stioc Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 I saw narrow, really low profile ones on another member, theexbrit's, older R50. He said they came with his truck. My crossbars have knobs on the side that make them slide forward/backward, his didn't. Were they std on the pre 2000 R50s? where do I find them? I don't like how my roof rack sit so high on my tall cross bars: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sroeser01 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Nice looking ride. I have a 97 almost idenical to theezbrits and my roof basket sits on thule roof rack and cross bars. I believe thule and yakima make low profile bars. Not sure tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stioc Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 These (the middle three bars) are what I'm looking for 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Yeah, they came with my R50 as well, i took them off because they got in the way, and i didn't use them, they are really small and mount flush to the roof of the car, if you are looking to mount a rack or something, its not going to be that sturdy. They have eyelet/knobs that attached to roof rails, good for tying things down. Hope that helps -Kyle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stioc Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 Hmm, I may just have to fabricate something similar then using 1" square tubing or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Hmm, I may just have to fabricate something similar then using 1" square tubing or something. That be awesome. Or get the old R50 support racks, I want to say they are a little shorter than the ones you have. But if you're going for the ultimate clean look, that tubing sounds perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 if you are looking to mount a rack or something, its not going to be that sturdy.They have eyelet/knobs that attached to roof rails, good for tying things down. Hope that helps -Kyle I have my rack mounted to these crossbars & you're right, they don't look very sturdy. I've yanked on them & they seem ok but I used a ratchet tie down wrapped around the main bars as well. last thing I want is my roof rack & all the gear shooting off down the road when I have to brake suddenly 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stioc Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Done. The older Pathfinder bars sit slightly lower but still too high for a sleek/think rack like the Rola Vortex, same for the Thule/Yakima stuff not to mention how expensive the stupid towers are from these two companies. I finally realized that I'd have to fab something up myself. The plan was to use rectangle tubing somehow bolted to the factory tracks. I figured the sliding hooks (that held the older R50 secondary cross bars as shown in the pic above) were good for at least 25lbs of loading...though I wanted close to 200lbs so here's what I came up with. So I've got a total of eight feet holding the roof rack on top of the the Thule Load Bars (LB50) cut to proper width. I found the load bars on Craigslist for half the price of the new ones and cheaper than what I could get the bare tubing for myself. I'm very pleased with the results, the rack is on solid and looks 100x better now- I can finally sleep now and move on to other things. Speaking of other things I bought a hi-lift jack and the lift-mate attachment for it. There are still a few more accessories I'd like to buy but man it's one of those things where the entry price is cheap but pretty soon you realize you need a whole bunch of other stuff to take full advantage of it. However, I'm put off by how bulky and heavy it feels. I tried holding it up next to the rack to see if I should mount it there and man it's a pain to lift it up over your head. As cool as this tool is (and dangerous) it sucks how awkward it is, I'm not sure if I want to carry it on the roof rack. I keep thinking if I'm ever involved in a wreck that things going to hurt someone bad. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iPath Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Sorry for the unrelated question, but what kind of tires are those? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stioc Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 No problem, I have the info in my sign; they're Goodyear Duratrecs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Wow that looks really clean, nice work! -Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stioc Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Thanks Kyle, I also got the plastic end caps for the bars from Thule for $12 and it looks even cleaner now. I'll be honest before I bought the Rola rack I thought its rouded look would go nicely with the pathfinder but when I put it on the Pathy the first time I was really disappointed in how it looked. Now it looks exactly how I'd imagined. It looks like a factory option and actually looks weird without the rack now. Next up...I gotta figure out how to mount the heavy hunk of metal aka hi-lift. I don't like the idea of mounting it to the roof rack, one it's inconvenient up there and two in a wreck that thing can really hurt someone...which means I don't want it inside the truck either so I'll probably be fabbing up a hitch mount of some sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Nice work on the rack rail fab! Looks great. There is a thread here somewhere about HL jack mounting, some have it inside but personally I don't want that monster inside the truck taking up space & looking ugly :laugh: I mounted mine on the roof rack but as you say it's heavy & possibly unstable in certain situations. When I get my Pro Comp wheels I'm hoping the increased backspacing on the wheels will allow me to fit the jack on the swing out tire carrier (which of course you can't do) between the tire & the jerry can holder. It won't fit at the moment as the tire extends in too much. The other option is to mount it on the front bumper somewhere, but of course a bumper such as an ARB or TAG would be needed for that. If I were you, I'd fab something for the rear bumper or maybe as you say a hitch mount. PS. You wanna hit the Silverado Ridge this weekend sometime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stioc Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Thanks for the suggestions. In a perfect world I'd have custom front and rear bumpers that don't look as goofy as the ARB's. But that's not in the picture anytime soon. I've thought about getting the oem bull bar like your's but still on the fence about it because I like the stock dual-purpose look. I may just do a custom mount on the rear hitch without sacrificing too much departure angle. Where's Silverado Ridge? I'm leaving for the Mojave desert next week so I need to go over the truck this weekend. I noticed my steering wheel is a big vague when turning it to the right. I also hear a knock when I move the steering wheel back and forth about an an inch or two at rest. Hopefully it's not play in the steering rack. