roof racks

[Richard240]

Thanks John. So the conclusion seems to be that it really should fit, but I need to try a bit harder. I'll have another go but cover the roof with a sheet as even with the rubber feet I'm anxious of scratching the car... I pranged a wing at the weekend, last thing I need is a scratched roof too!

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Good evening, Richard,

1. I doubt that the rack is intended for a 7 series car. From memory, my 145 / 245 rack was rather more than an inch too narrow to fit on my 745. I think the later car was more like 4" wider than the earlier ones.
2. If it is a similar rack to the one that I had, then no, it will not be adjustable for width. I suppose that one could always cut it and insert extension pieces, but that seems a bit drastic and I don't know of anyone who has successfully done this
3. It is possible I suppose, but I think it unlikely unless someone was attempting to use it on a car for which it was not intended.

Regards, John.

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Richard240

Thanks John. So the conclusion seems to be that it really should fit, but I need to try a bit harder. I'll have another go but cover the roof with a sheet as even with the rubber feet I'm anxious of scratching the car... I pranged a wing at the weekend, last thing I need is a scratched roof too!

Bad luck with the wing, but as discussed elsewhere, at least they bolt on.

When I responded last night it was on a tablet and, for some reason, the ebay link didn't work. Looking at the picture this morning, I see that your rack is similar to, but not identical with, the one that I had. Mine had wooden longitudinal slats and a slight 'bow' where yours appears dead flat.

However, the basic construction looks much the same. It looks very robust, but as you only need to 'lose' half an inch per side, a little judicious bending may well do the trick. Are you attempting to fit the rack single-handed? Although it was not impossible, I always found it was much easier to fit and remove mine with assistance from another.

As an aside, you may well experience around a 10% increase (2-3 MPG) in fuel consumption with an empty rack in place (more if heavily laden), and the increased wind noise is also not inconsiderable, especially at speed. I always removed mine when it was not required for an extended period.

Regards, John.

[Laird Scooby]

It might help if the outriggers/legs were all bolted in the same relative position to the main roof-rack frame :



The top row of outriggers are mounted outboard of the frame, the bottom row are mounted inboard. Try moving the top row so they are mounted inboard and that should remove about an inch or so of width without any "mutilation-type" adjustments.

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

It might help if the outriggers/legs were all bolted in the same relative position to the main roof-rack frame :



The top row of outriggers are mounted outboard of the frame, the bottom row are mounted inboard. Try moving the top row so they are mounted inboard and that should remove about an inch or so of width without any "mutilation-type" adjustments.

Well spotted, 'L.S', I missed that! J.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Well spotted, 'L.S', I missed that! J.

Fresh pair of eyes on it John, that's all. Something else i've just noticed, on the outriggers/legs, they appear to be designed to fit inboard as they have a "shelf" for the frame to sit on when mounted inboard.

I'd hazard a guess the roof-rack was originally for a 240 or a car with a similar sized roof and was "modified" by the previous owner to fit on a 7xx or similar and the seller doesn't know the difference between a 240 and a 740.

The number of people that have accused me of owning a 940 is amazing! Their look of confusion when i tell them they're wrong is priceless. They get even more confused when i tell them it's a V6 under the bonnet and they want to know who converted it!

The general publics knowledge of Volvos seems to start and end with the most common models such as the 2/7/940 models but if it's older, it must be a 240 and if it's newer, it has to be a 940 regardless of all else!