Date:         Wed, 23 Feb 2005 22:32:15 EST
Reply-To:     JordanVw@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         JordanVw@AOL.COM
Subject:      Re: [Syncro] Installing jumpseats
Comments: To: syncro@GMAIL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

if anyone wants to donate their carat or wolfsburg for a test, i will happily
simulate 150 lbs of bodyweight pushing forward as if in a frontal collision.
my dad sat in my carat's jumpseat this eve, and i kicked the jumpseat forward
at the same time he rocked his bodyweight forward.. it popped out of the
"steel cups" in the floor with him in it. .  this is why they REDESIGNED the
jumpseat floormount brackets for the '93 up eurovan - the eurovan floor brackets
are much more substantial, and comprise of a steel plate with round bars in it
that is welded to the eurovan's floor, and the eurovan's jumpseat feet "lock"
around these bars... not some "cups".

if you really want to get technical, the vanagon carat/wolfsburg/multivan
jumpseats IN a vanagon carat/wolfsburg/multivan are not safe at all.

and to further the paranoia, vanagons dont have airbags either, nor is there
an adequate frontal crumple zone,  no 5mph bumpers, no ABS, and no engine to
absorb the impact.

vanagons ARE NOT "SAFE" VEHICLES.

but i dont think this ever stopped anyone from driving them.

keep in mind any collision hard enough to pop the jumpseats out of their
mounts with a person in them is most likely also going to seriously mess up the
people riding in the front seats, FIRST.

sitting in a jumpseat, whats behind you?   another seat.
sitting in the front seats whats in front of you?  glass, metal, and the car
that is ramming into you.

im all for going the extra mile and trouble to weld those little "cups in"
- i did it on my own van (i really did), but in reality weather the 'cups" are
welded in there or not it wont save a life.  like i said before, thats why
the jumpseat was redesigned in '93.

passengers are safer riding in the vanagon's jumpseats - "cups" or not - than
they are riding in the front seats.

shameless plug -   if anyone needs these "cups" i have 6 pairs of them
available :<)

chris