Festiva roof rack?

[mattswabb]

holy cow, Matt posted! Hey Matt!

Hey, I'm still here everyday just haven't posted in a while. Just keeping quite.

[GenevaDirt]

Lurker!!

[neanderpaul]

Hey, I'm still here EVERYDAY just haven't posted in a while. Just keeping quite.

Hey, I like the sound of that! Merry Christmas to you and yours man.

[kellen302]

I have a set of Thule universal feet and bars, and a pod, check my album for pics, they're pretty pricey new, but these came with the car

[LanceFitzgiben]

I'd like to have a rack system to haul the mountain bikes around, but fear the impact on fuel economy. I know that roof racks have a major impact. My buddy's Subaru is dead even with my M5 until he starts to pull a bit in the upper part of fourth gear. When he's got his roof rack on I leave him really hard.

Anyone do a hitch-type setup off the rear? Something that doesn't strap right onto the hatch.

[fastivaB6TG25MR]

i like freshtiva's idea best... super sweet camper lol

[Darlo]

I'd like to have a rack system to haul the mountain bikes around, but fear the impact on fuel economy. I know that roof racks have a major impact. My buddy's Subaru is dead even with my M5 until he starts to pull a bit in the upper part of fourth gear. When he's got his roof rack on I leave him really hard.

Anyone do a hitch-type setup off the rear? Something that doesn't strap right onto the hatch.

It really would effect your economy by a bunch, but if you made it detachable, you would only lose mpg when you are needing the roofrack!

[bobstad]

drawn & quartered; after the rack!

I have the same type roof-rack cross members as Mattswab's; though have adapted a black round metal frame futon's seat & seat-back to make a huge carrier, using half a dozen radiator ring clamps.

I sleep on the thing when not in use, too; with an old foam mattress which fits from a hide-a-bed, rather than the heavy cotton mattress which came with the futon a friend gave me. So "energy efficient" when moving. The cross bars of the roof-rack make for a lower bed; and I've added a stabilizer at the foot of the bed, since otherwise that end lacks support.

The biggest problem is the original brazing or welds holding the "rungs" of the seat bottom and seat back, have started popping; not because of stress on the roof rack though, because of the bookshelf against the wall my bed is next to, so I stand on the thing too often.

This really hauls lots of things on the car's roof though; which with the FMS springs front and rear is exceptionally stable with heavy loads, and also corners well under load.

The next idea is to adapt the thing as a camper on top the car; which I've seen done well with a '70 hardtop, four-door Ford LTD, including mosquito netting & fitted and sewn canvas cover, to keep out the rain.

My most extreme idea is for a rounded roof which could overhang the rear bumper by quite a bit; which would enclose and eliminate the rear hatchback with a deep vertical space inclusive of the area behind the roof-rack.

I day dream about all sorts of ways to most creatively enclose the living space on the roof; either pre-stressed areas which are both light and strong, or any combination of that sort of a technology with what could also be quickly removed, and/or even taken off to use free-standing.

If I could create a kitchen sink, commode, cooking & heating; maybe I'd even qualify for continuing HUD section 8 rent subsidy assistance? Then, with a little money saved for a down payment; I could start to buy some land, and eventually build on that using my roof-rack vardo as the place's first dwelling, while building something larger.

Better put in the new cam & crank seals, and the timing belt too; before I get in over my head, eh?

[Scene_Stiva]

Looks real slick