DIY - UNISTRUT ROOF RACK - EASY INSTALL - VW CRAFTER CONVERSION - EP. 16

Welcome to my channel :)
My name is Richie Ros an Irish Singer Songwriter.
I've purchased a VW crafter van, that I will be converting into a tiny house - tour bus and touring throughout the world.
I'm converting a Vw Crafter 2013 ex DHL delivery van into a tour bus/home on wheels.
In episode 15 of the tour bus build I install unistrut for the solar panels to attach to. In the next episode I will instal and attach 3 x 160 watt solar panels to the unistrut.
If you have any questions please leave them in the comments section below.
Thanks For Watching :)
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LETS CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram - / richierosmu. .
FB - / richierosoff. .
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ORIGINAL MUSIC
Download "Odyssey" on iTunes - apple.co/1LigEDF
Listen on Spotify - spoti.fi/2Hzrgkv
Listen - www.richieros.com
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MERCH STORE
Merch - www.richieros.com/new-page-1
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SONGS IN Ep. 2
Artists -
INOSSI - Sunset Eyes
Atch - Over You
Dayfox - Lioness
Lyne - Tribes
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GEAR USED
Canon SL2 amzn.to/35BKV0W
Mini Tripod amzn.to/3khCpbE
Camera Tripod amzn.to/32yLVRQ
Weebill S amzn.to/3hCl5fz
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Products Used
Truma Ultrastore - bit.ly/39vRenb
240v 16A Hook Up Socket - amzn.to/3rfPJ4H
240v Hook Up Cable - amzn.to/34xwTMO
Mains Hook Up Adapter lead socket - amzn.to/38pUPCQ
Pocket holes Jig (For screwing frame together) - amzn.to/3eOPl7c
MaxxAir Fan amzn.to/3kSWE08
Sikaflex - amzn.to/2Jd43t9
File Second Cut - amzn.to/2J6c5DX
Mastic/Butyl Tape - amzn.to/2J6c5DX
Jig Saw - amzn.to/3ocsJlp
Jigsaw blade - amzn.to/3odgNjE
Hammerite - amzn.to/37qjNDi
File - amzn.to/34cNK7A
Super Foil Vapour Barrier - amzn.to/34al265
Thermal foil - amzn.to/2SfeKga
Stanely Blade - amzn.to/33gG9ED
Disclaimer - I use affiliate links from which I earn a small percentage at no extra cost to yourself.
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Please consider supporting the channel by donating or making a purchase from my online store.
www.richieros.com/new-page-1
paypal.me/richieros?locale.x=...

[@fedup3449]

The colour theme for the van is black and yellow because the van is yellow and the trim is black. Priceless!😂

[@T8RTU]

An excellent solution to provide a low profile roof rack for your solar panels. Best thing is it’s an economical too! Great job 👏

[@RichieRos]

Thanks Andrew!

[@lift_play_boogie]

Amazing video. Super helpful.

[@christycullen2585]

Great job Richie and great video keep them coming

[@RichieRos]

Thanks ;)

[@garrethsmith9954]

Thanks for making a video on this, gonna do a similar job on my t4. Cheers from County Kerry.

[@RichieRos]

Glad it helped

[@Dg_Longboards]

Legend dude, solved me a few problems 🙏 thank you

[@RichieRos]

Great 👍

[@OverlandOne]

Nice job.

[@alant2419]

Neatly done

[@RichieRos]

Thanks

[@joshfitzpatrickremovals5155]

Great video, really helpful!

[@RichieRos]

Glad it was helpful!

Buen vídeo, enhorabuena gracias.

[@airlinephoto]

This is identical to what im going to do. Fantastic work on your van mate. Great job 👏

[@RichieRos]

Thanks 👍

[@piz83]

RIvnuts are also a good option for others that might leave fitting their rails until near the end of their build (me!) when they can't get access to the roof from inside to secure bolts (without difficulty).

[@RichieRos]

Rivnuts Rock :)

[@robertshephard8877]

Top man

[@jperzzon]

Super helplful, thank you!

[@RichieRos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fergspan5727]

Nice one lad

[@RichieRos]

Thanks

[@zx10rmac84]

Great result that R, 🍻lad.

