marcsmith

Anyone have any interior pics of the roof with the headliner removed???

lunchbox

here's a couple shots of the interior. you have to take the the upper half of the interior, and the seat belts out in order to remove the headliner.

marcsmith

LM Thanks a bunch, that looks like there is plenty of spaces to put up "oh sht" bars above the doors. Looks like it was a lot of work to drop the headliner.... Now to find what type of handles to put up....I guess I better figure out what else i need to do while it got it dropped. run wires for a home link opener, auto dimming mirror....

I have access to alldata so it would help guide me through the "drop" process

Rooney

If you have the side-curtain airbags, there won't be anywhere to locate the assist handles.

marcsmith

????

hang em from the roof line just above the door... there appears to be a 2-3" wide flange the runs the length of the roof line...handle would not hang down and block the window or door...
kinda like this,

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/...488f59.jpg?v=0

I also added a pic from alldata to my gallery...

Rooney

Yes, but if you have side-curtain airbags that is where they are mounted - on that 3" wide strip above the door. It could be done, but you'd have to make sure that if the airbags deploy, you don't get a bigger "OH S#!T" moment by having the handle embedded in the side of your skull at 200+ mph.

marcsmith

i guess it depends on how much space along the width of the rail the airbags take up...Being that they deploy down if the handles were more to the center edge of the rail they would not interfere or they they were closer to eh window IE in such a manner that would not interfere with the deployment......

My saturn VUE has side curtail airbags as well and has the folding assist handles.... very close to where the airbags are located so I am making the assumption that It can be done in theory. IE the handle can be mounted near the airbags.

BWT My 2003 chevy tracker airbags popped and that why I bought my HHR. 40mph head on into a car...wans't fun. but the bags did their job

Rooney

Chevy Tracker? Man, you're lucky. They were labled as one of the most unsafe vehicles out there. (The S-10 based 2-door Blazer was the least safe)

There's probably enough room above the side-curtains to mount a grab handle, just like the VUE, but I don't know how you'd go about making it fit the headliner. I'm 6'2" so my head is pretty close to the headliner anyway, an assist handle would get in the way...plus since I sit so low, I don't really need an assist handle. I just turn and sit.

marcsmith

I don't need it for the drivers side I'm 6' I need to shave some foam from the seat so I can sit lower... but my wife likes it on the passenger side, a place to hold on to for spirited driving. shes 5'-4. and It would be nice to have in the back so I can make some "hangers/racks" so I can transport my model boats around, and have the interior still lok "stock"

Yeah I got lucky a guy turned left in front of me into my lane I was doing 40 it was head on tracker vs an accord. diver side front wheel pushed back about 1 foot shock tower broken, engine holed both bags popped, half it was the 4door version basically a Suzuki grand vitara with chevy badges. It happened 18 days ago... still haven't gotten the insurance check yet..fighting over the value. no injuries for me or my daughter...

I rented an HHR in the meantime. and liked it enough to go out an buy one.

Rooney

Good thing you and daughter weren't hurt.