Looks amazing! Love the cedar tone, and with those thick boards I'm sure it's super-stable. One bit of unsolicited advice, especially for anyone else who may try to do this: be sure you clean up all the shavings / dust from sawing off those bolts SUPER well - any little bits that get left on the van could turn into tiny rust spots in very short order.
That is GREAT advice! I spent quite a bit of time awkwardly trying to clean underneath it after finishing. Thank you for mentioning this, Matt. I appreciate that and hopefully it saves someone from trouble down the road...
Love the deck! We don't have any easy-access space on our roof (somehow, even though it's enormous), but we would absolutely do one if we could. Cool to see the honest perspective and actual frustrations that go along with a project like this, this kind of thing is always harder than it seems.
it really took me weeks of trying to work out how I'd secure it all and what type of wood Id use use. I am so, SO happy I stuck it out though. I use it every day even in the cold weather (for time-lapses or just to sit and watch the weather roll in :))
Here's an idea. You could of drilled a larger hole for the lock nut no deeper than the depth of the lock nut to recess it into the wood and then cut off the protruding bolt to make everything flush with the deck top.
Great idea! As it is, I haven't felt the little bolt heads are a nuisance. BUT, had I had a paddle bit (I think that is what it is called), I would have done what you're suggesting here. I didn't want to try the same idea with just regular drill bits because I did this exact process to countersink other bolt heads in other areas of the van and the pull of the drill bit bitting into the wood almost always went TOO deep...and I didn't want to risk compromising the integrity of the bolts on the deck since it scares me to imagine it slowly weakening and flying off.
That garage has undergone so many cleanings/reorganizations it deserves a medal haha The deck is amazing!! I am so happy with it and it was worth every bit of effort and troubleshooting.
I just got my Transit and this is in my to do list. Helpful vid. Only thing I'd do differently is to use 5/4" boards with more support instead of 2x to nibble at the weight as it all adds up.
When I do something similar on my Transit 250 roof, I will either countersink the hole or use my router to do the same thing, so nothing sticks out above the surface of the wood deck. A roof deck is very cool to have for sure - enjoy and do not fall off!
Countersinking is going to make a much more finished, refined look. Looking forward to seeing it! I've used it a ton already for setting up time lapses and also just sitting on the edge and watching weather roll in etc.
@@JeremiahLuke Great video and it gave me an idea: I am going the opposite route, I am going to attach strips of wood on the sides of the 80/20 crossbars then use wood deck screws to hold the decking down. This way I can have a smooth surface deck. I'll post photos soon of how it turns out.
@@gdufour1 honestly, I would consider half of my build as a DONT DO IT THIS WAY series haha - I am glad I inspired you in the right direction (away from my method).
how many little rust spots are under your deck from the grinding of the bolts. I cut my max fan, cleaned and vacuumed the whole roof twice and I still have little rust spots from a missed metal shaving.
haha thankfully my neighbor saw me do that and later told me i needed to use a blower / broom / my own breath to clean that underneath surface as well as possible to avoid that...I got really lucky!
Jeremiah, what type of tires are on your van? I've been searching for all terrain tires for my ford transit 250, and can't seem to find any good info on it. the tire store was reluctant to install tires not rated for a commercial van.
Sweet video. How sturdy does that roof deck feel? I've read the Ford's have a limit of 420lbs for the roof rack supports. Does it feel sturdy enough to have 2 people hanging out?
Thanks! I had some fun making it. I havn't noticed a weak feeling in the mounting points but I DO think that the series 10 80/20 crossbars that the deck is attached to are not meant to take more than one person at a time. I have had two up there but I spread the weight around and avoid standing in the same place.
haha that may, perhaps, be because I never did make a video since it was so simple / didn't seem enough to warrant a video. I got this induction stove top (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WKVQN1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I don't know if it is normal for induction stove tops since this is my first, but this definitely makes some buzzing noises etc. when cooking (I imagine due to the magnetic aspect of the cooking process??). Installation was super simple. Cut a whole, fit it, then plug the AC power cord into my inverter. Inverter is 2200 watts, stove top is 1800 max pull :)
Hi, Linda - thank you! I've been loving it. I sit up there often as well as land my drone up there...which has been super convenient. I used these 80/20 fasteners: amzn.to/3fIHxD1 and some washers and then plopped caulk over the top of each to try to prevent it from jiggling loose...definitely a bit jerryrigged. Hope that helps!
