Managed to cobble the rack together in quite a rush during Thursday & Friday last week.
Had to do most've the assembly outside 'cos me garridge is all full o' junk, mostly camping stuff & bits've old tents etc.
The weather here [NW Eng, Cheshire, UK] has been pretty atrocious, strong gusty winds + intermittent but long & heavy, blustery rain storms.
The awful conditions delayed the project somewhat, as I'd hoped to have had it all completed & strapped to the car by Thursday evening, ready for a sharpish departure to Ingleton on Friday morning.
Managed to bolt together the main metal frame by Thursday night but the cross struts had to wait til Friday.
Not having much lying around in the way of materials, I used a length of box shaped steel to bridge the central front to back gap, then some lightweight lengths of thin but strong skirting board to go across the width, supported by the central steel & secured to the main frame with a coupla strong plastic cable ties.
I'd planned to leave home ready loaded with mine & 'er indoors' stuff by around noon Friday to collect Anna, one've Mr Happy's extended Gloom Band members, chuck 'er & 'er 'usband Phil's stuff in the motor, race over to Runcorn to pick Phil from work 2.30ish then on to Liverpool to pick Mrs Happy [Mie] from 'er work around 3pm.
But as ever, due to many unforeseen probs, esp the weather, I was running about 2 hours behind schedule on Friday morning.
I'd laid some bits've old carpet on the car roof and when I hoisted the roof rack onto the car, it was immediately apparent that I'd need some extra height to raise it away from the roof itself, especially from the centre [as someone's mentioned above]
This is around 11am – rush, rush, think fast Mr H!
Rummaging in garridge & greenhouse produced some lengths & bits've 2"x 1" laths which I sawed then screwed to the frame – eventually!
As luck [bad] would have it, the one & only high speed drill bit the correct size for the job was blunted & wouldn't go through the metal.
Had to resort to drilling out all the screw holes with a smaller bit, which doubled the amount've time taken to do the job.
However, finally got it done & slung the whole contraption up on the car & commenced lashing it down – oh bugger! I'd omitted in my haste to affix any tie off points, so again had to scrat round for something suitable.
[Hmmmmmnn, just realising this epic story is approaching short novel size – shall I send it in to Readers Digest as well?? – WTY??]
Amazingly, I quickly located some metal U shaped hanger bolts, so got to work with the 'leccy drill again & made holes all the way round the rack at strategic intervals.
Marvellous! All done – by 1pm!
Next 2 old suitcases rapidly filled & slung on the roof, together with me trusty pushalong 4WD MPV [kiddies folding pushchair I always use at festivals for carrying me instruments, booze etc, so I don't need take the strain on me old own body! ]
Zoomed over to Anna's by 1.30pm & threw her & her stuff just higgledy piggledy in the car then screeched up the M56 to Runcorn – got there 2.30 on the dot!! YeeHah – back on schedule!!!
Then over to Broadgreen, L14 – just round the corner from the Jam Butty mines of Knotty Ash & got to 'er indoors without any bollicking for being late!
Continued – Episode 2 following shortly – watch this space!!