A Custom Roof Rack - DO NOT USE YELLOW POPLAR OUTSIDE!

Steve Sanford

Steve Sanford

Well-known member
All~




I do not see many people putting their own roof racks on cars much anymore. Growing up, I helped my Dad make one for his 1967 Nissan Patrol. Later, I have put them on a Chevy Vega wagon, a Chevy Blazer (NYS vehicle), Ford Ranger, Ford F-150, Nissan Quest, VW Jetta Wagon - and, in 2004, on my irreplaceable Honda Element.



I bought the Element in October of 2003 when it was brand new. Because the gunning season was already under way, I did not get around to making and installing its roof rack until the following summer. Here it is ready for the '04 season (CLICK any photo to enlarge):


View attachment Rack 01 - Element with Canvasback 3L.jpg






For a long list of boats and frequent trips to the lumber yard, this rack has served me well for many years. I learned early on, though, that Yellow Poplar (actually not a true poplar, but Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera - [correction thanks to Tod Osier]) is a poor choice for any exterior use. I used Philippine Mahogany for the crossbars but 5/4 Yellow Poplar for the rails. Even though everything was sealed with 2 coats of epoxy + graphite - and sprayed with Krylon Semi-flat Black paint, moisture found its way in. I had to fit a Dutchman several years ago on the starboard rail, another on the port mounting block in 2015, and I had to build a whole new rack this year. Dry rot was rampant throughout the rails and I just barely got a few boats and loads home safely in its last days. Its mycoflora - its collection of mushrooms and other fungi - was a rolling biodiversity exhibit. (The original Mahogany, however, was perfect when I removed it.) I resisted the urge to tear it off with my hands until I had a replacement built.


View attachment Rack 02.JPG




View attachment Rack 03.JPG





The new rack is all Mahogany. Every piece got 2 coats of epoxy + graphite (the latter to help keep UV out) before I assembled it. The rail-to-crossbar joints are held with s/s lags and 3M 5200.



Removing the headliner - and about half of the interior panels - is a big job. But, I wanted to screw right through the roof. Until I first removed the headliner back in 2004, I could not complete my design because I could not see the internal steel structure. Re-installing the interior takes even longer - maybe 3 hours for me.


View attachment Rack 04.JPG




The 5200 bedding probably needed no mechanical fasteners - the screws serve as clamps until the 5200 cures. Removing the '04 rack took some doing at each corner - the 5200 was good as new.


View attachment Rack 06.JPG



View attachment Rack 07 - 5200 and cleat.JPG




The padding on the crossbars is fire hose - salvaged from our transfer station a couple of years ago with this application in mind. The fire hose provides just the right combination of padding, grip and slide-ability. Its orange color got sprayed black where I could see the edges from the ground.


View attachment Rack 08 from above.JPG




The new rack now has a total of 8 cleats. The nylon cleats are held with s/s screws but bedded in silicon - because 5200 does not stick to nylon.



The antenna limits the width of the rack - 36.25 inches inside the rails - and requires inletting on the mounting block.



View attachment Rack 05.JPG




Here she is ready for the next 300,000 miles. For most local trips, I use a single length of 1/4-inch nylon to hold my canoes where they belong.


View attachment Rack 09 with Canvasback.JPG




All the best,



SJS
 
Last edited:
Rack looks great! I haven't done the graphite in epoxy. I always thought yellow poplar referred to tuliptree, not sweetgum. Either way, I wouldn't use it outside.
 
Good morning, Tod~

You know....I heard that nagging little voice when I wrote Sweetgum.....

You are correct - Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera aka Tulip Polar per my logger father-in-law) is what is sold as Yellow Poplar - thanks very much!

SJS
 
I don't run across it in lumber yards very often, but there are some exceptionally nice large ones in the woods that I deer hunt. I was just curious. while I have seen tulip poplar in the lumberyard, I haven't seen sweetgum, that was why I was interested. Imagine if you had used regular poplar (which is commonly found at lumberyards), it would have rotted out even sooner. I have been using quite a bit of polar for trim and have found that it bothers me quite a bit (more than anything else).
 
I really like the rack and the effort you went through. I had a 2005 with the factory option rack and now we bought another 05 without the rack. While looking for another replacement element, I looked at one that a relocated surfer had brougt to the midwest. In the future should you buy another Element, there are knock outs on the roof plastic above the doors with threaded bases built in. The owner of the one from the land of surf (California) just bolted down some aluminum channel cut to size and drilled out and then some u-bolts with heavy wall aluminum conduit across......no headliner work or drilling through your roof. For the next guy looking to install a roof rack on their Element [;)]
 
Ron~

Glad to hear from another Element fan. It has been my favorite vehicle for a long time.

I'm familiar with those cut-outs but, they're too close together for my needs. As I recall (dimly), the factory rack is about 26 inches fore and aft - just about long enough for an oversize goose decoy. The ends of the cutouts are 37 inches. I was not courageous enough to make my own "cut-outs" closer to the ends of the roof.

I designed my rack with 17-foot canoes and 16-foot boards foremost in mind. The seat-of-the-pants engineer in me wanted to maximize the fore-and-aft dimension - with the bases as far apart as possible. From the front of my forward crossbar to the rear of my aft crossbar is 7'2". The short overhangs obviate the need for lines on the bow and stern. Only the very strongest crosswinds have induced the rare case of White Knuckle Syndrome....

All the best,

SJS

 
Steve, My wife owns an '03 element that has served us well. It has been affectionately dubbed "the dog hauler"
 
That is a fine looking roof rack. I would do something similar on my CRV (base model with no stock rack) but i don't know that i have the courage to put holes in the roof.
 
tod osier said:
I don't run across it in lumber yards very often, but there are some exceptionally nice large ones in the woods that I deer hunt. I was just curious. while I have seen tulip poplar in the lumberyard, I haven't seen sweetgum, that was why I was interested. Imagine if you had used regular poplar (which is commonly found at lumberyards), it would have rotted out even sooner. I have been using quite a bit of polar for trim and have found that it bothers me quite a bit (more than anything else).
Click to expand...

Tod

I see sweetgum trees all over the place but not in the lumber yard. It is known to check, twist, bow, warp, etc. when drying so badly it is undesirable by mills and woodworkers. However they have found a good use for it and you can find it readily available; Railroad cross ties.

Eric

p.s. I'm machining a bunch of poplar at the shop and it bothers my nose more than most woods. Other than that I like working with it.
 
Eric Patterson said:
tod osier said:
I don't run across it in lumber yards very often, but there are some exceptionally nice large ones in the woods that I deer hunt. I was just curious. while I have seen tulip poplar in the lumberyard, I haven't seen sweetgum, that was why I was interested. Imagine if you had used regular poplar (which is commonly found at lumberyards), it would have rotted out even sooner. I have been using quite a bit of polar for trim and have found that it bothers me quite a bit (more than anything else).
Click to expand...

Tod

I see sweetgum trees all over the place but not in the lumber yard. It is known to check, twist, bow, warp, etc. when drying so badly it is undesirable by mills and woodworkers. However they have found a good use for it and you can find it readily available; Railroad cross ties.

Eric

p.s. I'm machining a bunch of poplar at the shop and it bothers my nose more than most woods. Other than that I like working with it.
Click to expand...

I've always avoided poplar just because it is green, I think. :). But I've enjoyed working with it other than the irritation. Time will tell, but I've happy with it for the projects I've done with it so far.

We are a little outside traditional sweetgum range, but you do see some growing around here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top