homemade roof rack

I got the 2010 Patriot and I'm brainstorming how to build a roof rack system with the existing side rails. I'm trying to resist buying a system since they are way over priced. Has anyone done this? What are the side rails made of? Aluminum or Steel? Can't find that info anywhere. I'm...

I got the idea from bayer's thread and modified it to my liking. I started 3/4" coduit that I bought 4 10' sticks of conduit localy for $4.50 per stick. I didn't have a conduit bender so I rented one from the store for $8.00. I made two 90 degree bends on each piece. The bottom of the rack was...

The Mopar, Yakima, and Thule baskets are all so expensive, so i decided to make my own. Materials used are 3/4' conduit, some flat stock and 16ga. sheet steel. Would have prefered aluminum but i have (dad has) a mig, so conduit was simpler. Almost 60 feet of conduit was used, for a total weight...