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 Post subject: How to: Cheap Kj Roof Rack Cross Bars... A lot of Pics!
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 3:37 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2017 1:40 am
Posts: 4
Hey all, I wanna start off by saying I'm new to this forum and this is my first How to, hope it helps. 05 kj

PARTS:I bought all parts at Lowes for a whopping 27$

1-10ft piece of 1" electrical conduit
4- Brace Rail Clamps 1-3/8" x 1-3/8" ( "T" clamps in the chain link fence section)
1- Old or new bike intertube ( I used a 20" intertube)
1- Can of spray-on Bedliner ( I used Rust-Oleum truck bed coating 15oz)
1- Hacksaw,chopsaw,sawsall something to cut conduit
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Start by measuring you roof rack, the front should be wider than the rear. Then take 2" off for the spacing of the clamps.

My cuts where: Front 39" , Rear 37"

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After there cut I cleaned the edges and scuffed up the rails with a wire brush. Just so the Bedliner has a better surface to build up on. The clamps are Galvinised so paint won't stick, which is a good reason to go with the spray on Bedliner, but we will get there.

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Now take your cut rails and Clamps and do a test fit to make sure it fits how you want. As you will see the rails sit very close to the roof of the jeep. Some might like it if your wanting a very low profile. Me personally wanted to raise it a bit. In the picture mine are already bent I didn't take a picture of them before I bent them.

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Now for the bending process, many people will say my way is Crude and it is! If you go to a shop or have a buddy with a pipe bender they will most likely do it for free. But it was Sunday and I was confident in the way I did it and it came out fine. I removed the handle from my floor jack and drew a line straight down the pipe and made a mark on the Jack.

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Then I lined up the lines and aplied force torwards me until I got the bend I wanted. Flipped and did the same for the other side making sure the marks where lined up.

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Then after that, go and install them on again and make sure your bends are not to much and everything fits how you like it before you paint it. The bends you want is about 1/2" on each side. Then when you have it how you like it, remove and get ready to paint.

Lay everything out to be painted.

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When painting with plastic dip or Bedliner the key is too paint many layers so it builds up a thick protective coat. I did 6 coats. Letting each coat dry for 15-20min apart. Then let dry for 4hrs before installing, or till the paints not sticky,

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Then once dry, your ready to install. Here is where I used the bike intertube to wrap the ends of the cross bars (the part that will be inside the clamp) and I also wrapped a layer in between the clamps and the roof rack. This will help scratching and rattles down the road.

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I hope this build helps someone and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying OEM crossbars. And I would have no problem putting 200lbs on these bars. Any feedback is welcomed


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 Post subject: Re: How to: Cheap Kj Roof Rack Cross Bars... A lot of Pics!
PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:42 am 
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Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:03 am
Posts: 69
Looks great. Are you planning to fab a roof basket that you can put on it?


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 Post subject: Re: How to: Cheap Kj Roof Rack Cross Bars... A lot of Pics!
PostPosted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:03 pm 
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Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 3:27 pm
Posts: 6
Seems the pictures are inaccessible. Anyone have any ideas about how to view them?


2004 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4, 3.7L, OME Springs


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