Installing a DIY Roof Rack on our Ford Transit | Van Build Series (Ep. 3)

We're continuing our van build series! In this episode, we install a DIY roof rack using Unistrut/Superstrut. We found that roof racks are pretty expensive ($1,000+), so Aaron bought parts separately and put together our own roof rack to save some money. If you find this video helpful/entertaining, please let us know by liking it and leaving us a comment :)
We plan to mount our solar panels in our NEXT episode of our #vanbuild series, so stay tuned and subscribe to our channel. Thanks for supporting us!
Chapters:
0:00: Intro
0:45: What we're doing today
1:07: Prepping and painting unistruts
2:32: Up on the roof - taking measurements
3:28: Cutting unistruts in the workshop
5:00: Overview of DIYVans mounting brackets
5:55: Roof - mounting locations
11:19: Next day - line up mounted brackets and rail
14:00: Surprise appearance from Bailey
14:23: Taking measurements/lining up slots and brackets
15:23: Measurements/what needs to be cut
16:38: Test fitting
17:54: Connecting bracket and rail
19:00: Gluing on mounted brackets & final install
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Follow us on IG: itstimetocrunch ( / itstimetocrunch )
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Our Amazon Van Conversion Product List: www.amazon.com...
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Products we used in this video:
-(3) Unistrut (10 ft) (1 will be used for the cross arms)
-(8) DIYVAN Ford Transit HR Roof Mount Brackets (diyvan.com/pro...)
-Rust-Oleum Spray Paint, Self-Etching Primer (amzn.to/47CeBrf)
-Rust-Oleum Spray Paint, Flat Black (amzn.to/3Hj2LYo)
-Dicor Self Leveling Sealant (501LSW) (amzn.to/3U01Xz8)
- Full disclosure: if you click on the Amazon links above and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will only ever recommend products we actually use. Thanks for supporting us!
Music: www.bensound.com

[@Happyfeet3]

I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!!! i plan to start my van life adventure 1 day and im glad i saw your video. GOOD LUUUCK 👍🏾

[@itstimetocrunch]

Thank you!! You can do it too! 🙌

[@ryankim3612]

I am really liking the use of Uni strut. I think I’m gonna do that same thing on my roof. It’s bomber and I get to build up myself. I like that stuff. Thank you for the demonstration.

[@itstimetocrunch]

We have been loving it so far! As with most things it feels so much more rewarding to DIY it than just buying something

[@64CSAR]

Try flipping the bolt and putting the nut on the bottom of the rail. If the nut ever gets loose and comes off the bolt would at least keep the rail from coming off.

[@itstimetocrunch]

Good observation! That hardware was included in the roof rack kit (we were initially planning for 8020) and i didn’t have alternatives on hand. I went from the bottom up because the carriage bolts have a square neck and wouldn’t fit the slotted strut without some modification and a washer. I did consider that risk though and thought we’d be okay with the number of bolts fastening them and some thread locker! -Aaron

[@64CSAR]

@@itstimetocrunch Gotcha! Maybe locktite? Either way it’s a solid build!🤘🏽

[@tokkyor]

Dude thank you! Im in France and yeah all roofrack are so fucking expensive for juste some metal parts its crazy... You give me a lot of idea, thx! Just a request, the Roof Mount Brackets you linked are unavailable :( .. Do you have a new link ?

[@itstimetocrunch]

Thanks for pointing that out! We’ve updated the link in the description. These are still on the expensive side, but they are well worth it.

[@gregdandeneau291]

Excellent! Where did you get the brackets?

[@itstimetocrunch]

We got ours from DIYVan. A little expensive, but was nice for an all in one kit. Had we not gone this route, we would’ve done 2” square aluminum, with some sort of pad to level out the 5 degree curve of the van.

[@ocolau55]

Hi! Did you use the 12g or 14g unistrut?

[@itstimetocrunch]

Hi! We used 12g

[@adassociates8235]

What is the base dimension of the roof rack brackets? Thanks for the video👍

[@itstimetocrunch]

Each bracket is around 5”x4” at the base. I don’t have exact dimensions on them though.

[@adassociates8235]

@@itstimetocrunch thank you👍🏻

[@tobiasmenke4890]

Did you use any rubber under the brackets?

[@itstimetocrunch]

Hey, yes we did. The brackets we used came with rubber pads. It’s briefly covered at 5:30!

[@tobiasmenke4890]

@@itstimetocrunch thank you, looking great

[@tobiasmenke4890]

May I ask what size the unistrut is?

[@itstimetocrunch]

We went with 12 gauge 1-5/8in x 10ft half slots from our local hardware store

[@alexcutler8211]

Cross bar vid?

[@itstimetocrunch]

It’s covered in the solar video on our channel!