DIY Van Roof Rack: Simple and Cost Effective

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Mounting solar panels on our curved van roof was one of the more puzzling challenges we faced during our build. After realizing flexible solar panels wouldn’t quite fit, it became apparent we would need to mount rigid panels either directly to the roof or more likely to a roof rack that was in turn mounted to the roof. We needed to design a DIY van roof rack, from cheap materials available from the hardware.

While there are plenty of options for standard cars and SUVs, finding one for a high fiberglass-topped conversion van was a little more difficult. Especially considering our particular needs and sizing. The next thing that became apparent was that we would need to be able to create a custom roof rack suitable for our vehicle and needs.

As the solar panels were to be a permanent feature of the van, making a roof rack that would be permanently attached to the car wasn’t a problem.

After conducting thorough research (i.e. perusing the web for a couple of hours and trolling YouTube for instructional videos) we still were at a loss for how we were going to construct and install a roof rack.

Thankfully, Charles, the resident family handyman/engineer, dropped by at the perfect time to help us to create our very own DIY custom roof rack, suitable for permanent installation to all vans, even those with a curved fiberglass roof. He helped us design a DIY van roof rack for our specific needs and hopefully, we can do the same for you!

The Design

The first step, establish your needs. Do you want the roof rack to extend the length of the car or only the cab? Do you want the roof rack to be mounted high enough that you can slide something, say a surfboard, underneath the rack? Will your roof rack run front to rear, side to side, or both? All of these things must be considered when determining how to design the roof rack. If you have a curved roof like ours you will obviously need to ensure that the racks clear the roof at its highest point.

The design itself couldn’t be more simple. Half-inch galvanized steel pipes form the bars of the roof rack. Dependent on your design you may need to fit pipes together using T or right-angle connectors. The roof bars will connect to the roof with a tee junction, ‘nipples’, short bits of pipe which connect to the junction at one end and are screwed into flanges at the other. The flanges are then secured directly to the fiberglass roof using bolts nuts and plenty of silicon to waterproof.

A Simple diagram of our DIY van Roof Rack

As we only wanted to mount three rectangular solar panels, our simple design required just two 4 foot roof bars running front to back on either side of the vehicle.

Then you can attach whatever you want be it solar panels, a cargo box, a tent, or whatever (keep in mind if you have a fiberglass roof like ours it isn’t going to bear a huge amount of weight).

Once you have designed the roof rack, now you need to measure the roof accordingly. Measure the roof two or three times to confirm the measurements because once you cut the steel, there is no going back.

The Goods

Tools:

Having the right tools is key. There is nothing like getting halfway through your project and realizing you forgot something. Here’s a list of everything we used for our DIY van roof rack:

Roof Rack Materials:

While preparing your tools is important, so is preparing your materials. I cannot tell you the number of times, we started a project only to find out that we did not have all the pieces. For this DIY roof mount, you can find all the materials we used listed below and purchase them online in advance from Home Depot. Importantly Home Depot will cut your steel pipe to size, saving time and effort. (Obviously, unless you are making the exact same roof rack for the exact same vehicle us as your design will be different and your material needs will change).

  • 2x – 1/2 in x 4 ft (13mm x 1200mm) Galvanized steel pipes (length will vary based on preferences)
  • 4x – 1/2 in x 8 in (13mm X 200mm) Galvanized steel pipes (length will vary based on preferences)
  • 4x – Galvanized steel 2 in (13mm x 50mm) nipples (length will vary based on preferences)
  • 4x – Galvanized steel tee branches
  • 4x – Galvanized steel flanges
  • 4x – Galvanized steel caps
  • 16 x – Philips round head bolts w/ nuts to secure the flanges
  • 12x – 3/4 in (20mm) U-bolts to secure solar panels to roof rack

The Build

The construction of the DIY van roof rack itself is easy. Simply screw together the poles with the tees with the flanges and viola! We have drawn together a basic picture of how each supporting piece should look.

A Simple diagram of our DIY van Roof Rack

If you are extending the roof rack to the front of the van, consider adding a tee bracket in the middle. This will help support the weight instead of one long piece of steel.

Mounting the DIY Van Roof Rack

Next, we need to secure the rack to the vehicle. Attaching the rack permanently to the van is the scariest part of the whole build. Drilling holes into the van is not something you want to get wrong so be sure to measure twice and drill once!

Set the assembled rack atop the vehicle. Using a measuring tape move the rack into the desired position. Ensure it sits properly and no further adjustment is required. Once you have double and triple-checked your measurements, use a pencil, and draw a circle around the flange and in each of the screw holes. Remove each bar of the rack and grab the cordless drill!

Drill a hole slightly smaller than the screw to bolt the flange to the fiberglass roof. Once all holes are drilled, it is now time to mount the roof rack.

Mounting our DIY van roof rack

This step requires two people. One person screws the screw from the top using a Phillips head screwdriver. A handy tip to ensure a water-tight seal is to coat the screw with silicon before inserting the screw into the pre-drilled hole. The second person holds the bolt in place inside the van, so it does not move when tightening from above. With the screws fastened tightly, use silicon again to cover the tops of the screws. Repeat this step for each flange.

The Completed DIY Van Roof Rack

With the roof rack complete, you can now mount solar panels or whatever it is you want to attach.

For our solar panels, we used U-bolt to secure them to the round pipe. The “U” cups the bar and is bolted into the solar panel itself. No additional mounts are used or required with this custom DIY van roof rack.

Make sure to tighten the bolts as securely as possible to avoid losing a panel (or a roof) in your overlanding journeys.

Our finished DIY Van Roof Rack with Solar Panels attached
The finished product…disregard the dirty roof 🙂

Have you had a go at making your own DIY van roof rack? Let us know below!

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6 Comments

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  3. Hello,

    In what order did the unit get assembled and mounted? I don’t see how you could get to the 12 U-bolts to drill and mount into the solar panels once the unit has the steel flanges bolted into the fiberglass. Was everything first assembled and drilled before mounting on the van? How did you decide the spacing the the 4′ bars apart since I assume you did not use the existing Renogy Z Bracket mounting hole.

    Many thanks!

    1. Hi Jon,

      Hmm testing my memory. We definitely mounted the rack first and then attached the solar panels to the rack. I believe the rack was spaced to line up in between the existing bracket mounting holes in the long edge of the 100w renology panels when mounted widthways. We bought u-bolts the correct size go around the galv pipe and up into the existing holes. I remember getting the nuts on tightly was a finicky procedure from underneath the mounted panel but I eventually got there.

      I hope that is clear but let me know if you have any other questions.

      Eddie

      1. Awesome Eddie. Thank you for the help.

        I know for us, our van is over 9′ high and getting all those nuts/bolts started and tightened is going to be difficult. I have looked forever and your setup makes the most sense. Wish me luck!

        Cheers,
        Jon