Roof Rack - homemade, cheap, works

Hello -
I needed a roof rack, and didn’t want to invest time and the money in a commercial one because I only expect to need one occasionally. A quick trip to a store and four cuts with a jigsaw and I was in business.


As you can see I cut 2x4’s down so they overhang the roof but don’t exceed the width of the car body. I notched the ends - roughly 1”x1” cuts.
The 2x4’s are stacked on cut pieces of 1” thick rigid house insulation foam, which I chose because it’s less likely to scratch the roof (although as you can see my Prius comes pre-loaded with scratches); the foam was sold in 2’ squares instead of 4’x8’ panels; AND it’s easy to cut with a razor knife.
I used ratchet straps to hold the racks onto the top of the car - they were run through opened doors, and the doors closed fine and I don’t think they damaged the foam door seal at all. The racks were very solidly held & stable. You could build in more front-back stability by screwing the 2x4’s to a short cross piece of 2x4, putting something softer like foam rubber, neoprene, or insulation foam under the 2x4 pieces.
Next time I’ll position the forward ratchet strap a little farther forward and be careful to position the ratchet in the middle of the car because the strap & ratchet were too close to my forehead!
And now fear of a lawsuit prompts me to add that I make no claim that this is a safe plan. The strap across the interior roof is of particular concern for all except those whose head is below it.
And yes, of course it impact MPG. But with less of an impact on your wallet than some alternatives.

Peace

 

Thank you Mendel and Padroo!