[BroncoSka]

so i just got a arc welder. meanwhile i barely know how to mig. but whatever.
i had just taken the bars off the windows here at the house. the other drunken night i was out fron looking at them, had a tape measure in my back pocket and started a thinkin.
the next day i got my welder...had the day off from work and then got to work...

started cutting off the finials, and got a rough shape for the bottom.
cut a few more pieces and tacked them in...jesus the arc welder works good...

i was then digging through my spare parts and junk bin at the house and found some angle iron...buzz buzz buzz

it definitely aint know work of art, but it is funtional. i ground down the welds and painted it black.

not bad for a first try. having a harbor freight and northern tool around the corner was a big help.
tonight i am going to figure out how to attach it to the fiberglass. i already have somemore steel bar 2' and i think i will use that inside in 6 places to secure the top with some silicone, grommets, and grade 5 u bolts.
at some point i think i may find some roof racks to put it on. but in the meantime, this ought to work just fine.

 

[ToddACimer]

Not bad. What are you doing for mounts?

 

[95_G&W_XLT]

Can't beat the price of removing it from your house. Looks good to me.:thumbup

 

[badass1tonf100]

looks good man

 

[9bronco0]

Man I really like that. Ingenius!!

 

[BroncoSka]

i am going to tap the roof and put six 2"x4" steel straps under the roof (inside) and use some grade 5 ubolts. give that a try and see how it goes. i am not too interested in getting some roof racks. the holes that i put in the fiberglass are going to be supported by 3/8 tubing, and then silicone around them to keep from leaking (fingers crossed, all puckered up).
see how it goes.
this is an experiment really. i am testing my new welder and my fabricating skills while i am waiting for my new oil pump to arrive for the manual xfercase swap that i am doing.
i have time to kill and some projects that i want to try and do myself.

 

[BroncoSka]

i flipped it upside down and jump up and down on it a few times and it held up fine. i also dropped it when i was putting it up on the truck tonight. whoops.
the bar is really thick, and solid. not hollow at all. and the angle iron is i think 1/8", i was amazed that it was still square after that.
go figure.

forgot to add that above.
cheers,

 

[claybokid]

hey broncoska

not sure if you have mounted your roof rack yet.....but just wanted to let you know that mounting to the fiberglass worked great for me. I just stayed on the rounded edges...where it's much thicker. I have my 32x11.50 spare tire and high lift jack up there...plus the rack probably weighs 50 lbs....and I only have one 3\8 bolt at each corner....and it's solid as can be....I used 1\4 inch plates at the 4 corners..on the exterior...and just contoured them to the rounded edge....take care

 

[90Beater]

That came out looking pretty good. Nice :thumbup

 

[TTBlows]

so i just got a arc welder. meanwhile i barely know how to mig. but whatever.

That's not a problem, that's the best way to do it - stick first, then MIG is a walk in the park.

 

[85bronc]

ur a savage dude thats tight