How to Build a Prinsu Roof Rack for 3rd Gen 4Runner! 

(Update) disappointed with the hardware from tnutz I thought it would be more weather resistant but they already have surface rust on some of them and it hasn’t even rained. I’ll either have to paint them or look into getting some black anodized stainless hardware if that’s even a thing. Suggestions welcomed. Also.. I didn’t show this well but there is 3m double sided mounting tape under the front brackets to protect the paint and prevent movement. Just so you know 👍. Y’all are awesome! So glad y’all are enjoying this build! 🙏🙏

Great tip with the tape for the hole location.

This is what RU-vid was meant to be for - informative and inspiring things like this. Another job well done!

skewer sticks and a piece of cardboard work just fine! genius!! how loud is the wind noise?

Love the diy contour gauge . What a great idea!

Your builds are some of the coolest ones I've watched. You can tell great pride goes into your work and the craftsmanship is awesome!

Helpful tip a powder coat guy once told me about, was if you ever need to bondo something you’ll want powder coated later, use JB Weld instead.

Danggg, this is an awesome build. Nice skills and work. Just wish I had you as my neighbor to design and build couple good things. Again great work 💪🏽💪🏽

Amazing build. I learned so much just watching this.

I'm a DIY guy, but this looks DI-WOW!!! Great job

Wow Patrick, you've outdone yourself sir. What a great, quality build with all the professional finishing touches.

The pits and dings from welding is called undercut (just for future videos)

Wow! The difference between your previous rack and this one is HUGE. Following the body like that is a massive aesthetic upgrade. I suggest you purchase or convince a vendor to donate a plasma cutter to your channel. You have not let the long grinder cuts stop you, but anything to speed up the process gives more time for more projects, and that's a win for me, on my couch watching your content. You can get really clean cuts using hardboard as in template. If you plan the cuts, any errant moves ends up on the waste side. I purchased a cheap 50 amp on Amazon for around 250, and it's already paid for itself. I Knew I would need slots on my gas skid project, and the thought of drilling and connecting all the holes was daunting. Please keep the great content coming.

So happy to see you using steel, I’ve been wanting to do this for a year now but don’t know how to weld aluminum and was never thrilled about bolting on the side rails to the feet.

5 star bud! The rack looks great and I really enjoyed the video. I completely agree with Kyle Murray's comment. This is what RU-vid was meant to be for.

Awesome build of the rack ! How about a clear Lexan ( or better would be Polycarbonate - its much tougher and not as brittle, for stone chips etc ) wind deflector section with the light bar mounted behind it ? That would keep it out of the way and reduce even more wind noise !

Wow dude good job this came out. Awesome!

Your contour template was awesome 👍

that look really good

about to start my SAS with my mig 205DS yes welder Great video I also plan on building a rack like this for my suburban. Thanks

Love the focus pulls on the b roll 😎

Great job looks amazing! Your getting a lot better with the TIG. 🤘🏼👍🏼

You always kill it. Great job man. Thank you.

Outstanding build. You did a great job on this roof rack. Several really clever ideas on how to simplify some techniques for DYI. Part of the joy of building something like this is the build process. If you don’t like to build things DYI, you don’t appreciate the talented people like yourself. Really just a great job and you did it all with what you had to work with.

That turned out really nice!

now to mount a Napa awning

Great video brother loved it. Unfortunately your wall mounted flag is hung backwards. The canton (star field) is always to the observer’s left. Your’s is on the right.

That's veery good! thank you!))

Great video, Patrick! Thanks for keeping it 💯

You do really good work Patrick, I would take the money you saved and buy more tools and build more stuff . Very nice!!!!!

Great job!! Turned out nice and save you a bunch of coin.

Great job! Looks amazing. Very informative and entertaining

That is such a great build!

