How to make a car roof box yourself. Making an expedition trunk with your own hands

Fans of long trips are interested in learning how to make car roof boxes with your own hands. Modern cars, for all their advantages, have rather small trunks. Therefore, many drivers are forced to use various additional devices. Most often, autoboxes are used. They allow you to transport various loads on the roof. This way, you can transport things without fear of getting them dirty or wet. Also, unlike conventional frame racks, car boxes are more aerodynamic. Types and types
How to make car roof boxes with your own hands?
First you need to decide on the type of trunk. The materials used and the complexity of assembly depend on this. The final choice of type is influenced by the cargo that is planned to be transported. Car boxes differ mainly by the type of fastening. The most familiar to domestic motorists is the drainage ditch. It can be found on many cars, located along the edges of the roof. Usually, ordinary luggage racks are attached to them, this is done using clamps with bolts. Some models have roof rails. This allows you to install fairly large car boxes on the roof. There are special fastenings for completely smooth roofs. The boxes are divided into 3 groups according to their length:

• Short ones
  - occupy about a third of the roof;
• Medium
  - they are slightly more than half the length of the roof;
• Long
  - equal to the roof or slightly longer than it.

Here the choice depends on your needs. If you plan to transport a small number of small items, then the short option is ideal. For trips with the whole family, it is best to use medium-sized luggage racks. Long ones are ideal for transporting skis and other similar equipment. How to do it?
First, decide on the mounting method.
The design of the base largely depends on this. The cross members must end with fastenings. To determine the appropriate type of fastening, simply look closely at the car. After that, purchase the necessary elements. For the base, you should use light but durable material. Aluminum or duralumin channels are best suited. This makes the structure not only durable, but also lightweight. Which will have a good effect on the efficiency of the car. The parts of the base are assembled together using bolts. The result is reliable and can be quickly disassembled if necessary. Also, something is usually attached to the base to stiffen the load. Polycarbonate is best suited for this. Aluminum composite panel can be used. A bead should be made on the sides. It is usually made from the same material that is placed on the base. It is attached either with special locks or rivets. It all depends on the material. Any material can be used. Most often they use something like a tarp. For greater aesthetics, you can take banner fabric. She is quite flexible. At the same time, it does not allow light and moisture to pass through. At the same time, you can order printing of drawings, which will make the car more attractive. It is important to choose the right lock. Please note that if it is exposed to snow and ice, it will freeze in winter. Therefore, when cutting fabric, provide a safety valve. You should also use zippers designed for skiers. Assembly
.
First you need to cut the fabric into fragments. After which they are sewn together. It is better not to use ordinary threads. Instead, it is better to use fishing braid or fishing line. This will give the seams greater reliability. It is better to do zippers from the side of the roadside. This way it will become less dirty. And unloading will occur more safely. Having sewn the cover together, a plate is placed in it, giving the structure rigidity. They attach it all to the crossbars. Autobox can be used. Additionally,
take the time to add a little lighting to your expedition rack.
To do this, install a pair of white LEDs in front. They are connected to the car lighting. When the low beam is turned on, they will also light up. This is done for greater traffic safety. On a night road, a car with such a design is visible much further. This is especially true for highways with a large number of descents and ascents. Oncoming drivers will switch to low beam in advance, which will protect you from being dazzled. Conclusion
. If you travel far and with a lot of things, then sooner or later you will have to worry about an additional trunk. That’s when the question arises, how to make auto boxes on the roof of a car with your own hands. It's not that difficult to do. It is important to choose the right material for boxing. And don't go wrong with the sizes. It is also important to take into account the requirements for fastenings and locks. It’s a good idea to install additional dimensions. As a result, you will get a car box that is not inferior in characteristics to the factory one.

Almost every driver has encountered such a problem as lack of space in the trunk of a car. And this applies not only to connoisseurs of outdoor activities who regularly go outdoors and take bicycles, tents and household items with them. In everyday life, the problem of transporting large items from place to place often arises.

A good option for solving such problems would be additional cargo space on the roof. If the manufacturer does not include this element in the standard configuration of the car, a do-it-yourself car roof rack will be a good alternative. This is a removable design that can be easily mounted on a car and just as easily removed.

The most common types of homemade roof racks are a car box and a welded structure consisting of aluminum or steel profiles.

