So, after much debate i bit the bullet. This past weekend the pick n pull had 40% off body parts so i went out and snagged a roof rack off a 97 explorer. The choice for the 97 one is merely personal, it sits a little smoother on my 99 ranger. I took several measurements and all explorers from early to 90's til early 2000's. they all measure 42 inches wide. the length obviously needs to be shortened. on my 99 ranger 4 door 4wd the length i cut the rails to was 38 inches. 2 doors and such will have to do your own measurements for length. once youve cut the length down to where you want it to be you need to center it. i made mine 2.5 in from the windshield and 2.75 from the rubber rain gutter section. i marked mine off with blue tape where the rails were suppose to lay. attaching the rails is the difficult question. i opted to drill thru the roof and attach that way. I used 6mm (stock size) sized thread flat head bolts attached with lock washers and lock nuts. Took a good afternoons worth of work to do. I advise figuring out how you plan on attaching this before you start. i knew i was going to bolt it but had to go to several different places to get the stuff i needed. napa has everything in stock that you need as far as bolts and hardware. i also siliconed a bit under the rails where the bolts went thru and inside the cab as well. Pictures posted. Please feel free to leave comments or questions. This was easily the cheapest and easiest way to go if you want a stock, good looking rack on your track.




lotta length extra


the explorer roof is bit more flat than our rangers. the rail does form when bolted down.


looks pretty stock, oh wait cuz its OEM

 

do you have any closeup pics of it finished?

looks like the front sticks up some still


Looks good though


How about a side shot?

 

i came in to eat dinner and it got dark quick. i still have a few things to tighten up but its dark to take pics right now. will get some tomorrow. there is no gap anywhere once it is bolted down.

 

more finish pics please? thanks

 

I definately like the idea.

 

I'm digging this idea as well

 

why

 

why what?



its cheaper then buying aftermarket roof rails, and you can attach ski and bike mounts

 

but you have a bed with a Ranger.......why can't you put the stuff in the bed

 

i do a lot of camping and am making a move across country from norcal to my OG home of cleveland ohio soon as well. i am getting a roof basket to place extra stuff in and needed a way to attach it. this was the most cost effective, easiest, and OEM looking way to do it. these racks are low enough that they dont look bulky on the top of our smaller trucks. my goal for this truck and the exact reason i bought it was to have a daily driven luxory type truck (mine has power everything, auto, REALLY good sound system, gps coming soon etc) but still have the ability to jump into a mud pit if i see a nice one on the side of the road. it sits on 33's, grill guard, side steps, 4X4, tow package front and rear, blocks in rear, tbars up in front, upgrading the shocks soon. this is a rather versatile truck for me.

 

looks awesome. i wanted to do that as my bike rack but couldnt find one around that time

 

the front lifts up a little, could have cut it a bit shorter but for my purposes need the extra two inches. i like it. what you think?

 

looks good, nice work.

 

yea, looks good

 

sweet, nicely done

 

damn that looks nice.. is it mounted out enough not to bow the roof?

 

Looks really good, I'm with Stone though, make sure to check when you have the basket that its not messing up the roof.

 

i know im digging up a super old thread but how the hell did you mount thing thing did you? did you take your head liner down and put extra plates under it or what?

 

If you read the first post he clearly said he just used bolts and drilled threw the roof yes the headliner would need to be removed for install

 

I was going to call you an @sshole but now i know who you were replying to lmao

 

Dang, cool old thread! And Downey, just got owned. Even better!

 

sry i missed that i did bring this thread up at 3am last night

 

This was actually a cool ZOMBIE thread. Neat idea on the roof rack, and I'm always a fan of reading the e-thug comments. LMAO

 

The funny thing is that Downey is normally the e-thug. Guess this time he got a taste of his own medicine.

 

Does anyone have pictures of this how-to?