Cutting through Bulhead for extra length ?

[donalfar]

Hi,

Im just about to buy a 2021 TDI 150 Highline. ( I previously had a T25 and a T4 )

I have a long surfboard (9ft 2inch) which i could like to store flat on the floor of the van. From looking at the van dimensions online, I see that the total internal length is 8.43ft (from rear door to bulkhead) ... so its about 6-8 inches too long.

I want to keep the bulkhead in place (to reduce road noise and maintain seperation etc)

Im thinking of cutting through the bulkhead at floor level to allow the top of the surfboard to come in under the double seat frame but not sure this will work ?

Has anyone ever seen this done or know what the width is between the uprights of the seat frame ?

This is my first post here but any help would be really appreciated ..

Cheers,
Donal

 

[Salty Spuds]

I had a Citroen Dispatch back in the day & the bulkhead came with a small dropdown hatch in the top of the bulkhead on the van centreline. This allowed timbers/pipes etc to be fed in through the rear doors, through the bulkhead. I rigged some ratchet straps across the the van from side to side in the rear. So long stuff could be carried, but kept in the top of the roof off the floor, so not taking up valuable floor space. Something like this could be an option for you. You wouldn’t be limited by the width between the seats.

 

[Bigsidavies]

Cutting through the bulkhead won’t be an issue re strength, but the double seat base is solid at the rear so you’d have to cut through that too.
I’m not sure how that would affect the strength of the seat base.

 

[donalfar]

Thanks for both replies ! Does anyone know the makeup of the double seat base ? is it 4 strong uprights ( at each corner) which is then clad in a light metal ?

If thats the case then im on the pigs back ...

 

[Bigsidavies]

I can post a pic of mine, but it’s a T6 as opposed to your 6.1 and I’ve no idea if they are the same.

 

[Paynewright]

There are a few double seats on ebay - you could check out the pictures. The structure is a pressed metal frame - no legs as such.

 

[donalfar]

Thanks for all the replies ....

Thats great to hear that there are no legs ... i will probably just mark out the area i need to cut, then remove the seats and then cut with angle grinder and then use a rubber trim around the sharp edges ... i post a finished photo here ( for future reference ) when done