Make:

• One wheeled self-balancing skateboard project
• Meatricity
• DIY V12 Lamborghini Diablo
• Washing machine sends messages to Twitter when the clothes are done...
• iPod speakers made out of iPods
• Hacking an ibook battery

Surely that's not street legal?

Why not? RVs have roof-mounted A/C units, 18-wheelers have refrigerated trailers, etc. As long as it's properly secured, it's probably OK.

"As long as it's properly secured, it's probably OK."

Obviously I can't prove this, but it seems that in the event of a sudden impact many of those rigs would send heavy pieces of equipment flying through the air. Or into the passenger cabin.

... and another thing: none of these rigs seem particularly efficient. It seems weird that a magazine touts ecologically sound methods of generating power (solar, wind) on one page, then shows examples of wasting fossil fuels on another.

Is there a form we can fill out before submitting a Make where we can submit its carbon footprint for review in order to determine if it is within politically-correct limits as set forth by a panel of self-described experts?

No?

That's good.

The roof-mount AC can be as secure as anything else we stick on our roofs, so long as we use the right equipment to do it. I'm a lot more worried about all the geniuses I see using string to hold all their worldly possessions on a rented trailer going 75 mph on the interstate.

I mean, c'mon, securing a load to a vehicle ain't rocket surgery...

"Is there a form we can fill out before submitting a Make where we can submit its carbon footprint for review..."

Cute.

"The roof-mount AC can be as secure as anything else we stick on our roofs, so long as we use the right equipment to do it."

You're suggesting that there is an approved method to wedge a bulky 85lb air conditioner into the window opening of your car?

"I'm a lot more worried about all the geniuses I see using string to hold all their worldly possessions on a rented trailer going 75 mph on the interstate."

If you've been around long enough you've probably used your car to move something bulky in a questionable manner. I, too, scoff at people riding down the highway holding onto the mattress that's flapping in the wind on the top of their car, but the difference is that it's a one time thing. Attaching a potential projectile to the top of your car permanently is a different matter.

An "approved" method? I have no idea, but I'm not particularly concerned with approval. In the photo gallery of the AC mount (follow the link) you can see the large bolts that hold it on. It looks to me like this particular AC is mounted more securely than most "approved" cargo racks. Plus, the one pictured is probably only 50-60 pounds.

And even if it was held on with a bungee cord, I'm still more concerned with soccer moms who are yelling at their kids and talking on the phone while cruising along in their two-ton SUVs. Mainly, that's because I've seen lots of swerving SUVs but I've never personally seen an AC mounted to anyone's car roof. I guess it's possible that someone could do this and then T-bone another car, sending the unit bouncing off the car they hit and across the intersection where it takes out a pedestrian in the crosswalk, but I'd say getting struck by lightning (or an SUV) is much more probable.

I've driven loaded trailers for years, and I have never, ever driven with any doubt about how well the load was secured (I don't like being sued). Like with SUVs, I see lots of badly loaded trailers on the road but still no homebrew ACs (yet).

You know, a mini-split AC might work better for this, since you could mount the outdoor fan unit on your trunk (causing less drag) and the indoor unit inside the car, maybe set on or in the rear dash. It would be tricky to put one in a small car, but still hundreds of dollars cheaper than the $1,200 car AC repair quote (though hundreds more than the window unit, unfortunately).

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