Roof Rack & Solar Panels

The Ford transit is among the only cargo vans with a curved roof, which icy as beneficial because it maximizes the height of the interior. The drawback however is that mounting things on the roof and ceiling are difficult because of the curvature. Because of this I had to fabricate a custom roof rack that is at an angle in order to clear the curvature of the exterior roof.

I’d decided to build a rack pad out of UV resistant HDPE. This is cut at an angle with a miter saw with L brackets and 8020 mounting rods attached.

I could have purchased a full fledged roof rack for 1000+ dollars but I felt it would be overkill for just the solar racks. Also by using 8020 I have the option of adding other accessories to the roof such as an awning.

Also, decided to use a double 8020 layer which gives me an option to add an awning or other side attachments (like a solar water heater) later on.

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4"

6"

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Materials:

• Rubber gasket (for vibration dampening — optional)
• Butyl tape (for water sealant)
• Dicor (for water sealant)
• HDPE (as a riser to clear roof)
• Angled Aluminum (8020 Part # 2415)
• 8x M8-1.25 x 50mm Bolts (for van mounting holes)
• 8x m8-1.25 nylon lock nuts
• 16x m8 regular washers
• 96" Double aluminum extrusion (8020 part #
• 8x T nuts (for solar panels)
• Rubber grommet to protect wiring on van frame entry

Steps:

1. lay butyl tape on van surface
2. Lay pre-cut HDPE 3"x3" @ 6.5deg angle on mounting hole
3. Lay pre-cut alumnium angle on HDPE
4. lay bonded washer (for sealant)
5. M8 bolt thru washer, Aluminum,

6. → → nut → dicor