The box on the roof of the car has a rather attractive appearance and, most importantly, does not interfere with the aerodynamic performance of the car. But making it yourself is quite difficult and expensive. It is included in the factory equipment, which is developed for a specific car brand, most often for SUVs.

The roof rack rack is a more functional design. The volume of the rack compartment on the roof of any VAZ model is two to three times greater than the volume of the car box on a Toyota SUV.

The advantages are obvious:

• the structure can be installed temporarily;
• ease of transportation of large items: pipes, bicycles, boards, etc.;
• car roof protection;
• increasing the volume of the cargo compartment by two to three times.

Flaws:

• reduction in vehicle aerodynamics;
• with a cargo weight on the roof of 50 kg or more, the stability of the car during side gusts of wind decreases by 10-20%;
• driving a car becomes more difficult.

The main disadvantage is that fuel consumption increases to 1-2 liters per 100 km with a load of 50 kg.

The average speed of a car with a load of 50 kg on the roof should not exceed 70-75 km/h.

Types and types

How to make car roof boxes with your own hands? First you need to decide on the type of trunk. The materials used and the complexity of assembly depend on this. The final choice of variety is influenced by the cargo that is planned to be transported.

Car boxes differ mainly by the type of fastening. The most familiar to domestic motorists is the drainage ditch. It can be found on many cars, located along the edges of the roof. Usually, ordinary luggage racks are attached to them, this is done using clamps with bolts. Some models have roof rails. This allows you to install fairly large car boxes on the roof. For completely smooth roofs there are special fastenings.

Based on their length, boxes are divided into 3 groups:

• Short ones
  - occupy about a third of the roof;
• Medium
  - they are slightly more than half the length of the roof;
• Long
  - equal to the roof or slightly longer than it.

Here the choice depends on your needs. If you plan to transport a small number of small items, then the short option is ideal. For trips with the whole family, it is best to use medium-sized luggage racks. Long ones are ideal for transporting skis and other similar equipment.

How to secure it?

The option for installing the trunk directly depends on the car model and the design features of the roof. On the roofs of “classics” of domestic manufacturers, as well as on old foreign cars, a longitudinal drain is provided, which is used to secure the trunk.

For this type of installation, metal stops with a clamp are made or purchased. This design feature of the car roof makes it possible to fix luggage racks of different designs and dimensions.

For modern models with longitudinal rails, you can use ready-made clamps to attach the muffler or make a clamp yourself. To do this, a metal sheet is selected and bent according to size. Holes are drilled in it for screw fastening to the trunk.

How to do it?

First, decide on the mounting method. The design of the base largely depends on this. The cross members must end with fastenings. To determine the appropriate type of fastening, simply look closely at the car. After that, purchase the necessary items.

For the base you should use a lightweight but durable material. Aluminum or duralumin channels are best suited. This makes the structure not only durable, but also lightweight. Which will have a good effect on the efficiency of the car. The parts of the base are assembled together using bolts. The result is reliable and can be quickly disassembled if necessary. Also, something is usually attached to the base to stiffen the load. Polycarbonate is best suited for this.

Aluminum composite panel can be used. A bead should be made on the sides. It is usually made from the same material that is placed on the base. It is attached either with special locks or rivets. It all depends on the material.

Any material can be used. Most often they use something like a tarp. For greater aesthetics, you can take banner fabric. She is quite flexible. At the same time, it does not allow light and moisture to pass through. At the same time, you can order printing of drawings, which will make the car more attractive.

It is important to choose the right lock. Please note that if it is exposed to snow and ice, it will freeze in winter. Therefore, when cutting fabric, provide a safety valve. You should also use zippers designed for skiers.

Assembly

. First you need to cut the fabric into fragments. After which they are sewn together. It is better not to use ordinary threads. Instead, it is better to use fishing braid or fishing line. This will give the seams greater reliability. It is better to do zippers from the side of the roadside. This way it will become less dirty. And unloading will be more secure.

Having sewn the cover together, a plate is placed in it to give rigidity to the structure. They attach it all to the crossbars. Autobox can be used.

