I'm still kicking around the idea of installing a real roof rack on my soul. However this means drilling through the roof in a few places to rivet in some mounting brackets. I'm fairly certain that there must be a side curtain airbag up in the area where the front bracket will mount . I can put a collar on the drill so it barely travels through the roof sheet metal, however I'm not sure how close to it an airbag would be, and how fragile it would be... would a rivet just flex it out of the way slightly?
any input is appreciated. I'd prefer not to take apart the interior because plastic interior clips are my kryptonite and it will just be a rattle fest by the time I get it back together :(
I've not seen the installed, but we've set them off at Street Survival demonstration.
More than anything else, they look like some 3/4" braided nylon cord-- at least the part that isn't the inflator.
Theyre not inside the pillar sheet metal. They rest on the interior pillar sheet metal in between the interior pillar structure and interior trim. You'd really have to hamfist the install to get into a side curtain bag, if the install only calls for rivets in the exterior roof skin.
I've never seen a bag *inside* the sheet metal pillar structure. Here's a picture of some random ones, for reference.
Not saying there may not be other stuff in the pillar, like potentially some wiring or drain for a sunroof... but the bags are the interior side of things, between the pillar and the interior trim.
In reply to GaryC83 :
Thank you. That makes perfect sense. No sunroof to have a drain to worry about and there shouldn't be any electronics to worry about. I can be careful with the install of course but knowing that airbags should be out of the way is a big relief.
Something to be aware of is there maybe a barrier between the side curtain airbag and some flammable insulation, take care of that you do not remove that barrier because the airbag can shoot stuff that will catch the insulation on fire.
Apexcarver said:
Something to be aware of is there maybe a barrier between the side curtain airbag and some flammable insulation, take care of that you do not remove that barrier because the airbag can shoot stuff that will catch the insulation on fire.
I was told that side bags (and any other bag that doesn't have to fit inside a steering wheel) use a pressurized gas cylinder, and the explosive is only large enough to open the container.
They are still very loud.
