Projects Pics of Wood Roof Rack

Please share your pics of vintage wooden roof racks.

I’m entering my Woody Wagon in a drag and drive and may need more storage.
It has a Ranger Rack with the two aluminum cross bars but I’d need to add a platform so I can secure some cargo up there.

please share your ideas and pics if you have any.

 

What is a "drag and drive"?

 

it’s an event where you race at several drag strips over several days and have to drive your car between racetracks

 

Jim Forms competes in those races, when he & his son stopped by my place he was on his way to one of the drag race locations in his Corvette. HRP

 

Not the best photos but this is what I plan on refurbing for use on my '54 Ranch Wagon.

 

I believe I have a couple. Not really wood, but carrying an outboard.

 

Pay attention Danny, its "Jim Forbes" also known as @squirrel

 

I figure out how to fit everything in the car...that way I can lock it up at night (well, as secure as an old locked up car is, which is not very).

I can offer some ideas on what you don't really need to bring

 

I’m going with a friend and we’re camping at each track so we’ll be carrying a tent, cooler and food.
I’ve found tires that I can use on the road and the track so I won’t need to carry wheels/tires and a jack.

the event is mid August so we’ll need a shade tent and lots of ice and water.
The shade tent is the one thing that is likely to ride on the roof.

 

All advice is welcome!

 

What car are you taking?

I've never bothered with a shade tent, nor with ice, but I do bring water. I brought a tent, sleeping bag, and air mattress on my last trip, which was a drag-n-drive, and I intended to camp with some other guys, but never ended up being at the same place at the same time. Still, all my stuff fit in the trunk of my Corvette, so it doesn't really take up much room.

 

I built this one, don't see 55's with a rack very often...lol

 

That’s exactly what I’m looking for

 

I’m taking my country squire so I have lots of room inside, and I recently went camping in my cobra and fit everything in the trunk of that little car so I know how to pack light, I just don’t like to.

my co-driver is a good cook and he’s agreed to feed me but we’ll need a gas grill and all our cooking supplies, which takes up a substantial portion of the car,
And I like being able to see out the back window

 

In other words, you're convinced you need to bring everything including the kitchen sink

Kind of the opposite of how I travel.

 

You pretty much nailed it!
I’ve gotten used to travelling in my airstream and bringing a while house with me.

 

heh...I've gotten used to traveling in my airstream, and it sure is nice to leave the house at home on some trips!

I've even figured out how to do breakfast and lunch every day, without needing to keep anything in a cooler.

 

This is the closest I’ve come to packing light, camping in the cobra and still having steak and eggs for breakfast.
Apologies for the OT car.

 

I wanted a roof rack for my 55 but could not find any thing I liked that would fit like it was made for a 55. So I built this one to fit like I wanted...lol

 

Hello,

Your station wagon has the nicest surf racks for most purposes. Whether you are removing the surfboard daily, or weekly, or even not at all. Those racks are useful for one purpose. As the cross bar is standard, the weight of the surfboard(s) are limited to the mfg. specifics.

Usually, they are good for several 40 lbs boards. The normal weight limit for any rack is also around 125 lbs maximum. The cross bar just can’t take more without bending or cracking. Your set up is perfect as to keeping it low for less air resistance and trying to make the air go over the top without turbulance under the rack. Low is better.

We have tried many different styles of racks for station wagons in our group. Some created their own problems with rust, dented surfboards, whistling while driving at any speed and lost towels that we used for stacking more than one surfboard. When the clips you are currently using came out, most everyone changed to those cast clips. The nice thing was the ability to clip to most rain channels.

I never used racks on my flathead 40 Ford Sedan Delivery due to the rain gutter not going all the way back to the rear area. The short area for clips was too short for the longboards. For that matter, even for short boards, too.

Jnaki

The set up you have is perfect to say the least. Low to the roof surface for less wind noise and with a towel under neath, a possible sway in the middle could still save your painted surfaces. The style the low hung bars creates is good for your single surfboard. Most of those racks are not made for storage of any kind. All luggage and other stuff goes inside the wagon.

If you are thinking of luggage on top, now, that is another wind resistance problem, let alone more weight on top for increasing your low center of gravity. It becomes too top heavy for most normal driving. Unless, you live in a flat area with no curves or hill climbs, it may be a problem. But, it depends on which wood/metal rack is chosen. Some of the ones have suction cups which does a number on the paint, let alone dents in the metal. So, there is that.

As far as any wooden racks are concerned, wood is so much heavier than your roof rack set up. Plus, the wood will create a larger wind resistance object and with multiple slats, more wind noise. As far a traditional roof racks, wood does not do it. Your set up is traditional when it came out in the 60s and used throughout surf history. At least in So Cal history… YRMV