Camper Top Roof Rack Question

I recently bought a kayak and am looking to get a rack for my a.r.e. camper top. I can't shell out $400+ right now to buy a kit and the ones i see used on craigslist, etc are mostly for cars as well as ones the have the roof rail tracks from the factory. My question is would it be feasible to buy new side roof rails (running parallel along the length of the camper top) from another model car that has comparable length, say a van or suv (under $100 on ebay) and then buy used cross bars that fit the side rails? Anyone done this, or is it a bad idea/fugly? Thanks.

 

My last truck (1994 Mitsubishi Might Max, base model) had roof gutters. I managed to score a complete Yakima set (mounts + bars) for real cheap (I think $34) from the REI Used Gear Sale. Worked great on that truck, if one ignored the tendency of the mounts to slide forward when carrying weight and stopping hard.
When I sold the truck, I kept the Yakima kit. I have had it installed on my fiberglass SnugTop shell ever since. Here's how I did it.
I didn't mount to the sides of the shell, using the gutter rail adaptor. Instead, I completely disassembled the mounts, drilled holes through the roof of the shell (reinforced, thankfully), and mounted the bar mounts directly to the roof. Ultra easy, ultra cheap. And I've been able to haul about 350 pounds across all kinds of unforgiving terrain.
You're going to be in luck for cost. Get a used set of Yakima mounts, doesn't really matter what they fit. What you need to make sure they have is the metal hoop that the rod goes through, and the plastic foot that the metal hoop immediately attaches to -- nothing else. You won't be using any of the vehicle-specific feet or adaptors or anything like that- just the metal hoop and plastic hoop foot. You'll also want to pick up a used set of bars, of course. To mount it, measure a dozen times where you want your holes to be and drill away (tape the spot you're drilling so you don't chip the gelcoat). Cut out a 1/4"-thick rubber square about 1/2" larger than the foot (1/4" overhang all around), drill a hole, and then measure the entire length of the bolt you'll need to be able to go through the roof to the metal hoop, including a grade-8 fender washer on the inside of the shell. Yakima uses 3/8"x16 (I think) threads; be sure to get grade-8 hardware.
Using this method is super-secure, and will likely cost you less than $50. And, once you have the bars mounted, you can then mount anything to it, including a nice safari rack.
Tip: mount the bars lengthwise, rather than crosswise. This will dramatically help your fuel economy! And if you don't like it, you can always spin them around to be crosswise (assuming you thought ahead and mounted the feet in a place that will allow both directions).

 

Great suggestion, I've been thinking about attaching the bar mounts directly to the shell so I'm glad to see that you've done it successfully. I searched camper shell racks and variations with little luck so thanks for the response!

 

Forgot to mention.
As a way to distribute the weight a little more, I put a 3/16"-thick piece of 2"x2" steel between the foot and the rubber square. I got it from Homey Despot- I think it's a Simpson tie plate for concrete anchors, has a 1/2" hole in the middle of it, galvanized.

 

Not quite sure why the negative rep...?...?...

 

It has gone out of style, but yakima gutter rail roof racks are still available.
http://www.yakima.com/shop/racksystems/naked-roof/1a-raingutter

The "Kwik Rail" gutters that work so well with these are also still available.
http://www.vanguardmanufacturing.com/products/KWIK-RAIL.html

I am not a big fan of drilling or screwing into the top of a camper shell. It is likely to have a water leak in the long term, with the water going into the insulation space in the camper shell without you knowing it.

 

Hello....New member here. Just bought a 2014 Tacoma Double Cab long bed and thinking about getting a ARE shell. But I already have the old Yakima 1A tower system listed in that link above. So what I need is a rain gutter type rail to put on my shell to use my towers on. ARE doesn't know. They only said their tracks use landing pad #1. I don't think my 1A towers will work on their tracks. Anyone know where I can get rain gutter rails? (I haven't checked his second link yet). Otherwise I'll have to buy a whole new Yakima system. Seems like I should be able to use my existing towers.

 

Yes, you can.
I had the same thing when I went from my Mitsubishi to my Tacoma.
Take the feet off the towers (disassemble them most of the way). Drill a 7/16" hole where you want to mount the tower. Use 3/8-16 bolts from inside the shell to mount the towers to. This is how I did mine, and how I mounted a neighbor's. Works fine. Just make sure you use a large thick (3/16" or more) metal plate between the tower and the shell so as to spread the load over as much area as possible.
Tip: mount the rails along the length of the truck, not the width. Easier to mount (because you don't have to work around the curvature of the roof), keeps things lower (curvature again), and reduces aerodynamic drag (better fuel economy!). If you really need cross bars, you can always clamp them to the rails, or just loosen the bolts and rotate the mounts 90*. Again, how I did mine.

 

I didn't follow that. Can you post a picture? You mean you actually bolted the tower on to the shell? No rail or bracket? I don't think my husband would go for that. But then in the "Tip" you said rails. Oh, you mean the bars?