Greastart Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Greetings All, Wife's Subie got totaled by ins company after an extraordinary hail storm. We needed a new vehicle for our business and I wanted something we could camp in too. So, after having watched a couple of 2018 XLT cargo vans sit on a local dealer lot for almost a year I bought them both. Our plan is to wrap them both for business but turn one of them into a weekend warrior to include a rooftop tent. Just found this forum and figured I'd join to learn from the experts. Already got my money's worth when I saw a thread about "hidden space" in the second row footwell. First question is where do I find an aftermarket roof rack. Mine has no rails. jrm223 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Welcome, a lot of good camper info here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalienz Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Welcome to the forum! If you're buying new, Thule makes roof racks and carriers that will fit the TC. Lots of choices. https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/roof-rack/roof-racks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greastart Posted July 4, 2019 Author Share Posted July 4, 2019 Thanks zalienz, I'm thinking rails instead of fixed points. Are there options other than the $600 Ford rails? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 There are commercial ladder racks. I don't know if they would work for what you have in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herb Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Dang , nothings inexpensive these days . lots of used Thule and other racks on Craigs list etc... i got a complete set of Thule bars and the main attachment points for an older car one time for $110.00 on Craigs list . Worth a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Nickels Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Aftermarket bolt on are always expensive. But still better than OEM pricing. Some aftermarket items are better quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 @Greastart - Welcome to the forum. Congrats on getting a pair of new vans. That's cool! We'd love to see pics of your new vans. Regarding roof racks, check out the thread link below as a starting point. Lots of options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beta Don Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 On 7/4/2019 at 10:12 AM, Greastart said: Our plan is to wrap them both for business but turn one of them into a weekend warrior to include a rooftop tent. First question is where do I find an aftermarket roof rack. Mine has no rails. I haven't done this (yet) but here's a thought you may be interested in There are rubber plugs covering oval shaped holes in the roof which could be used as the foundation to build on. My thought was to permanently install studs in 4 or 6 of the holes (for either two or three crossbars) which I could use to quickly install or remove pieces of channel across the width of the van - Make them any width you like, even a bit wider than the van if needed Remove the headliner, take out the rubber plug, install a 3 inch stainless bolt with the head inside the van, a large stainless fender washer, a rubber washer and some sealant on the inside and then on the top side of the roof, more sealant, a rubber washer, another stainless washer and then a stainless nut - Sandwich all that down tight. Then you have about 2 1/2 inches of a 3/8ths stainless stud (times 4 or 6) permanently sticking up - Paint them the color of your van if the 'look' bothers you Run an aircraft locking nut down far enough on the stud so when you mount the crossbar, you have enough threads left for another locking nut on the top. I would use standard Unistrut for the crossbars, as there are all kinds of commercial hardware which fit Unistrut you can use for mounting anything you like to your new channels. Installing or removing a Unistrut crossbar would only take a minute or two. Design a floor (3/4 plywood or similar) which bolts to the 2 or 3 crossbars and you have a base for your tent on top of the van . . . . and you haven't spent anywhere near $600 or $800 bucks. Run a power wire up through another one of the unused plugs while you have the headliner down and you have power for lights and fans in your tent Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 I thought there was a thread where someone used unistrut to fabricate an awning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 On 7/6/2019 at 1:29 AM, Fifty150 said: I thought there was a thread where someone used unistrut to fabricate an awning. That's this one right here, "Custom Platform" - but the crossbars holding up the Unistrut is some aftermarket 3-bar setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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