Roof rack

[Brotherbryce]

So I am building a roof basket. It's quite large - 6'x4' and will be heavy. Has anyone found the limit to the factory roof rack on the Scout II's? I have yakima crossbars, but they don't fit over the factory rack. So if I don't hook them to the factory rack, I have some yakima q-towers that will put the weight on the rain gutters. I'll be keeping a spare tire up there, jack, etc, so need to make sure I don't rip the screws out of the roof.
Here's an example of what the rack will look like:

 

[ihpartschad]

I would be more worried about caving in the top.

 

[ronmc1954]

What I did on my 74 was I removed the factory rack and patched the holes. The rack I have is thule and they make a small rack plate that the stand off and crossbars connect to. But I did go inside the hard top and reinforce the top with about a 12" x 8" piece of heavy guage sheet metal welded in place. Made it a lot stronger and I carry 2 18' kayaks. But if you weld you will have to paint the top.

Ron

 

[Drew Merrick]

I don't see anything wrong with using the rain gutters, its a structurally strong part of the roof. However, you might want to use more than just 4 supports.

As for branding I have had many racks, both yakima and thule. I am more apt to choose thule over yakima.. For no other reason than I am swedish and I like their designs. But.. Since your building your own why not look at getting one of the less expensive rack bases and sprucing it up a bit with your own modifications and a little rubber dip?

Of course, looking to reinforce structure is not a bad idea.