Oh ya dude. I got the 2020 AWD high roof extended body. Found your page cause I was looking up how to do the cross nuts. About to start building it out once it warms up.
I'm no carpenter but there has to be a better way to do it than that. Not sure why you used 2" thick boards. They don't need to be that thick and it is just extra weight up high where you don't want it. You should have inset the nuts so they aren't sticking out as a possibly fatal trip hazard... and they are ugly. Love these rooftop decks tho.
Gracias! No se como traducirlos. Pense que youtube hizo eso. Pero me parece que yo tengo que hacerlo por cada video. la buena es que creare mucho que no tienes que hablar ingles para disfrutar!
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haha, this was exactly what I was dreaming to do on my Ford Transit, but has never been able to do it actually. You did it!
I did it! haha I am so glad I did as well. It is a fun addition to have on the van and it looks pretty cool from above :) Also, most people love it
Looks amazing! Love the cedar tone, and with those thick boards I'm sure it's super-stable.
One bit of unsolicited advice, especially for anyone else who may try to do this: be sure you clean up all the shavings / dust from sawing off those bolts SUPER well - any little bits that get left on the van could turn into tiny rust spots in very short order.
That is GREAT advice! I spent quite a bit of time awkwardly trying to clean underneath it after finishing. Thank you for mentioning this, Matt. I appreciate that and hopefully it saves someone from trouble down the road...
Love the deck! We don't have any easy-access space on our roof (somehow, even though it's enormous), but we would absolutely do one if we could. Cool to see the honest perspective and actual frustrations that go along with a project like this, this kind of thing is always harder than it seems.
it really took me weeks of trying to work out how I'd secure it all and what type of wood Id use use. I am so, SO happy I stuck it out though. I use it every day even in the cold weather (for time-lapses or just to sit and watch the weather roll in :))
Here's an idea. You could of drilled a larger hole for the lock nut no deeper than the depth of the lock nut to recess it into the wood and then cut off the protruding bolt to make everything flush with the deck top.
Great idea!
As it is, I haven't felt the little bolt heads are a nuisance. BUT, had I had a paddle bit (I think that is what it is called), I would have done what you're suggesting here.
I didn't want to try the same idea with just regular drill bits because I did this exact process to countersink other bolt heads in other areas of the van and the pull of the drill bit bitting into the wood almost always went TOO deep...and I didn't want to risk compromising the integrity of the bolts on the deck since it scares me to imagine it slowly weakening and flying off.
You look very happy up there! Great video :)
I am so very glad I stuck with it and went through with this project. Worth every bit of effort :)
Great job dude!
Thanks, Rich! Can't wait to see that BEAUTY of a rig of yours out on the road!
I love the roof deck! So neat! Also nice to have access to the clean spacious garage. My garage is so messy!
That garage has undergone so many cleanings/reorganizations it deserves a medal haha
The deck is amazing!! I am so happy with it and it was worth every bit of effort and troubleshooting.
I just got my Transit and this is in my to do list. Helpful vid. Only thing I'd do differently is to use 5/4" boards with more support instead of 2x to nibble at the weight as it all adds up.
I would say +1 to using stronger material! There's so much id do differently if I were to go back..
When I do something similar on my Transit 250 roof, I will either countersink the hole or use my router to do the same thing, so nothing sticks out above the surface of the wood deck. A roof deck is very cool to have for sure - enjoy and do not fall off!
Countersinking is going to make a much more finished, refined look. Looking forward to seeing it!
