Splice Plate Kit - 2 x 15 Series 4-Hole Flat Plates with Hardware

Everything needed to join two lengths of 15 series extrusion end to end: two plates, eight T-nuts, eight bolts. No shopping list.

Extrusion comes in fixed lengths and vans do not. Sooner or later you need a rail longer than the stock you have, and a splice plate is how you join two pieces without welding, drilling or fabricating.

This kit is the complete joint: two aluminum 4-hole flat plates, eight stainless T-nuts and eight stainless 5/16 bolts. Two plates means you can double-plate a single joint for a stiffer connection, or make two separate joints. It is sold as a kit precisely because a splice with the wrong fastener count is a splice that flexes.

What it is for

• Joining two lengths of 15 series extrusion end to end on a roof rack or an interior frame.
• Doubling up on a single high-load joint by plating both faces.
• Any repair where a rail has to be extended rather than replaced.

Compatibility

The 15 series is the 1.5 inch profile — the size almost every van roof rack and interior framing system is built from. If your extrusion measures 1.5 in across the face and takes a 5/16-18 fastener, this is your hardware.

Specifications

What's included

• (2) 4-hole splice plates
• (8) stainless T-nuts
• (8) stainless 5/16 bolts

Working with it

The strength of a splice comes from the two rail ends being butted tight and square before you tighten anything. A gap at the joint means the plate carries the whole load in bending instead of the rails carrying it in compression, and that joint will move.

Clamp the two rails against a straight edge, butt them tight, then plate and torque. On a load-bearing joint — a rack rail carrying a roof top tent, say — use both plates on opposite faces of the same joint.

• Butt the rail ends tight and square. Clamp against a straight edge first.
• Both plates on the same joint, opposite faces, for anything load-bearing.
• Cut ends need deburring before the plate will sit flat.
• Anti-seize on stainless threads; re-check torque after the first long drive.

Questions we get asked

How do I know if my extrusion is 15 series?

Measure across the flat face of the profile. A 15 series extrusion is 1.5 in wide (or a multiple — 1.5 × 3.0, and so on) and the T-slot takes a 5/16-18 fastener. If your rack came from Unaka, 80/20 Inc., or most van rack makers in North America, it is 15 series.

Is a splice as strong as a single length?

No, and you should not design as if it were. A splice is a good joint, not an invisible one. Put splices where bending loads are lowest — near a support, not in the middle of an unsupported span.

Can I use both plates on one joint?

Yes, and for anything carrying real weight, you should. Plating both faces of the same joint roughly doubles its stiffness compared with a single plate.

Pairs well with

• Van roof rack, ladder and 80/20 hardware

Sold and shipped by Campervan Parts R Us, the parts counter of Noke Van Co. — a working van conversion shop in Roanoke, Virginia. If you are unsure whether this fits your van, email us the year, model and wheelbase and we will check it against a build sheet before you order.