luck - and show your pictures!

 

[bigdaddykarl]

2x4s...hadn't thought about that. Good idea.

Or Legos.....then it could be any color I choose, and I wouldn't have to mess around with those pesky spray cans...

 

[Dre]

glad you aprove...


copper is not a bad idea though. I'm about to make a little organizer cage in the back of my "X" for "must-have" itmes on the trail and was thinking about bending some conduit to do it... copper would be a lot easier to work with... more fittings available.

 

[bigdaddykarl]

alright, here's a couple pictures of the corner unit, haven't had the time to get much further. I've been putting in 14-hour days lately at work...y'all should see the bags under my eyes...

 

[bigdaddykarl]

Doh! Guess yahoo doesn't let this fancy feature work...let's try MSN. It's better with the butterfly.