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 :laugh: I'm sure everyone with an ARB bumper is going to love being told their bumpers look goofy! Seriously though, I think the ARB bumpers are too big & bulky, that's why I'm looking at an XJ bumper or something similar, I just need to make sure I can make brackets to fit my truck. Silverado Ridge is along North Main Divide, I'm getting antsy not haing been wheeling for a few weeks. I'm in the Mojave next weekend, up near Amboy Crater. How long're you going for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stioc Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) I'm usually a fan of the ARB products but I just don't like the R50 bumpers (and they want an arm and both legs for it too) I guess personal preference I wish I had the time but it would be a fun little project build a custom bumper or start with an XJ bumper to save time and cost and customize that. I'll be in the Mojave desert Nov 2nd-4th but I'm heading up Thu afternoon and staying in Laughlin overnight for an early start on Fri. We're running east to west. Hopefully the Pathy holds together with whatever steering issues it might be having! Edited October 24, 2012 by stioc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Well have fun in Mojave, if you're near the Amboy area on Sat or Sun let me know, maybe we can get a couple of trails in together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman2989 Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 So I've got a total of eight feet holding the roof rack on top of the the Thule Load Bars (LB50) cut to proper width. I found the load bars on Craigslist for half the price of the new ones and cheaper than what I could get the bare tubing for myself. I'm very pleased with the results, the rack is on solid and looks 100x better now- I can finally sleep now and move on to other things. Speaking of other things I bought a hi-lift jack and the lift-mate attachment for it. There are still a few more accessories I'd like to buy but man it's one of those things where the entry price is cheap but pretty soon you realize you need a whole bunch of other stuff to take full advantage of it. However, I'm put off by how bulky and heavy it feels. I tried holding it up next to the rack to see if I should mount it there and man it's a pain to lift it up over your head. As cool as this tool is (and dangerous) it sucks how awkward it is, I'm not sure if I want to carry it on the roof rack. I keep thinking if I'm ever involved in a wreck that things going to hurt someone bad. Great setup you've got there! I really like the look of it, and will probably copy that. Mine's up pretty high right now, doesn't look BAD... but not near as clean as the way you've pulled it off on yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoesandsocks Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Not to bring out a old thread but how to u get the factory rails off i unscrewed that torx in the front and the endcap came loose but it wont come off it wiggles and is loose but it wont pop off is there a trick to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ_Pathfinder Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Thought I'd drop in on this as I also dropped my roof rack lower towards the roof, to eliminate that stilt look. I used the idea that Stioc had in using the three middle lower bars from the roof rack. I really like how it turned out. its held down with 9 worm pipe clamps, and replaced the knob style adjuster screws that you turn to tighten the bars on the roof track with hex bolts and lock washers. Enjoy!! Before: After: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle94 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 How sturdy is the Curt rack? Does anyone know? I'm looking to get a basket to add at least 7 offroad lights too, but i'm not sure if it will be strong enough to not allow the lights to wobble around off road. Thanks for any input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ_Pathfinder Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I have the Curt rack and that thing doesnt budge. I have it mounted using 9 total gear clamps ( cant remember what they're really called, in the plumbing section of hardware stores) and that thing doesnt move and inch in any direction. I love it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96Pathfinder4x4 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I may not be needing mine any longer...will know for sure after my roof rack is hard-mounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooslowforgr Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 I have an 03' LE. Love the way your basket sits, low and sleek. Can you explain to me how to set it up and what parts I need. Private message me. thanks Grant Thought I'd drop in on this as I also dropped my roof rack lower towards the roof, to eliminate that stilt look. I used the idea that Stioc had in using the three middle lower bars from the roof rack. I really like how it turned out. its held down with 9 worm pipe clamps, and replaced the knob style adjuster screws that you turn to tighten the bars on the roof track with hex bolts and lock washers. Enjoy!! Before: After: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96Pathfinder4x4 Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Did you read this thread? He was going to build a lower support system, then he acquired some stock low bars and mounted to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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