First of all I have been fighting with a design for quite some time although lighting didn't strike my bowling ball brain of mine till 4x4mike's build thread caught my attention.

Second of all I didn't want to thread jack but I could always use some input. I have someone to assist me with the welding which should help tremendously. Here is my wish list for my roof rack

1. Full roof length- I don't have a sunroof to worry about so this does make it easier in the design area.
2. Weight- I wouldn't put more than 400lbs up top anyway but I want to save the 400lbs for gear....not the rack.
3. Hybrid design- I have an 8ft Yakima Rocketbox that is particularly awesome for road tripping since it helps with the aerodynamics and protects stuff from the elements without a tarp crackling in the wind.
4. Light mounts- This is part of the whole camping out of the truck deal. Ideally I would like the ability to mount 4 corner lights (probably pods) to illuminate for trail and campsite.....and maybe just maybe I can talk the wife into a nice 20" light bar up front later.
5. Low Profile- Again without the lighting bolt I wasn't sure how I was going to do this while still being able to mount the RocketBox but mike's basket is the inspiration for this build without a doubt. Is it wrong that I feel like the design engineer from one of the big 3 for copying a design?

So far this is what I have in mind. Granted it's just a frame but it will be developing. The rack is 7.5' long and 45" wide with a roof clearance of .5" which should clear the roof curve but just barely. Middle supports are .5x1x.060" and the main frame is 1x1x.090".

Roof Rack.jpgRoof Rack2.jpgRoof Rack3.jpg