roof rack question

[outinthewoods]

Hi, folks. Brand new here - I have/had an array of Legacy/Outback/Foresters, but no Baja (yet).

A good friend has an '03, though, so I'm hoping someone can answer this one for us. Though he bought the car new, he's now missing his roof rack crossbars. I took a look at the roof rails, and they seem unfamiliar. So are the crossbars unique to the Baja, or are there any from other Subaru models that will clamp correctly? There's a pretty good stock of the more popular rides in the junkyards here (Calgary), but I have yet to see a Baja, so I'm not optimistic in that regard. Hoping I can use something from another model.

Thanks much.

[Guacamole]

Hey there, unfortunately the crossbars are proprietary to the Baja... but fret not! Most crossbars that fit the Gen-1 Forester ('97-02) will fit the Baja as the rails are designed similarly. Yakima railgrabs will also fit, but they've been discontinued.
See this thread for more info: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2504&p=13945

[outinthewoods]

Interesting - thanks. At first glance I wouldn't have guessed that those Forester crossbars would clamp, but I happen to have a set I kept from my late (written off after a deer strike) '99 Forester, so we can give them a try.

[HaHaBajAlcyone]

Outinthewoods... I can confirm that first gen Forester racks will work. I have the heavier, straight ones and they work very nicely, just reverse the outer clamping piece and ... viola! They're not perfect, I use a little heavy foam over the rail to prevent front to back slippage, but if adjusted properly, they'll never lift off. I have hauled some fairly significant loads on my racks, the only downside to the Baja is that the total rack spread is not very long front to back. I've thought about fabricating a rear rack to support the back of longer loads that would stand up inside the tailgate at the back of the bed and be the same height as the roof racks.
Outinthewoods, I'm in Calgary too... send me a PM and we can go for a bevie and share Baja stories...

[HaHaBajAlcyone]

Ah... reading comprehension owns me. It's Outinthewoods friend that has the Baja.

[Mattiator]

Holy hell, another Calgary Baja owner? Yeah I bought mine without the roof rails and had to find someone to ship me a pair.