Build process

• Cut the fabric and sew it into one piece
• To give the material strength, it is better to sew all elements together with fishing line
• To make unloading things safer, it is better to do all the tightening on the sides
• To make the structure more rigid, it is advisable to place a plate in the case

You can install an additional option in the form of lighting in the front part of the trunk, and when you turn on the light at night, it will be illuminated, and on descents and ascents, the car in front will know in advance about your approach.

But before installing the additional one, it is necessary to install roof rails on the Chevrolet Niva; these are a pair of metal arches that are attached to the roof.

There are two types of roof rails:

• Longitudinal
• Transverse
• Combined

The first option, as a rule, comes already equipped with an SUV, but the second is installed on any type of body. Combined ones are already more complex, they include additional cross members with longitudinal rails. Their distinctive feature is reliability and increased load capacity. When choosing, you should pay attention to the operating instructions that come with the kit; it should indicate which models they can be installed on, since the slats can be fixed differently in different cars. It is also important what material they will be made of, and it is better to choose aluminum or steel structures. Metal structures have a much shorter service life and lower load capacity.

If you have any doubts about your choice, it is best to contact your car dealer and find out which model to choose for your car.

As you can see, assembling and installing the box yourself is not difficult; the main thing is to decide what type you need, choose high-quality material so that the structure lasts as long as possible. If you take this issue seriously, you can assemble a design that will not be inferior to the factory ones in terms of basic characteristics and build quality.

Every car owner once feels too cramped in the car - for example, when he starts repairs and carries tiles and plaster in the car or rushes to the dacha in the spring with seedlings. The most effective way in this situation is to place luggage on the roof of the car using a special device. However, prices for high-quality luggage racks range from several thousand to two to three tens of thousands of rubles. A simple and practical solution is to make a trunk yourself.

Additionally

Take the time to add a little lighting to your expedition rack. To do this, install a pair of white LEDs in front. They are connected to the car lighting. When the low beam is turned on, they will also light up.

This is done for greater traffic safety. On a night road, a car with such a design is visible much further. This is especially true for highways with a large number of descents and ascents. Oncoming drivers will switch to low beam in advance, which will protect you from being dazzled.

DIY acoustic trunk

Trunk with acoustic effect

As mentioned above, making an acoustic trunk yourself is not so difficult. It is enough to know the basic information and technology, and then act based on the scenarios of your own imagination. The process begins, of course, with preparing the trunk floor:

Preparing the floor for the acoustic trunk

Now the most difficult thing is to make the boxes so that they do not make noise on bumps, and everything looks perfectly beautiful. Of course, all this is done not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also in order to significantly increase acoustic comfort.

Subwoofer boxes

Why do you need a roof rack on a car?

A roof rack will definitely come in handy if you:

• started renovations and transport building materials yourself;
• moving, transporting a large number of things;
• are interested in active recreation, be it cycling, snowboarding, skiing, fishing, hunting, hiking, etc.

Trunk rail - a minimalist solution for avid travelers

Fastening the crossbars

To attach the already prepared crossbars to the roof rails, you need to make special holes in them. Measure them symmetrically on both sides, taking into account the holes in the mounting plates that we prepared earlier. Once you drill the hole, you can begin attaching the trunk. Having fulfilled all the conditions, it will take you no more than 15 minutes to secure it. If you notice that the fasteners do not fit tightly somewhere, you can use rubber gaskets, even homemade ones.

If you load more, you risk not only damaging the trunk, but also the roof itself. In addition, if it is a heavy oversized load, then you need to take into account that it needs to be secured correctly.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated about making a roof rack yourself, the process does not require any special knowledge and you can do everything yourself. Everything can be done right in the garage of any car enthusiast; minimal tools are required. The main thing is not to forget about safety precautions while working.

Types and photos of the most common designs

First, you need to decide on the type of roof rack that you need. There are several types of structures:

universal type trunk. It consists of several transverse slats and fixing brackets. Suitable for almost all car models: from the cargo “Sable” to the cool “Jeep”;

A universal roof rack with fastenings can be easily installed on a smooth car roof

Expedition racks are most often installed on SUVs

A bicycle rack is indispensable for nature and cycling lovers

A roof rack is the most convenient, but quite expensive option.

Before proceeding directly to the process, it should be noted that the car owner undertakes the manufacture of the trunk at his own peril and risk and he himself is responsible for the possible consequences.