[@RichieRos]

Thanks 👍

[@AislingFitzGibbon]

Well done :)

[@javedakbar7962]

super

[@RichieRos]

Thank you

[@matthoward1174]

I used black Plasti-Dip spray on my uni strut. Been a little over 2 years, and holding up well.

[@GreatUncleBuck]

Great Job. Thanks. Have you considered using plumbers tape "Thread seal tape" to seal the bolts?

[@RichieRos]

Thanks! Never thought of using the plumbers tape. I decided to use the sikaflex because it would seal it from leaking but also strengthened it and keep everything secured together.

[@mamatuja]

And the gate in your backyard also does it's job.😂😅😅

[@RichieRos]

A grand job it does ✌️

[@goldenridge1]

Go CUBS!

[@RichieRos]

CUBS all the way ;)

[@benrowe681]

Hello great video ! Can you remember what size bolts you used please

[@RichieRos]

Thanks! If I remember correctly I mentioned the size bolt I used in the video.

[@Outlander1963UK]

Hi, Did you use the 1.6 light duty unistrut or the 2.5 heavy duty.

[@koiman1131]

Great job the reason you are best to paint unistrut because all that white crap comes off it and runs down the side of your van when it rains

[@RichieRos]

Thanks 👍

[@paulmcdermott859]

Hi nice neat job. did you source the unistrut and accessories used in the solar panel install locally (in Ireland)? Thanks.

[@RichieRos]

I got the unistrut locally in Ireland. Try any large electrical wholesalers and they should have it. I got the L brackets, washers and bolts in a hardware store and the rivet nut tool from Amazon. The link should be in the video description:)

[@paulg8524]

Hi, great vid, what length bolt did you use and is there anything you would do different, about to takle this job myself

[@RichieRos]

Thanks Paul. I think the bolt lengths were 30 mil. But to be sure, you could measure the height of the rivet nut, the thickness of the two washers and the unistrut. What I did, was a dry fit of one of the bolts prior to securing everything down. There’s nothing I’d do differently, just take your time and you will have no problems. Also make sure that you practice drilling out the hole for the M8 rivet nut on a scrap piece of metal ( if you can). You don’t want to drill the holes too big for the rivet nut. Hope that helps. Best of luck.

[@paulus47]

did you use stainless steel bolts? they do not get rusty, good job looks nice , and the unistrut painted black awesome !

[@RichieRos]

I used just regular bolts. The bolts have not rusted so far but I thinks that's because of the sikaflex surrounding the bolts. I would probably use stainless steel bolts if I was to do it again.

[@erniemartin2712]

Awesome video! Do you think this would work with the factory Mercedes t-track rails? Need to mount roof rails but the inside of the van is already finished off so don't have access to the underside so need to use rivets. just not sure if it would support the weight of a roof rack system. would be using with a kayak.

[@RichieRos]

It should work!

[@GaryThomsonJoinery]

I just subbed to you Richie 👍😄

[@RichieRos]

Thanks

[@MarkFugel]

can you tell me what rivet tool an rivets you used Richie...beautiful job!!

[@RichieRos]

In the description is a link to rivet nut tool I used. I used M8 rivets :)

[@martineedixhoven3389]

Hi Richie, thank you so muchhh for sharing your experience. Next week I will attach my unistruts as well to the roof and wanted to do it with rivernuts as well but I was afraid that it wouldn't be absolutely water proof. You didn't have any leaking until now? And what kind of sikaflex????

[@martineedixhoven3389]

I do read now that you didn't have any leakage so far so yeah thanks!!

[@RichieRos]

No leaks, Use lots of sikaflex. The sikaflex I used for the van build is in the description of the video. glad you found it helpful. Best of luck with the build.

[@wapaic]

Nice job but not sure I'd use rivnuts for this! I'd rather bolt through with washers to spread the load (assuming you have internal access to the roof)

[@RichieRos]

That’s also another way you could do it!

[@wapaic]

@@RichieRos many ways to skin those cats👍

[@RichieRos]

@@wapaic absolutely 😉

[@antonylowe1654]

Hi Richie, thanks for the video, it's very helpful! I'm going to fit unistrut to my VW Crafter. I've got two lengths, 3m each. How many rivnuts did you put in each side of your van to make the rail secure? Thanks!

