The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs Roof-racks with wooden slats?!?!?

Check the Bulletins, etc. Were there any GM/GM-approved wood-slat roof-racks available? On another burb, I'm opening up the entire roof with a folding canvas/sliding ragtop (like the VW bugs built through the end of '63), and want to put a roof rack (also like the veedubs). With a clamdoor back, this would look cool driving around with the top clam open at low cruising speeds!Thanks!

What brand, years, models of trucks?

No roof-racks with wooden slats were available from GM for 47-55 Chevrolet Suburbans. GMC offered a wider variety of options/accessories that were often different from Chevrolet - maybe someone knows about GMC.

Chevrolet station wagons might have had such racks available; and, after-market conversion companies might have had such roof racks as options.

I have seen people use the split window vw bus racks. The westy racks that are aluminum with wood. I have a pic of one some were if i find it ill post it for you. They give burbs that old surfer look. Really nice looking

New Burbite,
I have a 50s roof luggage unit that is solid like the new plastic ones but this one is rounded on the front and rear and 12"tall with doors on the sides,it has all the hardware and is adjustible. I have'nt found any names yet.Not sure about the wood ones though.
I talked to a guy who cut the roof from his sedan. He said a company is making a retractable unit aftermarket?
I have a photo of a blue Burb with a rack on top. Can email it.

Let me know

2fast48@att.net

here's a bus rack,,,,

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh144/elhippie64/070-1.jpg

Those are my trucks. Thats a VW rack on the suburban, I sometimes move it to the panel truck depending on what I'll be driving. Think I paid 350.00 for it a couple years ago.

Thanks for the help. Seen the 23 window veedub buses with racks etc. I was just hoping GM made one JUST for the Chevy/GMC 47-55 era line of panels and burbs. I was hoping if not GM, maybe Cantrells had some made. Have you guys by the way seen some of these AD 47-55 Cantrell Burbs? They're sweet! I saw a Juniper Green one-ton burb with a dual wheel rear axle pull $175K (nice goin' on the price) It looked kinda school bus-ish.

If you want a rack that looks period-correct aftermarket,
and all the VW people won't recognize as a VW item...you can get a reproduction Carter Carpac from the guy that bought the business making them.
Classic Racks . com.
Persoanlly, I buy/sell/"collect"/use the original carpacs on wagons...
but if you just want to buy a "old fashioned" rack and have it be in new condition, look at the reproductions.
Carters were the nicest aftermarket racks (I believe!) ever made back then, but they are hard to fin, and usually need restoration.
Check out his reproductions.
A wagon guy got all the patents, started making them then sold it to the currect owner, but last I knew that guy still ran it...
They are much more expensive then the rare originals, but all the metal pieces are cast from the originals, etc..

~There was a 1953(?) Suburban I saw online in Classic trucs", or something, with one of the reproduction ones recently. Looked good!
There is a Suburban on the rack guy's website under the "owners who bought" type page, too.

Those Classic Racks are AWESOME.
I've got a '61 Suburban and I'm a freelance writer and photographer. With the platform option and the ladder, I could make good use of that at events, car shows, etc. That would really open up a lot of photography possibilities for me.

Hmmmm......

-Brad

sweet

I love those racks. Thanks for posting the link.

I've been thinking of a VW bus rack. They come in different sizes and you can even get ladders. The width difference of a VW micro bus and a Burb/Panel/Pickup 55/59 aint big and I think it can be easily modified to fit.

The thing is that at least the Burb/Panel roof is very prone to oil can effect, and I don't think it will take much to permanent the damage denting it with the feet of the Classic Racks if you aren't careful. Wagons roof are made to take a roof load and they often have profiles stamped in to them to make them more rigid.

The VW micro bus rack off loads it's whole load to the drip rail and I think thats a lot safer then to the roof it self.

Burbly Dyna

[quote=Brad54]Those Classic Racks are AWESOME.
I've got a '61 Suburban and I'm a freelance writer and photographer. With the platform option and the ladder, I could make good use of that at events, car shows, etc. ..."
======
======True...but you are not the first one to think of it...carter had a cool gimmick there in the 1960s.
Little "history" I found out, from buying these racks and all the original literature I could find:

There were "Photographer's Carpacs" with a ladder option, and they were only made up in the longer sizes...They had a wooden platform, ON TOP OF the thinner wooden slats that the regular ones had.
I have had the good luck to find an original. Not as nice looking from the top...but functional!

Also...I have sales literature from 1960, and then a rehashed version of the same brochure from 1964...over the picture of the Photographer's model on the 1964 version, it has stamped, "DISCONTINUED".

I wonder if they stopped making them because they got sued!
(How easy would it be do get distracted while looking through a lens, and step off the edge or trip over the 5" railing!!).

Picture (scan) I have online in an ad in a forum:

1964 flyer:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=792863&d=1256331637

I wonder how many cars got the roof metal pushed out of shape when a pair of guys climbed up there? As someone else said, those floating feet aren't right at the rain gutter, they're in the area of the roof, and would be prone to oil canning or buckling. I wonder what the weight limit was originally? Two guys back then was probably just a tick over 300 pounds... today that'd probably be closer to 500!

I'm now thinking it might be a good idea to make my own, with long thin feet that rest in the rain gutter.
I LOVE the aluminum stantions and the perimeter rail... I wonder if I could buy just those from Classic?

I love the design of that ladder, too... the steps on it are steps, not rungs.

Can you send me pics of yours?

-Brad