Quote:
Originally Posted by Electricduane
Question 1: is the trunk floor metal too thin to weld the sheetmetal/washers to the underside? Or is it good enough/better idea to just sandwich the trunk floor and possibly seal up the sheet metal/washers with some silicone in order to avoid/limit moisture and rust.
|
I have a few rusty spots at the rear lip of my K5 bed and bought some patch panels to use to replace the bad spots. I haven't made this repair yet, but I've seen it documented here several times. If you can weld in repairs, then welding a washer and nut underneath will work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Electricduane
Q2: After you're done, is what you've created safe? "Crashworthiness" is the legal term. If kids are riding in the 2nd backseat and you get rear-ended, is the vehicle reasonably safe? Obvious comparison would be riding in a Yugo or some other tiny/flimsy car.
|
If you used the seat I mentioned above, that doesn't fold up, it should make the floor stronger in that area. I've seen this done in one Blazer. Obviously the spare tire has to be relocated. I would probably place the new third row seat as close behind the second row seat as feasible without crowding out foot room. This would maybe leave you room behind it to store small items. Plus if it's too close to the rear glass, your kids will be banging there heads on it over bumps, or if you were rear-ended.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Electricduane
Q3: After you're done, is what you've created street-legal? Can you get pulled over/get a ticket for essentially creating passenger seats in the trunk area of a vehicle (obviously not OEM-designed for passengers)? Since I live in California, I strongly suspect the answer is "yes" (by default), but I wanted to check with you smart people.
|
I would bet it's legal, even in California. I don't consider that a trunk area though. If you're using factory hardware and belts it will look factory and not draw attention to the fact it's been added on.