I've used it a ton already for setting up time lapses and also just sitting on the edge and watching weather roll in etc.
@@JeremiahLuke Great video and it gave me an idea: I am going the opposite route, I am going to attach strips of wood on the sides of the 80/20 crossbars then use wood deck screws to hold the decking down. This way I can have a smooth surface deck. I'll post photos soon of how it turns out.
@@gdufour1 honestly, I would consider half of my build as a DONT DO IT THIS WAY series haha - I am glad I inspired you in the right direction (away from my method).
This. Is. So. Cool. Also I’m still on the look out. Still lookin so I can start drawing.
❣️
can't wait to show it to you!
how many little rust spots are under your deck from the grinding of the bolts. I cut my max fan, cleaned and vacuumed the whole roof twice and I still have little rust spots from a missed metal shaving.
haha thankfully my neighbor saw me do that and later told me i needed to use a blower / broom / my own breath to clean that underneath surface as well as possible to avoid that...I got really lucky!
I have a FLVC rack as well and looking into the CO Fairing. What width and height is your fairing? 😊
looking sweet bro
Thank you! Love it already
Thanks for the vid. Where did you get the fairing? I take it the original fairing did not cut it?
ignoring this as requested
Jeremiah, what type of tires are on your van? I've been searching for all terrain tires for my ford transit 250, and can't seem to find any good info on it. the tire store was reluctant to install tires not rated for a commercial van.
did you get my other comment? hope it helped!
Sweet video.
How sturdy does that roof deck feel?
I've read the Ford's have a limit of 420lbs for the roof rack supports. Does it feel sturdy enough to have 2 people hanging out?
Thanks! I had some fun making it.
I havn't noticed a weak feeling in the mounting points but I DO think that the series 10 80/20 crossbars that the deck is attached to are not meant to take more than one person at a time. I have had two up there but I spread the weight around and avoid standing in the same place.
@@JeremiahLuke sweet thanks for the intel. Much appreciated
@@danielfunk1979 Of course!
Ok, I can’t seem to find the video where you installed your induction stove. What brand did you go with? Happy with it?
haha that may, perhaps, be because I never did make a video since it was so simple / didn't seem enough to warrant a video.
I got this induction stove top (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WKVQN1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I don't know if it is normal for induction stove tops since this is my first, but this definitely makes some buzzing noises etc. when cooking (I imagine due to the magnetic aspect of the cooking process??).
Installation was super simple. Cut a whole, fit it, then plug the AC power cord into my inverter. Inverter is 2200 watts, stove top is 1800 max pull :)
What air fairing is that at the front of the deck/roof rack?
That is a Colorado fairing co fairing! (www.cofairingco.com/)
what fairing did you use on your rack?
That looks fantastic. What hardware did you use to attach solar panels to the roof rack?
Hi, Linda - thank you! I've been loving it. I sit up there often as well as land my drone up there...which has been super convenient.
I used these 80/20 fasteners: amzn.to/3fIHxD1 and some washers and then plopped caulk over the top of each to try to prevent it from jiggling loose...definitely a bit jerryrigged. Hope that helps!
Hey I got my van at Don Davis in Arlington too!
hahah that is amazingly coincidental! Happy with it so far?
Oh ya dude. I got the 2020 AWD high roof extended body. Found your page cause I was looking up how to do the cross nuts. About to start building it out once it warms up.
I'm no carpenter but there has to be a better way to do it than that. Not sure why you used 2" thick boards. They don't need to be that thick and it is just extra weight up high where you don't want it. You should have inset the nuts so they aren't sticking out as a possibly fatal trip hazard... and they are ugly. Love these rooftop decks tho.
Hola!!! hermosos tus videos !!!! solamente un pedido traduce los vídeo porfavor !!!
Gracias! No se como traducirlos. Pense que youtube hizo eso. Pero me parece que yo tengo que hacerlo por cada video. la buena es que creare mucho que no tienes que hablar ingles para disfrutar!