Video: how to make a good trunk with your own hands

And it’s also worth paying attention to the fact that you are unlikely to need the trunk all the time, so you should think about making it removable and using it as needed.

Manufacturing of the product

Let's take a closer look at how to make a roof rack with your own hands. To do this you need:

• Purchase materials. As a rule, an aluminum profile is used. It has sufficient strength, light weight and is not susceptible to corrosion. Purchase or make fasteners in accordance with the design features of the car roof.
• Prepare the necessary tools. You will need a grinder, a welding machine, an electric drill, a meter tape, varnish and a brush.
• In accordance with the drawings, components are prepared.
• By welding they are fastened into a common structure.

After completion of the work, the finished structure is varnished in combination with the car body. If desired, additional lighting elements and an external antenna can be attached to the trunk.

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Universal car trunk

It is better for an inexperienced craftsman to start with making the simplest type of trunk. In fact, there are two crossbars to be made. For this you will need:

• metal profile, for example, with dimensions of 20X30 mm and a wall thickness of 1.5–2.0 mm (ideally aluminum, since it is lighter);
• clamps for muffler - 4 pieces. With their help, the trunk will be attached to the roof (if there are roof rails);
• polyurethane foam;
• grinding machine;
• fiberglass with a density of 300 g/m2. m.;
• dye.

Step-by-step production

To make a trunk in accordance with the parameters of the car and securely attach it to the roof, follow the algorithm below:

1. First, we cut the crossbars. The length of the crossbars must correspond to the width of the car body.
2. We cover the crossbars with foam both inside and outside. The layer should be quite dense: this will allow the crossbars to be given the required shape at the next stage.
3. After the foam has dried, grind it off using a sanding machine. At the first stage, we give the profile the shape of a regular parallelepiped, and then we make design changes in order to improve aerodynamics, in particular, we grind down the corners.
4. Since the foam has a loose structure, the crossbars can be additionally covered with car putty - this will make their surface smoother.
5. We wrap the crossbars with fiberglass cloth in three layers.
6. Paint the crossbars and wait for them to dry.
7. At this time we will start making fasteners. In our case, we decided to take the path of least resistance and use muffler clamps. They need to be prepared - file the bottom of the clamp to create an even plate for a tighter fit.
8. We drill holes in the cross members. There should be two symmetrically located holes on each side. The distance between them should coincide with the “ears” of the clamp.
9. We attach the crossbars to the rails. To avoid damaging the crossbars with clamps, rubber gaskets can be placed at the points of their contact.

Video: features of fastening the structure to the Oka car

Expeditionary trunk type "basket"

The technology for manufacturing an expeditionary trunk will be much more complicated. In this case, you will need to first draw up a drawing. In addition, you cannot do without a welding machine and the ability to handle metal.

Mesh base - a practical solution for expedition luggage

Construction drawing

Let's take a homemade trunk for a Chevrolet Niva as an example. The length of the trunk will be 163 cm, width - 123 cm. To make an expedition trunk, you will need a metal profile 15X15 (approx. 9 linear meters), 20X20 (approx. 7 linear meters), 25X25 (approx. 7 linear meters) and 30X20 (approx. 6 p.m.).

It’s quite possible to make an expedition rack for Niva using this drawing yourself

Sequence of actions of the wizard:

1. We start making the trunk from the base: we cook the perimeter. Longitudinal guides are made from profile 30X20, transverse jumpers are made from profile 20X20.
2. We weld load-bearing lintels from a 30X20 profile into the perimeter. For them the platform will be attached to the rails.
3. We reduce the distance between the load-bearing jumpers by welding additional transverse ones from the 20X20 profile.
4. We make an arc that will be located in front in order to improve aerodynamics: we measure 5 cm from the edges of the profile and cut out a triangular sector, after which we bend the profile. We weld the arc on the outside of the perimeter.
5. To increase the strength of the structure, we fasten the jumpers together with sections of 15X15 profile. If desired, non-load-bearing lintels can be replaced with metal mesh or stainless steel sheets.
6. We make the sides. We cut the profile into pieces 6–10 cm long and weld it to the base. If desired, they can be mounted on a thread - then the sides and the upper part of the trunk can be removed.
7. It was the turn of the top crossbar. It should be the same size as the bottom one, but the side crossbars should be slightly shorter, and the posts connecting them to the base should be angled to improve aerodynamics.
8. We fasten the trunk in a manner similar to that described above. An important point: to evenly distribute the weight, the expedition rack should be secured to six points.

