Flatline Van Co. Roof Rack and Ladder Install

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We chose Flatline Van Co. because we love the low profile look of the ladder and roof rack. The ladder follows the curve of the van and the roof rack is sleek and has adjustable mounting bars. Another deciding factor was the price point. We could not justify spending $4,000 + on a roof rack when for $2,000 we purchased a roof rack and ladder that was DIY friendly. We knew this would be one of our biggest investments of the build so being able to eliminate unnecessary installation cost was very helpful. Lastly, the weight played another factor in our decision to go with Flatline Van Co. They use light weight aluminum which makes the total rack weight only 65 lbs! This is huge considering we have a high roof van. Since we have a high roof Ford Transit, the weight capacity is much lower than the medium and low roof vans. It’s important to save on weight whenever possible.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Remove Factory Mounting Seals

First, you will need to remove the factory mounting seals. Be sure to check your vehicle’s owner’s manual to know exactly where your mounting holes are. I made the mistake of pulling all of the roof seals which was a pain to reinstall and plug back up. Save yourself the stress!

After the mounting seals are removed, clean the area then seal with Restoleum. Next, you are going to align the foam piece over the mounting hole. See below.

Place the Flatline Van Co. bracket on top of the foam piece then install the bolt and sealing washer. Repeat these steps for the rest of the roof.

Now you can move onto the next step.

Step 2: Seal the brackets

Apply a thick bead of sealant around the entire bracket. At the time, could not find a sealant recommended by Flatline in their manual so we used Dicor Self Leveling Sealant. Good news, it has held up so far. Flatline Van Co. now recommends Teroson MS 5510 for this step. Repeat this step for every bracket on the roof. Once the sealant is fully dry you can continue onto Step 3.

Step 3: Installing the Flatline Van Co. side rails

First, figure out the placement of the rails according to the manual. Next, place the rail on top of the bracket then install the bolt and lock washer. I used a wrench to hold the lock washer in place while I tightened the bolt. You can use whatever method works for you. Do not tighten the bolt all of the way yet; you will tighten them down fully at the end. Repeat these steps on every bracket.

Second, use the combiner bracket to join the two side rails together. This part is difficult to do on your own because you will need to hold the two rails and combiner plate together while inserting the bolt. Repeat this step on the other side.

Step 4: Install Cross Bars

Installing the cross bars is also a little tricky to do on your own. I suggest having something to prop the other end of the cross bar up while you are installing the bolts. Thee are two holes on the ends of the cross bars. Take the bolt, feed it through the outside of the rack and into the bolt hole. See below.

Tighten the bolt enough to where it won’t come out. You will tighten them down fully at the end. Do the same with the second hole, then repeat these steps for the other side of the bar.

Once you have all of your cross bars installed. Go around the entire roof rack and fully tighten down every bolt.

Now your roof rack is complete!

If you are installing the Low Pro Side Ladder, continue onto Step 5.

Ladder Install

Step 5: Combine ladder with couplers

The ladder comes in two main pieces that need to be joined using the couplers provided.

Once the couplers are installed, tighten all of the bolts using the provided Allen wrench.

Step 6: Install Mounting Bracket

Take the bottom mounting plate and loosely attach it to the bottom of the ladder. Next, attach the wings of the mounting plate to the lower body support of the van.