Well done bro, I have been contemplating a build like this myself, great job bro,

What an awesome build!! The homemade contour gauge is absolutely brilliant! Is the original Prinsu rack made from steel? I was planning to build one like this for my van, but from 3/16 aluminum. Thanks for sharing this amazing and comprehensive build💪🏻👍🏻

with the amount you're spending on cutoff wheels you could get a cheap plasm cutter! ;) LOOKS AWESOME!

เทพเข้าแห่งการDiY.

Patrick- awesome build & Great video! You have inspired me to give it a shot... Been thinking of lengthening factory rack for a while - this would definitely look much cleaner! I am a fair bit behind you on the fabrication & welding curve (still getting good with MIG but did complete a cut to weld bumper) Few questions if I may: Know you knocked the tnutz bolts - if you had it to do over again would you still use their rails? How is wind noise? The slots on rails seems like it would cause some as well as gussets on mounting tabs. Anything else you would do different if doing it again? Tnutz all in cart & ready to order - should have my 3/16 soon as I can get to the yard Thanks

All I can say is wow. A really spectacular job, it gives me inspiration.

Best diy roof rack build yet!

That is really, really nice. I was definitely going to be that guy and tell you it's going to be stupid heavy and you're not going to be able to carry anything and blah blah, but that's surprisingly light. I have a really simple aluminium rack I made, but with all the crap I'm hauling along (bridging ladders come to mind) I'm probably way heavier already :P

Probably should have put a rubber foot under the front bracket. That is going to vibrate and cause noise and will eventually wear through the roof.

Excellent build…but I have to say one thing. “Extrusion”

Dude that rack turned out amazing. Keep up the great work. Gained a subscriber here

The corrugated cardboard and the skewers gauge is BRILLIANT!

That my friend is a damn fine job and a damn fine video as well! Thanks very much for sharing! I hope mine turns out as well!

OMG. I always learn something from your videos. Its like, "why didn't I think of that!". The two vertical tapings to show you where the bolt hole is under the metal you needed to drill is brilliant! Keep up the good work, it is surely appreciated.

Did an exact build for my 5th gen turned out better than expect at a fraction of the price compared to prinsu. What size steel did you use for the wind deflector? That's all I'm missing and it'll be complete

Awesome build and great video coverage. I’m looking into a rack and rooftop tent for my ‘97 4Runner. 👍🏻

Very impressive. I will remember both the tape trick and the one with cardboard and sticks :)

You’ve got some great skills. The only concern I have is metal on metal rubbing on the vehicle paint. Vehicle’s motor & movement naturally create vibrations. I worry that rust ( wear & tear) may develop. I generally keep my vehicles for over 10-15 years. However, there are areas of this country that rust easily develops, such as Chicago. Again, you are a skilled craftsman. Thanks.

Fantastic, enjoyed watching. On the front floating tabs are you concerned about them bouncing and hitting the cab? And would a small rivnut fix it?

I'm actually considering this now that you've pegged the way. I live near laser nuts I wonder if they'll cut the sides for me if I pay them

Where you buy that aluminum bars?

Awesome job, definitely inspiration for my next rack

The tape trick is "effing brilliant"! Great job. My only concern is galvanic corrosion that results from mixing aluminum with steel. I think it's far more of a concern in saltwater environments, but it's something to watch over time. Really great result though!!

Nice build, but I thought you said you learned how to weld!

Great job!!! Thanks for sharing. Love the skewer trick.

The volume of the aluminum is enormous compared to the volume of the stainless in one of these racks, you'll probably never see any meaningful deterioration of the aluminum, I wouldn't get too worked up about galvanic corrosion here. You also have the anodized coating to help.

Dude, so glad this popped up in my video list. This time "the algorithm" worked. I'm going to do this for my 4th gen. Now all I need free time.

How much for a built bro? Wk2

Be concerned about aluminum extrusion/metal contact surface. Once paint chips off due to little shackes and rattles, contact between bare metals will corode

My current roof rack is the basket type. I really like that type. It is also homemade. How can I make your version into a basket?

