I know it's stating the obvious, but I will just point out - to fit this rack you will either need to drill holes into your roof or else modify the mounting posts somehow, it's not a straightforward clip on design or anything. Best make that totally clear just in case, although I'm sure you worked that out for yourself.

On the car it came off, it had wire branch... things... whatever they are called... running from the roof rack to some pins on the front wings - you know, to stop branches hitting the windscreen? Anyway, the two circular mounts for those are still on the front of the rack so perhaps useful for attaching things to. Other than that, it's just as you'd imagine - the bars run underneath the chequerplate so you could always remove that too if you didn't want it:

Phiz said:

Well now I've got a dilemma! I've spent half the day thinking through what I want and how it could work, think I've got an idea in my head that'd be pure class and then I come on here... £50 sounds like a very fair price and I am short on time... will discuss with my other half and work out what to do tomorrow! Looks a good size too, a few things I'd probably have done a little differently, though I'd not thought to slope the front edge, bit of perspex on there as a wind deflector might help things along a little too.

I'd spent a while trying to work out how low the front and back would need to be for the boats, based on them going on upside down, as I normally would on flat bars, then I realised that if I mounted them vertically they would be nice and narrow and as they thin front and back they could sit on a rack with bars all the way around to a good height! So I can make (or buy) a badass looking cargo cage and as long as I've got bars in place to fit vertical bars to strap the boats to, like the yellow boat below:

View attachment 180453

Given the length of our current boats we could possibly even just bolt the uprights to the front and rear bars of the roof rack!

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Phiz seen the rack it's a purler. Just add a couple tubes welded to the inside as below then drop in the cradle supports done !

northernchap said:

I know it's stating the obvious, but I will just point out - to fit this rack you will either need to drill holes into your roof or else modify the mounting posts somehow, it's not a straightforward clip on design or anything. Best make that totally clear just in case, although I'm sure you worked that out for yourself.

On the car it came off, it had wire branch... things... whatever they are called... running from the roof rack to some pins on the front wings - you know, to stop branches hitting the windscreen? Anyway, the two circular mounts for those are still on the front of the rack so perhaps useful for attaching things to. Other than that, it's just as you'd imagine - the bars run underneath the chequerplate so you could always remove that too if you didn't want it:

Click to expand...

Yeah clearly this is one of those times I should be sensible, once I've factored in materials and paint it'd cost me £50 to make one and that's before time even comes in to it! Northernchap, I'll take it . Given you're only the other side of the hills I guess if we can arrange a time I'll pop over and collect it, obviously not in the Panda as it'll never fit!

Even though this differs a bit from my ideal there is no reason I can't make my own at a later date, by which point having had this one on for a while might well give me more ideas as to exactly what I want. Just need to make sure if and when I do the mounting points remain the same.

Even 2 vertical bars with hoops at the top should do for my boats SJ, they are plastic and pretty tough so not the end of the world if they're sat on a steel bar, plus a bit of pipe insulation will soften it off too.

Guess this means once I've cleaned it up and mounted it I can get on with the rest of my Panda to do list... though I'll need to get on with the rust on the roof sharpish.

Whereabouts in Manchester are you? I've got family in Hyde and in Didsbury so I'm often over that way, plus I have a cavernous estate car so might be able to drop it off if that helps. Otherwise yeah, you're welcome to come over to the dark side of the Pennines!

northernchap said:

Whereabouts in Manchester are you? I've got family in Hyde and in Didsbury so I'm often over that way, plus I have a cavernous estate car so might be able to drop it off if that helps. Otherwise yeah, you're welcome to come over to the dark side of the Pennines!

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That would be brilliant if you can, our workshop is in Failsworth (M35), we also have a cavernous estate car so if not no worries I'm sure I can plan a day out over the hills.

Phiz said:

That would be brilliant if you can, our workshop is in Failsworth (M35), we also have a cavernous estate car so if not no worries I'm sure I can plan a day out over the hills.

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Phiz do you want the carries bending up?

Sjvarley said:

Phiz do you want the carries bending up?

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Not sure yet, might just keep it simple, I think I'll get the rack first and have a look at how the boats would fit on it and go from there.

Thanks for your offer of assistance generally on this one, who knows in a year or two might still take you up on it and make an amazing rack for it! Though that bender is a nice piece of kit, may even have to get myself one some day .

I just read your car thread, noticed you mentioned at one point that you might want a set of arch liners - I have one of those too if you're still looking. Took them off mine and never bothered to put them back on, lol. Think they're basically sound from memory but I'd double check if you were keen.

northernchap said:

I just read your car thread, noticed you mentioned at one point that you might want a set of arch liners - I have one of those too if you're still looking. Took them off mine and never bothered to put them back on, lol. Think they're basically sound from memory but I'd double check if you were keen.

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Not the biggest of priorities but would be nice! Aquamarine did message me and said he could sort me out with one to use as a template for a pair but I've not got round to sorting it yet. How much would you want for the pair? It is just the rear ones I need.

Cheers

Phiz

So thanks to Northern Chap who kindly dropped in on his way to pick up his sister for a wedding (hope it went well and didn't rain as much there as it did here!!) I now have both a roof rack and a set of wheel arch liners.

Roof rack is a little agricultural and could do with a lick of paint but it's good and strong, I'll probably have to take the volvo to the kayaking trip next weekend as I'll not have chance to sort it but I'll then have plenty of time to sort it for transportation of Kayaks to Scotland end of June.

I had a little play about in the workshop just to see how things might fit on it for road trip purposes...


Was considering cutting it and widening it by about 10cm so that two wheels could sit next to each other side by side, moving the chequer plate to cover the back half but then I figured really I should just get this one on the car and then I've got plenty of time to make a custom one to size. Plus I've only currently got one spare anyway and for planned trips so far thats probably all I'll need... though if anyone has an old steel rim kicking around???

So short term for the current rack I need to weld mounting plates on the front and back rails for the kayaks and maybe fixing points for one or two spare wheels so they can be bolted and potentially padlocked on! Only issue here is I would need to either bolt through the chequer plate or cut holes in it, depending on how I choose to do it, which seems a shame for what is likely to be a fairly temporary solution.

One thing that works well though is the height of the side rails. The hinges on the larger pelicases sit just above it. My original plan for security was to have a bar which hooks under the rail on one side of the rack and then padlocks on to the other, pinning 2 cases in side by side, though with the way the spare wheels fit I can't get 2 cases of the same depth side by side anyway so will have to rethink. Might well put some attaching points on the chequer plate to lock the cases to somehow, suggestions welcome there!


I'll continue this tale on my car specific thread, along with an alternator swap and a little bit (but not too much) info on my immobiliser ideas. All this early June (fingers crossed) in time for the Scotland trip! Wheel arch liners will wait a little longer as I want to really thoroughly clean and underseal the car before fitting them.

Thanks again Northern Chap, pity it was such a flying visit, sure I'll see you about on Panda based adventures. Class Citroen by the way.

the boot of my old C2 had the very things which could be made up/bought off the shelf really easily, bolted through the chequer plate. bungee cord/rope/chain to tie over the cases (think like the fuel tank straps) would be my suggestion but really depends what you are going for.

I was thinking a bar with a hook on one end I could hook under the rail on one side and then padlock the other end of the bar to the rail on the otherside but I'll have to rethink now I'm not going to have two cases side by side, full width of the rack. What ever I go for I want to be removeable so when I'm carrying Kayaks nothing will get in the way. Also got a bit of a plan for storage in the space under the bonnet freed up by not having a spare wheel in there .