PVC Rack for MGTD

This rack is copied from an original design by Ben Prince who built a very elegant rack for his TF. Click HERE to see his design. He, and Dale Drake, also designed a PVC rack for the TD and that design can be seen HERE.

I chose to copy the TF design since I have a high luggage rack installed on my TD and the Prince/Drake square TD rack could not fit on my car because of the vertical supports for the high rack.

My TD does not have wire wheels, so the two horizontal backrests, in the original design, are not required to provide clearance for the knock-off, and the shelf can be a bit shorter. The other difference from the TF design is that there's ample clearance on a TD for 3/4" PVC between the spare tire and the gas tank, so no 1/2" PVC is used. I put end caps on the legs that slide into the overriders, for no particular reason except that I thought they gave a finished look. The result is a very simple rack that is strong enough to bear my full weight. (190, but who's counting?)

Shopping List:
- All materials Schedule 80 PVC. You will probably have to order it through a plumbing supply company.

• 6 - 3/4" Elbows
• 2 - 3/4" Tees
• 2 - 3/4" End Caps
• 1 - 10 foot length 3/4" Tube
• The smallest cans of PVC cleaner and PVC cement that you can find.

My costs for the above, including sales taxes, about $60CDN. Compare to over $200USD!

Dimensions: (See pictures)

• A - Upper Horizontal - 13 5/8"
• B - Upper Side Pieces - 5 3/4"
• C - Long Verticals - 17 3/8"
• D - Shelf Edges - 4 3/4"
• E - Shelf Horizontal - 25"
• F - Feet - 5 3/8" (5 7/8" if you omit end caps)

When assembling you have to work quickly before the cement sets up, and you have to take care to get the angles right. Also, the elbows have raised lettering on one face and you may wish to position this to the side or back where it's not noticable. The tube has printing on it and you should position this so it doesn't show unless you're sure you will paint your rack. I haven't painted mine yet, and I might never bother.

If I were doing this again I would lengthen "C" by 1 1/2", and shorten "F" by the same 1 1/2". You'll see in the pictures that my bag could ride a bit lower, closer to the overriders. If you choose to do this remember that "E" will need to be a bit longer, and I don't know how much longer. You'll have to work it out. Also, all T cars are a bit different so you may need to adjust some dimensions anyway. And my tires are radials - 165R15. If yours are different then dimension "B" may change. So, use all the above as guidelines but check all the measurements against your specific vehicle. Test fit before you glue it together. A bit of soapy water lets you slip things together before you actually commit.