DIY - UNISTRUT ROOF RACK - EASY INSTALL - VW CRAFTER CONVERSION - EP. 16
Тәжірибелік нұсқаулар және стиль
Welcome to my channel :)
My name is Richie Ros an Irish Singer Songwriter.
I've purchased a VW crafter van, that I will be converting into a tiny house - tour bus and touring throughout the world.
I'm converting a Vw Crafter 2013 ex DHL delivery van into a tour bus/home on wheels.
In episode 15 of the tour bus build I install unistrut for the solar panels to attach to. In the next episode I will instal and attach 3 x 160 watt solar panels to the unistrut.
If you have any questions please leave them in the comments section below.
Thanks For Watching :)
___________________________________
LETS CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram - / richierosmu. .
FB - / richierosoff. .
_______________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Download "Odyssey" on iTunes - apple.co/1LigEDF
Listen on Spotify - spoti.fi/2Hzrgkv
Listen - www.richieros.com
________________________________________________________________
MERCH STORE
Merch - www.richieros.com/new-page-1
________________________________________________________________
SONGS IN Ep. 2
Artists -
INOSSI - Sunset Eyes
Atch - Over You
Dayfox - Lioness
Lyne - Tribes
_________________________________________________________________
GEAR USED
Canon SL2 amzn.to/35BKV0W
Mini Tripod amzn.to/3khCpbE
Camera Tripod amzn.to/32yLVRQ
Weebill S amzn.to/3hCl5fz
__________________________________________________________________
Products Used
Truma Ultrastore - bit.ly/39vRenb
240v 16A Hook Up Socket - amzn.to/3rfPJ4H
240v Hook Up Cable - amzn.to/34xwTMO
Mains Hook Up Adapter lead socket - amzn.to/38pUPCQ
Pocket holes Jig (For screwing frame together) - amzn.to/3eOPl7c
MaxxAir Fan amzn.to/3kSWE08
Sikaflex - amzn.to/2Jd43t9
File Second Cut - amzn.to/2J6c5DX
Mastic/Butyl Tape - amzn.to/2J6c5DX
Jig Saw - amzn.to/3ocsJlp
Jigsaw blade - amzn.to/3odgNjE
Hammerite - amzn.to/37qjNDi
File - amzn.to/34cNK7A
Super Foil Vapour Barrier - amzn.to/34al265
Thermal foil - amzn.to/2SfeKga
Stanely Blade - amzn.to/33gG9ED
Disclaimer - I use affiliate links from which I earn a small percentage at no extra cost to yourself.
_______________________________________________________________________
Please consider supporting the channel by donating or making a purchase from my online store.
www.richieros.com/new-page-1
paypal.me/richieros?locale.x=...
Пікірлер: 92
The colour theme for the van is black and yellow because the van is yellow and the trim is black. Priceless!😂
Amazing video. Super helpful.
Great job Richie and great video keep them coming
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks ;)
Nice job.
Legend dude, solved me a few problems 🙏 thank you
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Great 👍
Great video, really helpful!
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for making a video on this, gonna do a similar job on my t4. Cheers from County Kerry.
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Glad it helped
An excellent solution to provide a low profile roof rack for your solar panels. Best thing is it’s an economical too! Great job 👏
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Andrew!
Neatly done
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks
This is identical to what im going to do. Fantastic work on your van mate. Great job 👏
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
Thanks 👍
Buen vídeo, enhorabuena gracias.
Super helplful, thank you!
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
RIvnuts are also a good option for others that might leave fitting their rails until near the end of their build (me!) when they can't get access to the roof from inside to secure bolts (without difficulty).
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Rivnuts Rock :)
Well done :)
Top man
Great result that R, 🍻lad.
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
Thanks 👍
Nice one lad
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks
I used black Plasti-Dip spray on my uni strut. Been a little over 2 years, and holding up well.
super
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you
Great Job. Thanks. Have you considered using plumbers tape "Thread seal tape" to seal the bolts?
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Never thought of using the plumbers tape. I decided to use the sikaflex because it would seal it from leaking but also strengthened it and keep everything secured together.
And the gate in your backyard also does it's job.😂😅😅
@RichieRos
Ай бұрын
A grand job it does ✌️
Great job the reason you are best to paint unistrut because all that white crap comes off it and runs down the side of your van when it rains
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks 👍
I just subbed to you Richie 👍😄
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks
Awesome video! Do you think this would work with the factory Mercedes t-track rails? Need to mount roof rails but the inside of the van is already finished off so don't have access to the underside so need to use rivets. just not sure if it would support the weight of a roof rack system. would be using with a kayak.
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
It should work!
Go CUBS!
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
CUBS all the way ;)
Hi, Did you use the 1.6 light duty unistrut or the 2.5 heavy duty.
Hi, great vid, what length bolt did you use and is there anything you would do different, about to takle this job myself
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Paul. I think the bolt lengths were 30 mil. But to be sure, you could measure the height of the rivet nut, the thickness of the two washers and the unistrut. What I did, was a dry fit of one of the bolts prior to securing everything down. There’s nothing I’d do differently, just take your time and you will have no problems. Also make sure that you practice drilling out the hole for the M8 rivet nut on a scrap piece of metal ( if you can). You don’t want to drill the holes too big for the rivet nut. Hope that helps. Best of luck.
Hi nice neat job. did you source the unistrut and accessories used in the solar panel install locally (in Ireland)? Thanks.
