Put in a Disco Ball.

called it in one, you did.

it's a 99 safari with the 4.3L v6 in it, and it has absolutely nothing in the back except a rubber mat bolted down. no insulation, nothing. well, and now a big plastic bin bungee corded to the wall to hold the crap that was in the backseat of my old car. and the, uh, "surprise sex barrier" behind the seats. and it came with a complimentary fire extinguisher behind the driver's seat, very nice (and hopefully not a warning). 95k miles on it.

It does in fact have some decent oomph - i've been driving it around all weekend to all the usual places i go in town to sort of practice in low-traffic situations, parking and backing up, etc. it's really easier to use as a daily driver than i thought and fits in regular parking spaces just fine. mind you though, i'm going from a 1991 celica, the car i've driven since i was about 16, to this beast. the idea is frankly terrifying - but the other day i was at the drug store and i saw this little old lady hunched over the wheel of this mega-extended pickup with a cap on the back, and then an anorexic soccer mom hauling ass in a lifted f-250 super duty, screaming into a cell phone. "Man up, you son of a bitch, if those folks can do it, you can" was what i told myself, and it's working out ok so far. ..but i miss my little car still :( i still have it, but without a couple grand in repairs it's not really safe to drive. clutch, tires, brakes, exhaust wanting to drop (surprised i haven't died to CO poisoning) and electrical work needed.

i actually tried to remove the bulkhead divider today, but i couldn't get the bolts out of the damn floor and am not sure what to do about it. seems to be bolted through the floor. maybe have a helper inside with a wrench hold the bolt in place while i'm underneath with a ratchet on the nut?

i think what i've decided i want to do specifically is a) insulation, b) wall/ceiling paneling, and c) soft flooring. The rubber mat is slick as snot and I almost face-planted a few times today.

i think as an intermediate step i'm going to check the local construction-salvage shop (an awesome place, they take good scraps and leftovers and re-sell them cheap, paint, lumber, fixtures, flooring, etc) for a big enough carpet scrap. the rubber is already bolted down, so i'm thinking I'll just undo those bolts and lay the carpet right over it, then put the bolts through... that'll at least make it better to sit back there for now. it's mighty uncomfortable as is.

hell, maybe they'll have some suitable polystyrene insulation too? who knows.

this would be so much easier if i knew some folks out here. buddies for this sort of thing are handy to have. :/ there's apparently a guy down in San Jose (I live in the North Bay region above San Francisco, CA) who does custom van conversions, but that kinda work is big bucks I definitely don't have.

Grab the bolt head with a pair of vice grips, or a box wrench duct taped on, the barrier keeps it from turning, then go underneath and take the nut off.

yeah, i just figured that out about ten minutes after i posted. gah. so much for forethought. ah well >_< i'll get to it next weekend - after my big bio and organic chem exams this week. yipe!

i was just thinking, my local community college has a metalworking and welding program. i wonder if i could get someone down there to cut me a door into the thing? i'd totally keep it if i could, i like having the mount for the fire extinguisher. i guess failing that there's actually a metal shop not that far from here that would probably do it, hopefully for a decent price.

Decent price? :rotflol:

Even the school shop, just charging for materials, would be more than I'll bet you're willing/able to part with.

Buy one tool. A metal chisel. Get a Big Hammer and cut the bolts off at the base as Bruce suggested earlier.

take the class and DIY.

velcro is excellent for this purpose.

Bah. I was also considering having a single cut made and then a 90 degree bend in the divider, to make a sort of partition that'd be behind the driver's seat. i could use it as a coat/tool rack or whatever. maybe that'd go cheaper. cut, bend. anyone with the gear to do it should be able to do it in 45 minutes tops.

ehhhmm, i'd rather keep the bolts if i can so that i can actually bolt other things down, like flooring. i guess i can always replace them, but even so if i can save the trouble i will. i have a buddy who can help me out and hold the bolts in place with a wrench next week. we'll get it done and i can feel a little less claustrophobic in the passenger compartment. hopefully having the access to the back won't lead to some agoraphobia! it's pretty amazingly empty back there.

You can't just cut metal.
Cut metal, cuts people.:thepain:

If you're going to use the bolts to hold other things down, don't you have to take them out first? In case you're unsure, the correct answer is yes.

well right, you have to grind off the sharp bits afterwards, of course. would be embarassing to lose a limb or shred clothes every time i just wanted to get into the back of the vehicle, wouldn't it? "could you just.. bolt a giant razor back there for me? make it stand upright and look real inviting, maybe put a handle on it, or a 'lean here' sign?"

and, er, yes, i do need to remove the bolts first :) i'm going to try the buddy/wrench method first. if for some reason i fail at that or i discover that the nuts have been welded on then i'll look at cutting them off, but that seems a bit excessive as a first go at it. we'll see what happens.

every time you think something is going to be easy..

For what it's worth, I found some kick-ass red shag carpeting at wallyworld for a pretty decent price that would fit in the back. i haven't bought it... YET. :D

Shag, ppl...I tried to tell ya.:lol2:

On a more serious note, I have some repairs to do to the damn beast. i guess the idler arms are wearing out in the steering, and i may need to replace the belt tensioner on the serpentine. bleagh. definitely not DIY stuff for the likes of me. i can muddle through the interior stuff, at least, because the thing at least will still be drivable if all i do is ugly it up a little. now taking up donations :/

motorized vehicles, i have decided, are stupid.