Member Since: 06 Feb 2019
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 965
Fabricating crossbars for Prospeed rack
As mentioned on another thread, I have a mk1 Prospeed rack that whilst needing a little surface rust treatment and painting, is in otherwise sound condition.
What is annoying is the lack of accessories for it - crossbars in particular which I cannot find any in the market that will fit it. I've managed to buy some poor condition old bars, what I think are their (Prospeed's) orignial XRS bars. They're rusty and I'm not confident of attaching roof boxes and bikes to them, for fear of failure at speed, so I need new ones. They are impossible to find second hand and even more impossible new.
So, I'm thinking of manufacturing some exact replacements, but with one modification being holes for M6 or M8 bolts all along the length at 100mm centres. That might be useful for general fixing of bike racks, platforms, lights, Jerry cans, and so on.
These are the bars I've bought:
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
I've had a quote today to make 4 new ones out of stainless steel from a local fabricator in Marlow, but that's come in at £798 plus VAT. That seems a lot, I was expecting maybe sub-£500 would more than cover it.
Does anyone on here know of a good fabricator that I could use? Stainless would be ideal of course, but I suppose mild steel could be either galvanised or powder-coated, but not sure that would be any cheaper.
If my workshop were ready (next year hopefully!) I'd have a go myself, but I don't currently have any welding kit.2022 BMW i4 M50. Bought Oct 2022. 10,200 miles and counting...
2014 BMW 435d convertible. Bought July 2021. 58,000 miles and counting...
2005 Discovery 3 HSE Auto. Bought Feb 2019. 169,000 miles and counting...
2009 Freelander 2 XS Manual. Bought Sep 2013. SOLD Aug 2021 (already regretted!)
Member Since: 22 Oct 2018
Location: Sydney NB
Posts: 97
Just go to a local aluminium fabricator & get it welded up. I have had a few brackets made.
Also knocked up my own fuel container holders out of anodised aluminium & tapped all the holes for bolts & Nyloc nuts using 316 stainless steel.
Visitor - Freelander owner
2nd Aug 2023 11:01 pm
DIY Ace
Member Since: 06 Feb 2019
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 965
Smart looking job. I've been Googling all evening and reckon some 25mm box section in stainless, with some 25mm tube clamp brackets will hold it firm to the rack. Rudimentary maybe, but should be plenty strong enough to get me through to next year when hopefully I'll have my workshop built and I can fabricate and weld some permanent solutions.2022 BMW i4 M50. Bought Oct 2022. 10,200 miles and counting...
2014 BMW 435d convertible. Bought July 2021. 58,000 miles and counting...
2005 Discovery 3 HSE Auto. Bought Feb 2019. 169,000 miles and counting...
2009 Freelander 2 XS Manual. Bought Sep 2013. SOLD Aug 2021 (already regretted!)
Member Since: 05 Aug 2020
Location: Sutton Coldfield
Posts: 1267
What’s the width of the rack? I think the distance between the D3 roof rails is 122cm so won’t be far off that, have you looked at a set of universal roof bars to get you past the holiday?
Something like these?
My Wife thinks the D3 is a hobby, The D3 thinks the wife is 💕
4th Aug 2023 12:43 am
ronp
Member Since: 29 Nov 2006
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 15261
Have you looked at setting bars across the full width on the base/floor section?
In doing that, if you have enough of them you could do away with the mesh (apart from the antenna rear section) to make tethering items down easier.
You would then have the upper frame of the rack to act as a basket/sidewall to secure items from moving about.
And it’d also give a lower/neater profile.
A good few lengths of hollowed square tubing would do the job, with plastic plugged ends - even using long roof bars if (as Kevin suggests), but without the footings.
Oh, and get a solar panel fitted to the front raised section. ...... always on the road less travelled 🚧
4th Aug 2023 10:00 am
DIY Ace
Member Since: 06 Feb 2019
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 965
KevinD3 wrote:
What’s the width of the rack? I think the distance between the D3 roof rails is 122cm so won’t be far off that, have you looked at a set of universal roof bars to get you past the holiday?
Something like these?
Cheers Kevin, I've taken that advice and put on some standard T-track aero bars and feet. They're gripping the steel frame well, albeit it is not a long term solution for me. Practical perhaps, but I don't like the design of having a rack, then feet, then crossbars, then whatever I'm carrying. It seems counter-productive having a snuggly fitting custom rack only to stick on Halfords crossbars and feet that could've simply been fixed to the original D3 rails. That said it's a good idea, thank you, just to get me through a few summer trips with the bikes on the roof.
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
2022 BMW i4 M50. Bought Oct 2022. 10,200 miles and counting...
2014 BMW 435d convertible. Bought July 2021. 58,000 miles and counting...
2005 Discovery 3 HSE Auto. Bought Feb 2019. 169,000 miles and counting...
2009 Freelander 2 XS Manual. Bought Sep 2013. SOLD Aug 2021 (already regretted!)
Member Since: 06 Feb 2019
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 965
ronp wrote:
Have you looked at setting bars across the full width on the base/floor section?
In doing that, if you have enough of them you could do away with the mesh (apart from the antenna rear section) to make tethering items down easier.
You would then have the upper frame of the rack to act as a basket/sidewall to secure items from moving about.
And it’d also give a lower/neater profile.
A good few lengths of hollowed square tubing would do the job, with plastic plugged ends - even using long roof bars if (as Kevin suggests), but without the footings.
Oh, and get a solar panel fitted to the front raised section.
Cheers Ron, I do like that idea. It'll be supremely useful to have maybe four or five crossbars set across the lower rails on that rack, and as you say I can cut out the mesh perhaps. My plan next spring is to strip back the rack, treat it to a fresh coat of paint and perhaps then at the time I can weld in some permanent rails.
I'll still need some movable bars on the upper rails too, not least because my Kamei roof box is too long to fit snug into the tray. This mk1 version has raised rails at the front where the sunroof opens, unlike (I think) the mk2 version that has a deeper tray in that front bit.
Click image to enlarge
In the meantime, my Halford jobbies above will get me through. Albeit it now touches just over the 2m height I suspect - I can just squeeze under those carpark barriers with the rack, don't reckon I'll get through them now... 2022 BMW i4 M50. Bought Oct 2022. 10,200 miles and counting...
2014 BMW 435d convertible. Bought July 2021. 58,000 miles and counting...
2005 Discovery 3 HSE Auto. Bought Feb 2019. 169,000 miles and counting...
2009 Freelander 2 XS Manual. Bought Sep 2013. SOLD Aug 2021 (already regretted!)
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