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Topic: Safari Rack Installed!! (pics)

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01XJ
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Safari Rack Installed!! (pics)
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I thought I would do a little write up on how the project is going in case anyone wants to build something like this for themselves.

The first thing I did was contact my buddy Jason. He is an excellent welder. In fact, he does it for a living.

For materials I decided to go with 16 gauge 3/4" square steel tubing. I think it is a good balance between strength and weight. It will all be TIG welded for obvious reasons

I printed out a template to scale at work so we wouldn't have to waste time measuring everything. So far, it has worked out great.



We layed out a temporary jig to keep everything squared up.

The corners were radiused with a tube bender. The perimeter of the rack was in a few pieces so it was slugged and pin welded for strength.

Next the floor rails were cut to size and ground for a nice fit. Then they were welded in.



The floor is now complete and it fits nicely on the Jeep.



Hopefully we can keep rolling on it and get it finished up pretty quickly. I will be adding to this post as progress continues.



-- Edited by 01XJ at 19:16, 2006-02-11

-- Edited by 01XJ at 20:57, 2006-02-17

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2001 Cherokee Sport -- 40k -- 4x4 -- 4.0 HO -- AW4 -- D30 -- 8.25 -- OME 930 coils -- Rusty's full length 2" AAL -- Sensatracs -- 30x9.5 on Jeep Grizzlys -- Homebrew Safari Rack

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joe2feathers
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RE: Safari Rack Build
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everyone and their dang  fun toys   i want to fab  dang it ...  make me one to

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xjjeepthing
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Looks good now GIT-R-DONE so we see the finished project

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RuffedupXJ
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Looks good man did you gett your gutter mounts yet?  I still havent found any places with them cheap. And i am havin trouble finding them

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88' Red XJ - 5" Custom lift, 35x12.5 BFG MT's on Black Rockcrawlers, Rusty's TrackBar, Custom Bumpers and Roof Rack, Tube Doors, Homebrewed OBA, Trimmed Fenders, No sways, Bedliner on Rockers


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01XJ
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Yes, I got my gutter mounts. No, they weren't cheap. I searched and searched and couldn't find any that were cheap. The best deals I found were used Thules on ebay. I didn't  want to go with that style.


I ended up getting 6 Con-Ferr Bulldog Clamps from offroadunlimited.com. You would have to call them because they aren't listed on the web site yet. They way I hear it, they bought out Con-Ferr. Anyway, they are around $20.00 a piece depending on how many you buy. Not exactly cheap. I have twice the money in the mounts as I do in the whole rack.


I also checked with Rocky Road Outfitters. They sell Garvin racks. They told me they could order the mounts individually but I never got a price from them. You could check with them.


That's about all I can offer. I will let you know what I think of the Bulldog Clamps when I get them. Good Luck!



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2001 Cherokee Sport -- 40k -- 4x4 -- 4.0 HO -- AW4 -- D30 -- 8.25 -- OME 930 coils -- Rusty's full length 2" AAL -- Sensatracs -- 30x9.5 on Jeep Grizzlys -- Homebrew Safari Rack

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RuffedupXJ
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Thanks for the info. I ended up ordring some from Summit that are surco.  I talked  to a couple of guys on Jeepforum.  How tall are you going to go and are you mounting your spare up there? AlsoYou have plans for light tabs and High Lift mounts?

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88' Red XJ - 5" Custom lift, 35x12.5 BFG MT's on Black Rockcrawlers, Rusty's TrackBar, Custom Bumpers and Roof Rack, Tube Doors, Homebrewed OBA, Trimmed Fenders, No sways, Bedliner on Rockers


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01XJ
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I checked into the Surco mounts also. They weren't quite right for my project. I wanted something with a flat plate that I could bolt to my homemade cross bars. The Bulldogs fit the bill (and it was a big bill).


I am not sure on height yet. My mounts are adjustable though. I plan on keeping it pretty low with just enough clearance to clean under it.


I am putting 4 lights up front and 2 out back. As for other mounts, I am not going to put any on as of right now. I don't plan on running a spare up there for the time being. I will probably add them in the future. Who knows, I could change my mind before it's all said and done.



