Roof rack for AE92? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Gavinator1192 · 06-10-2010, 01:55 AM

Hey i was wondering if i got just the basic yakima roof rack if it would fit on my AE92.
If anyone has any pics of one with a rack it would be appreciated!

bcp477 · 06-10-2010, 06:22 AM

Even though, technically, the car doesn't really have rain gutters, you still need to use the old-style 1A towers. Yakima does have clips for the Q towers for the AE92....but they do not fit well at all...and I don't recommend wasting your time and money with them.

I finally, dissatisfied with both tower systems on this particular car, just made my own permanent-mount towers....and use these with the Yakima cross bars and accessories. But, you can get the 1A towers to work....if you spend the time and effort to get them adjusted just right.

Gavinator1192 · 06-10-2010, 05:35 PM

kk good to know.
can You put a picture of yours up? if i said pleasse

bcp477 · 06-10-2010, 07:55 PM

Ok. Mine is nothing special, but I'll shoot a couple of photos and post them tomorrow.

***SCT*** · 06-10-2010, 11:30 PM

I've actually been thinking of making my own roof rack as well. Though my main reason is for looks. But basically get two 48" to 50" bars and custom make the towers to a perfect fit... And make my own front fairing.

Blof-fan · 06-11-2010, 10:25 AM

It's dirty as hell and it's a hatchback. But it is a AE92 with roofracks

Gavinator1192 · 06-11-2010, 10:36 AM

Thanks man that looks sick. love the hatchbacks.
Hey SCT i have no problem making mine however what would you use as the clamping corners?

bcp477 · 06-11-2010, 03:55 PM

You guys see in the first photo of the hatchback AE92 the towers ? They are the type which clamp to the raingutters...as I described before. That is possibly a Thule rack in the photo...but Yakima calls that type of tower the "1A". THAT is the type you need...for a conventional removable rack. NOT the towers with clips...which are more expensive anyway (and not as secure). The reason I say this is that, if you want to create your own rack, towers of that type are available generically....without paying Yakima's or Thule's prices. Check outfits like JCWhitney, etc. You'll find something like that easily. Then, all you need are cross-bars....which can be home-made, if you wish. Some people even use pcs of wood (like 2 x 4's for example) for that purpose. Or, you can use pre-made cross-bars.

I will go out and shoot some pics of my rack (and post them) in a bit....as I am now home from work.

bcp477 · 06-11-2010, 07:01 PM

Well, it seems that I cannot post attachments......I am not a sooper-dooper member. I tried to see if I could post to the gallery....but it won't let me do that, either. Sorry, but I'm not paying $24 just to upload a few photos. Screw the site owners if that is their game.

RogueMoog · 06-11-2010, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcp477

Well, it seems that I cannot post attachments......I am not a sooper-dooper member. I tried to see if I could post to the gallery....but it won't let me do that, either. Sorry, but I'm not paying $24 just to upload a few photos. Screw the site owners if that is their game.

You could upload them to a free hosting site like Photobucket and then post the images here (using the [img] code from each image's page).

Like this:

I wish it had a roof rack! One of my "want list" items along with a tow hitch...

bcp477 · 06-12-2010, 10:12 AM

Thanks for the suggestion. Here are a few pics of my permanent- mount rack. Everything except the bases is Yakima.....parts I already had.

Gavinator1192 · 06-12-2010, 01:07 PM

Hey BCP so the only thing there is when drilling into the roof i get nervous

When you drill doesnt it go through to the bottoom?

***SCT*** · 06-12-2010, 02:07 PM

Nicely done.

Though, I can't drill my car. The roof rack is something I don't want permanent. Also, it'll add to rust chances but I guess you have some sort of silicone around the base?

bcp477 · 06-12-2010, 02:54 PM

The roof has an outer skin and an inner frame. Insulation is fitted in between. Above the headliner is a rigid foam backing (inside of the above). Yes, if you are a dolt you can drill all the way through all of that. I didn't - I was careful. I used a special expanding fastener called a "well nut"....4 per base. These have expanding neoprene sleeves for sealing. Nevertheless, I bedded the works in a high-strength structural epoxy, designed for gluing pcs of metal together. The epoxy is also designed to be a sealant. You probably couldn't pull the rack off the car, even without the well nuts. And yes, the holes are well sealed.

My intention, when I get around to painting the car, is to prime and paint the rack bases either body colour (white)....or black. I haven't decided.

Flashmn · 06-12-2010, 02:56 PM

Thats the first time I heard of installing a ski rack by drilling the car roof that wasnt a 1950's VW bug, sounds like a bad idea. Also having the ski rack on all the time increases wind resistance (actually fair amount) and thus it increases mileage. Also it whistles on high speeds.

Also in that drilling picture, it seems that the roof rack is supported by the skin of the roof, ski racks use the frame channel that goes around the door opening as support, the sheet panel on the roof doesnt have much weight capacity.