Roof rack: pros and cons

We have already started talking above about the benefits that roof racks provide to car owners. Now let's look at them in more detail.

Advantages of the design

There are many advantages of a roof rack:

• The most obvious benefit is, of course, the extra space for things. So, on the roof you can easily place three bicycles or everything you need for outdoor recreation - a tent, inflatable boat, fishing equipment, etc. And the capacity of seemingly quite compact boxes can be up to 300–800 liters;
• it becomes possible to transport non-standard, for example, very long loads (such as ladders, boards, pipes, etc.);
• due to the fact that part of the luggage is moved to the roof, it becomes much freer, more comfortable and safer in the cabin;
• Due to the roof rack, the load is distributed more evenly. So, if all the cargo is in the trunk, the car “sags”. This reduces ground clearance and creates a risk of rollover.

Possible problems

Along with obvious advantages, car roof racks have a number of disadvantages:

• they, as a rule, negatively affect the aerodynamic properties of the car. An irregularly shaped trunk will create additional resistance to air flow, which means the stability of the car will also suffer. This may also cause additional noise.
• a car with a roof rack significantly increases its height, which means it will not be able to drive along sections of the road where appropriate restrictions have been established.
• the trunk itself, even empty, weighs from 1.5 to 15 kg or more, which increases the overall weight of the car and, consequently, fuel consumption. According to some estimates, an unloaded trunk increases gasoline consumption by 0.2 liters per 100 km in urban conditions.

So, you have found out what kinds of car roof racks there are, got acquainted with their advantages and disadvantages, and found out how to make some of them yourself. Now you don’t have to rack your brains about how to place all the tents, spinning rods, backpacks and other equipment in the car - all of this will have a place on the roof of the car. All you have to do is relax and enjoy your vacation. Good luck on the roads!

Hello, dear visitors of our site! Glad to see you again. Oh, how nice it is getting outside. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, it’s warm - you just want to go on vacation, which is just around the corner. Today we will continue the topic of road trips. As always, on a trip we will need to take with us a lot of things that need to be put somewhere. This is an eternal problem - lack of usable space. And a very useful auto gadget will help us increase it.

A car roof box is a special additional roof rack installed on the roof. Not only a travel bag fits there perfectly, but also many other things that drivers and their passengers take with them on vacation, on a business trip or when traveling to the country, for example. There are a huge number of options for using autoboxes.

Car tuning

The classic representative of the domestic automotive industry is VAZ. Let's consider the advantages of a roof rack for a VAZ, which you made yourself. These include:

• sufficient strength and reliability of the structure;
• full compliance with the stated requirements of the car owner;
• saving money;
• the possibility of installing it on similar vehicles.

Such products are very popular for residents of private houses and dacha owners. On the roof of the car you can transport furniture, tree seedlings, garden tools, light building materials and other cargo.

Criterias of choice

In fact, I’m just planning to make a similar purchase for myself. It became clear that a closed box is much better than a conventional roof rack mounted on roof rails. Such designs are universal, roomy, protect the contents from precipitation and simply protect my things from attacks by thieves.

We are planning to go on vacation at the seaside soon. This time I just had to test my water skis. And the children have grown up, their needs for the number of things have expanded significantly from one swimsuit and a pack of diapers. And my wife is absolutely gold. Sometimes it seems to me that we are not going on vacation for a week, but moving there to live. Although she creates comfort and excellent conditions from things taken at sea, so I can’t complain.

But buying a car box is my immediate task for the near future. In principle, I have made my choice. All that remains is to place an order through the official website. I scoured online stores, looking online at cities such as Perm, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and realized that prices were about the same everywhere. Chelyabinsk and Moscow are not particularly inferior to each other in their appetites.

If you want to buy a car box, we advise you to first read reviews, look at the rating, photo and video review. Everyone has their own selection criteria, so I will try to give the most universal advice possible.

When choosing a box, you can install it yourself. In this regard, everything is extremely simple if there are appropriate fasteners on the roof of the car.