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2001 Cherokee Sport -- 40k -- 4x4 -- 4.0 HO -- AW4 -- D30 -- 8.25 -- OME 930 coils -- Rusty's full length 2" AAL -- Sensatracs -- 30x9.5 on Jeep Grizzlys -- Homebrew Safari Rack

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01XJ
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This just in...

My gutter mounts, that is. Let me just say, WOW! I know why they cost so much now! I know feel like they are worth the money. They are made of solid 3/16" plate steel. They are about 4.5" wide. Man, these things are beefy! Just the mounts weigh in at 14 pounds! I was expecting them to be nice, but these are crazily overbuilt, and I like that. I was worried that the mounts would be the weak point. Not so much, now.

The pic has one of my 6" rack lights in it for size comparison.



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2001 Cherokee Sport -- 40k -- 4x4 -- 4.0 HO -- AW4 -- D30 -- 8.25 -- OME 930 coils -- Rusty's full length 2" AAL -- Sensatracs -- 30x9.5 on Jeep Grizzlys -- Homebrew Safari Rack

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RuffedupXJ
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Did you get her finished. I got mine mounted and placed lights on to make sure i liked the look.  I got the tire up and the mount where i want them. Now i just have to get some more tubing to finish the top sides. I ened up buying surco mounts to mount to my gutters since my roof rack is messed up. I can post some pics and I can get some of my tire mount


 



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88' Red XJ - 5" Custom lift, 35x12.5 BFG MT's on Black Rockcrawlers, Rusty's TrackBar, Custom Bumpers and Roof Rack, Tube Doors, Homebrewed OBA, Trimmed Fenders, No sways, Bedliner on Rockers


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01XJ
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Well ORU screwed up and shipped me the wrong gutter mounts. That has delayed me in finishing it. I let them know I was displeased. They sent me the right ones. I was supposed to get them today, but UPS messed up the shipment. I also let them know I was displeased. They are taking responsibility and having it shipped to me overnight with Saturday delivery.


I plan on having all of the fab done tomorrow. Unfortunately, it has been sitting to long. It has formed a nice skim of rust on it. Now I will have to have that all cleaned up before I can put a finish on it.


Oh well, that' how projects go sometimes. I will post more pics tomorrow.



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2001 Cherokee Sport -- 40k -- 4x4 -- 4.0 HO -- AW4 -- D30 -- 8.25 -- OME 930 coils -- Rusty's full length 2" AAL -- Sensatracs -- 30x9.5 on Jeep Grizzlys -- Homebrew Safari Rack

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RuffedupXJ
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Yeha i know what ya mean about the rust.  Mine has done it too and i wanna see it on top.  What you paintin it with? Bedliner or just black

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88' Red XJ - 5" Custom lift, 35x12.5 BFG MT's on Black Rockcrawlers, Rusty's TrackBar, Custom Bumpers and Roof Rack, Tube Doors, Homebrewed OBA, Trimmed Fenders, No sways, Bedliner on Rockers


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Detour
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Looks nice!!

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01XJ
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Okay guys, here is an update.

We finished all of the welding today. Here is the basket in its final form. The cross rails weren't attached yet.



After a mess up with the gutter mounts, I finally got everything I needed to test fit the rack to the Jeep. Everything went well. I mounted two of the lights just for the fun of it. I have two more to put up front. I also have two for the rear.

Here is a pic with the rack mounted.



Next up will be rust removal and putting a finish on it.

More to come...

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2001 Cherokee Sport -- 40k -- 4x4 -- 4.0 HO -- AW4 -- D30 -- 8.25 -- OME 930 coils -- Rusty's full length 2" AAL -- Sensatracs -- 30x9.5 on Jeep Grizzlys -- Homebrew Safari Rack

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xjjeepthing
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RE: Safari Rack Build (UPDATED)
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Niiiiiiiice, Jason does some good work.LOL

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If guns kill people, then I can blame misspelled words on my pencil" - Larry The Cable Guy GIT-R-DONE

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LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW
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Looks good Marc! I really like the slant front design.

Just a tip (if you havn't thought of it already); put some felt or weather stripping on those gutter mounts where the clamp onto the body, it will save your paint!

-- Edited by Lead_Not_Follow at 11:54, 2006-02-12

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'93 XJ Cherokee Sport - build thread
'89 XJ Cherokee Laredo - build thread
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