Excellent work! It looks very professional and is sure to suit your needs much better than any expensive aftermarket product. It's just that my heart skips a beat every time a bare piece of sharp metal touches the paint on your car. Remember that a few rolls of masking tape will always be cheaper than a paintjob.

Looks like a 1000.00 rack to me

Hey thank you for sharing awesome guide. I’ve also built my own by watching your video less than 150$ 😂. I posted in channel

This is an awesome project but my ocd or whatever can't get over you calling it exCRUsion instead of exTRUsion lmao. Really is an awesome video though keep up the good work!

You should sell the templates so us dyiers don't have to spend 800 to 1000 on roof racks. I'm sure 60 bucks for templates and mail it. You would make a killing.

Nice build. I have 2002 4runner. Just wondering would you build another one sell to me since you already have all the templates.

Nice build, but please say it correctly with me: EXTRUSION!

Looks amazing, I'm wanting to do the same thing myself. One thing I'm wondering is how strong the cross rails are? To me it seems that only having two screws on either end is a big failure point and much weaker than the rest of the rack. How have you found it? Also, where did you get the rubber that you used to pad the roof from the feet and also the wind fairing?

Wow - nice work!!! I built an 80/20 rack for my JKU but it's not near as clean as that :)

I want this rack!!! Ever think about making one of these for someone else's vehicle?

What are the exact technical specs of what you ordered from T-nutz? There are so many options in very confused how to get an extension just like the ones prinsu gives you

Damn! That is nice! I wish that I could weld and have access to all of your tools! Great job! What was the total cost in parts?

Your flag is hung backwards @15:15 The Union needs to be on the other side. Also great build. Thanks for sharing

Excelente y maravilloso trabajo!!!! Gracias

Do you think that your roofrack could be built/modified for a Fiat Uno Mia?

If you want more strength on your extrusion cross bars and have to tap them consider using a helicoil which will make that connection way more strong.

What was the final width of those Aluminum Extrusion?

Beautiful rack but this looks like a LOT of work. Great job!

Share cost of materials?

Ok, this is going to be quick. 1. I love those skewer hack trick with cardboard. 2. Is there a 4 inch 3/16 at 90 inches plate that you can just buy instead of welding pieces together? I like the DIY part, however some of us, don't have welding machines. Over all, this is definitely DIY for experience welders. After watching your video, It looks like a plasma cutter would really help with the holes and may just buy a plasma cutter

that is a work of art! great build, and I totally understand the desire to build it yourself. It isn't the $$$, it is the satisfaction of knowing you created that solution!

I’m picky!! I think you did a fantastic job!!

At first I was like, that’s way too much work. But then when he finished, I was look 👀 niiiiice!! 😂 work of art brother. Great job.

build a rack for the hood 🤟🏼😛 nice vids!!

Looks awesome! What paint did you use? I like the way it looks.

A possible low cost steel alternative to the aluminum extrusion you used here, is IKEA closet rod T-track. It’s much cheaper then the aluminum bought this way.

Hey man getting ready to do the same project, debating between 3/16 and 1/8in sidewalls. Do you feel too too heavy at any time? Psa. Will have a rooftop tent mounted at times

I don’t own a Toyota but great for any vehicle rack! The cardboard-sticks is brilliant.

Reality is 55lbs is bad, it’s high weight, go around a corner without it and then put a 50lb bag of concrete on your roof and do the same, tall weight leverage is a roll hazard, it’s physics

Man that looks great! Your tig welding has gotten really good too!

hermoso trabajo, felicidades.

What did you use for paint?

Probably the best home made roof rack I've seen. Certainly pro quality. Well done! I apologize for being that person, but it's exTrusion.

What length extrusion do you use?

Can i get info on the rubber you use for wind deflector?

Have you ever used rivnuts or threadserts? They’re like a rivet but they give you a flush threaded hole in material that is too thin to tap.. I use them all the time for different things on cars and stuff

Because you didn't put any rubber back. Under those for a while, did your whole start leaking?