[@RichieRos]

Glad you found it helpful :) I used 5 - 6 rivnuts on either side. Use as many as you can and lots of sikaflex 👍

[@antonylowe1654]

Thanks for the reply Richie! I'm on it! How are your roof rails holding up so far by the way? Do they cope well with speed bumps and potholes,, etc? Cheers.

[@RichieRos]

@@antonylowe1654 roof rails are still on the roof no issues with speed bumps or pot holes!

[@WrathOfVaz]

Hi Richie, could you explain a little about why you used rivet nut rather than just using nut+bolt+washer? Thank you :-)

[@RichieRos]

Using nut, bolts and washers wasn’t an option for me because I already had the interior completed.

[@BallygarvanGAA]

Hi Ritchie. I saw r This a while back and very well demonstrated. I’m only just ready to install my unistrut and just wondered how they are holding up. Any leaks or vibration from the installation ? Thanks. Ted

[@RichieRos]

No issues whatsoever! Just take your time and use as many rivnuts/bolts as you can. Also use lots of sikaflex. Best of luck with the install!

[@BallygarvanGAA]

@@RichieRos Thanks very much for coming back to me on that Richie. I have followed Greg Virgoe for most of the build but he used sikaflex and self tapping screws straight through the roof rather than fitting rivnuts. Your option looks more secure I think. Hope you are enjoying the van.

[@NicholasCali]

Does this work on fiat ducato or do i have to drill the holes anyways?

[@RichieRos]

Not sure if the holes are also on the Fiat Ducato. If not you could just drill them. Make sure to practice drilling the holes first on a scrap piece of sheet metal so that you don't make the hole too big on the roof!

[@Deepfake820]

Are smaller rivet nuts an option instead of drilling a larger hole?

[@RichieRos]

No you need a minimum M8 bolt to secure the unistrut to the roof. Hope that helps

[@mccannsn]

I'm looking at doing this on my crafter, to mount a roof tent. Are these rivnuts strong and reliable enough to take that weight? Thanks.

[@RichieRos]

What type of roof tent. There was a fair bit of weight on those three solar panels and there still on the roof. 👍

[@mccannsn]

Tentbox lite XL. Just worried the load. I'm probably being paranoid lol

[@wingaard]

glazing rubber strip under the Uni-strut?

[@RichieRos]

No rubber strip, just straight on!

[@hazelorned]

Hey Richie, how come you used M8? Is there an official requirement for that size or just a personal preference?

[@RichieRos]

No official requirement :) The M8 bolt just fitted nicely through the unistrut slots. Maybe you could also use M10 once it fits through the unistrut. The M6 would probably be too small. I’ve got three big solar panels attached to the unistrut so I went with the M8. Hope that helps!

[@hazelorned]

@@RichieRos Cheers Richie for the reply. I'm a little loathe to widen the existing holes in the roof. Haven't decided my solar or roof rack setup yet but we definitely keep your comments in mind. Thanks a mil. Great video!

[@churchrobert73]

Hi, what size rivnut did you use

[@RichieRos]

M8

[@pauldick516]

for a proper, no spin, not come loose installation of a riv nut, the insert should be a push fit into the hole.....as metric drills are available in 0.1mm increments this shouldnt be a problem........all the lose and spinning ones come from improper installation

[@jls2205]

How to attach crossbars to the rails?

[@rowerwet]

More unistrut and bolts and nuts. There are specific spring nuts sold for unistrut or you could get creative with large washers and standard bolts and nuts from the hardware aisle.

[@jerichobaker5106]

The amount of times you said spray killed my anxiety…

[@CraigSNZ]

Try to say it once to keep the video short

[@moderngunguy3666]

So you don't have to worry about leaking

[@RichieRos]

No Leaking! Make sure to use lots of Sikaflex.

[@moderngunguy3666]

@@RichieRos oh okay because I see a lot of people install these without any kind of sealant

[@droppindeuces6981]

The background music is too loud compared to your narrative. I was continuously having to adjust the volume because of it. ANNOYING!

[@RichieRos]

Thanks for your feedback :) I've adjusted the volume of the back round music for the other videos.