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
I got the unistrut locally in Ireland. Try any large electrical wholesalers and they should have it. I got the L brackets, washers and bolts in a hardware store and the rivet nut tool from Amazon. The link should be in the video description:)
Nice job but not sure I'd use rivnuts for this! I'd rather bolt through with washers to spread the load (assuming you have internal access to the roof)
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
That’s also another way you could do it!
@wapaic
3 жыл бұрын
@@RichieRos many ways to skin those cats👍
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
@@wapaic absolutely 😉
did you use stainless steel bolts? they do not get rusty, good job looks nice , and the unistrut painted black awesome !
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
I used just regular bolts. The bolts have not rusted so far but I thinks that's because of the sikaflex surrounding the bolts. I would probably use stainless steel bolts if I was to do it again.
Hi Richie, thank you so muchhh for sharing your experience. Next week I will attach my unistruts as well to the roof and wanted to do it with rivernuts as well but I was afraid that it wouldn't be absolutely water proof. You didn't have any leaking until now? And what kind of sikaflex????
@martineedixhoven3389
2 жыл бұрын
I do read now that you didn't have any leakage so far so yeah thanks!!
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
No leaks, Use lots of sikaflex. The sikaflex I used for the van build is in the description of the video. glad you found it helpful. Best of luck with the build.
can you tell me what rivet tool an rivets you used Richie...beautiful job!!
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
In the description is a link to rivet nut tool I used. I used M8 rivets :)
Hi Richie, thanks for the video, it's very helpful! I'm going to fit unistrut to my VW Crafter. I've got two lengths, 3m each. How many rivnuts did you put in each side of your van to make the rail secure? Thanks!
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Glad you found it helpful :) I used 5 - 6 rivnuts on either side. Use as many as you can and lots of sikaflex 👍
@antonylowe1654
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the reply Richie! I'm on it! How are your roof rails holding up so far by the way? Do they cope well with speed bumps and potholes,, etc? Cheers.
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
@@antonylowe1654 roof rails are still on the roof no issues with speed bumps or pot holes!
Hi Ritchie. I saw r This a while back and very well demonstrated. I’m only just ready to install my unistrut and just wondered how they are holding up. Any leaks or vibration from the installation ? Thanks. Ted
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
No issues whatsoever! Just take your time and use as many rivnuts/bolts as you can. Also use lots of sikaflex. Best of luck with the install!
@BallygarvanGAA
2 жыл бұрын
@@RichieRos Thanks very much for coming back to me on that Richie. I have followed Greg Virgoe for most of the build but he used sikaflex and self tapping screws straight through the roof rather than fitting rivnuts. Your option looks more secure I think. Hope you are enjoying the van.
Hi Richie, could you explain a little about why you used rivet nut rather than just using nut+bolt+washer? Thank you :-)
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
Using nut, bolts and washers wasn’t an option for me because I already had the interior completed.
Does this work on fiat ducato or do i have to drill the holes anyways?
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Not sure if the holes are also on the Fiat Ducato. If not you could just drill them. Make sure to practice drilling the holes first on a scrap piece of sheet metal so that you don't make the hole too big on the roof!
I'm looking at doing this on my crafter, to mount a roof tent. Are these rivnuts strong and reliable enough to take that weight? Thanks.
@RichieRos
28 күн бұрын
What type of roof tent. There was a fair bit of weight on those three solar panels and there still on the roof. 👍
@mccannsn
28 күн бұрын
Tentbox lite XL. Just worried the load. I'm probably being paranoid lol
Are smaller rivet nuts an option instead of drilling a larger hole?
@RichieRos
Жыл бұрын
No you need a minimum M8 bolt to secure the unistrut to the roof. Hope that helps
Hey Richie, how come you used M8? Is there an official requirement for that size or just a personal preference?
@RichieRos
3 жыл бұрын
No official requirement :) The M8 bolt just fitted nicely through the unistrut slots. Maybe you could also use M10 once it fits through the unistrut. The M6 would probably be too small. I’ve got three big solar panels attached to the unistrut so I went with the M8. Hope that helps!
@hazelorned
3 жыл бұрын
@@RichieRos Cheers Richie for the reply. I'm a little loathe to widen the existing holes in the roof. Haven't decided my solar or roof rack setup yet but we definitely keep your comments in mind. Thanks a mil. Great video!
glazing rubber strip under the Uni-strut?
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
No rubber strip, just straight on!
Hi, what size rivnut did you use
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
M8
How to attach crossbars to the rails?
@rowerwet
Жыл бұрын
More unistrut and bolts and nuts. There are specific spring nuts sold for unistrut or you could get creative with large washers and standard bolts and nuts from the hardware aisle.
for a proper, no spin, not come loose installation of a riv nut, the insert should be a push fit into the hole.....as metric drills are available in 0.1mm increments this shouldnt be a problem........all the lose and spinning ones come from improper installation
The amount of times you said spray killed my anxiety…
Try to say it once to keep the video short
So you don't have to worry about leaking
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
No Leaking! Make sure to use lots of Sikaflex.
@moderngunguy3666
2 жыл бұрын
@@RichieRos oh okay because I see a lot of people install these without any kind of sealant
The background music is too loud compared to your narrative. I was continuously having to adjust the volume because of it. ANNOYING!
@RichieRos
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your feedback :) I've adjusted the volume of the back round music for the other videos.