?? anyone im going to be making one for my sedan and if anyone else is interested ill take all the measurements, pictures, step by step and such... im basing it off plans for a VW type 3

what im basing it off of

let me know

Looks cool. I'd love to see pictures when you are done!
I think I would make it not so high off the roof of the car, and not quite so tall. Maybe rake the front to match the angle of the windshield.

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its going to sit maybe 2" off the roof im going to make it flat so i can put my cooler up on top and other crap i buy at swap meets... ill probably use douglas fur for the slats

driving home with conduit stickng out of the sunroof is fun.. here is what ive accomplished today



i made a test run for the side bar. here is what ive got

the bends are 90degrees

then a bend in each at 30 degrees at the opposite direction
this angle(i used 30 since it looked better than 22)

that bend is a pita to do alone...

the length of the straight piece after the 90degree bend is 30" and it fits nicely on the roof


ace doesnt have the J-Clips (and if ace doesnt carry it no one does... home depot didnt have them either) so im going to have to go to the sheet metal works tomorrow and have some made

I'm a big fan of the look since I put one on my '61 beetle but I haven't figured out how it will work on my 83 300td since it has those plastic type gutters.

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It should still work, maybe a little modifing to make it fit better. I have a Yakima bike rack on my 300TD that basically has the same kind of mechanism for attaching the rack to the car.

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Are you using EMT electrical conduit for the carrier? It will need a good paint job or it will rust eventually. Make sure you use all stainless hardware too. If you are going new Orlando and haven't been to Skycraft yet, they have a great selection of stainless including all kinds of unique fasteners. The photo you show looks like they use some sort of carriage bolt to put everything together. You could drill the holes in the EMT and then get a small square file and make the holes square so the carriage bolt won't spin. Rather than using Douglas Fir which is weather resistant but does not do as well in Florida because of the hear paired up with the humidity, try to get some Mahogany or Cypress. You can use jut Spar varnish on it and you will have to refinish every 5 or 6 years if it is always exposed. There are also urethanes you can use, but make sure they are rated for exterior use.

That is a really cool idea, and using the EMT and a bender will definately work. I can remember as a kid watching one of the neighbors welding up an airboat front brush guard and prop guard using an ocy-acetylene torch, a pile of EMT and a pipe bender.

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

Wow, my wife just told me this weekend that she wants a rack like we saw on a VW Bus...almost identical to this one. So, I would love to see your progress/plans.

I just ordered one of the "Quick-N-Easy" racks for my 240. I'll let you know how that one works.

I think that style of rack looks cool on Euro cars and I'd like to build one for my 115. Please post measurements!

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I "installed" the Quick-N-Easy rack this weekend, and it works great...although it has a pretty loud hum at speeds over 30 mph. At least I can take it on and off easily. I'll keep an eye out for your plans, as I'd much rather build something nice.

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Have you given much thought to modifying an existing rack?

RePro's are going to be of suspect quality, and originals are astronomical in price if they're nice-- I want one for the 65 1200. Never gave it much thought for the 240.

The upright sedan form of the w123 has always asked for something on the trunk-- I still am thinking about a little black ducktail! Maybe it's overkill, though-- these cars have an overabundance of trims already fitted as factory. Will it be busy? Do you have images of a w123(that isn't a wagon) fitted with one of these racks?

I've always liked the look of a white 240 Volvo with a bike rack on the roof! I don't own a bike, but... an old car with the shape of a brick actually looks pretty sporting when it's fitted with extra black trims-- The w123 is a little slimmer than the Volvo, though. How does that factor in here? Will it look top heavy? The Volvo(It is just the only car with the 'same' shape that I've seen fitted with a roof rack) is rather slab-sided and I worry that a w123 may look top heavy because of the larger greenhouse area?

Just thinking 'out loud'

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http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Untitled-1.jpg

im really eyeing this whole thing out.. making slight adjustments here and there.. im currently stuck on the single cross bar. i can get one side to fit right but measuring the distance to the next bend is very screwy... ill work more on it tomorrow. i really want this rack... even if i screw up alot it wont cost me more than 80$ (since i get conduit for 1$ per 10ft). im going to paint it with the rustolean hammered look paint. and some nicely stained douglas fir.. i just need to get the rack done

ever think about notching the spring plates and narrowing the beam? the potential! and some BRM's would look sweet on that one

looks sharp, don, good work

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This is a great simple project for owners, and would be lost in DD.





Thank you.

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