On minivans that are used for taxis you often see what looks like a silver box has been inserted through the rear bumper, which has been cut let it in. I suspect it is some sort of suspension modification to handle the heavy load of people and luggage that a minivan isn’t expected to bear on a regular basis.
What is the purpose of this? My google-fu hasn’t come up with any links to companies that do the work or descriptions of what is needed.
I always assumed those things were some kind of lockable storage box (don’t they usually have a latch and lock?), but I never figured out why you wouldn’t just keep your stuff inside the car.
I would think that it’s just extra storage for luggage. My guess is that they removed the spare tire and built in the box to fit more stuff in. As for changing the suspension, that’s probably just a matter of adding an extra leaf.
I have a hard time believing that it’s for extra storage. I’ve never seen anyone open or put anything in there, it’s fairly small so it wouldn’t hold any luggage, and putting a spacebox on the roof would be cheaper and result in more useful space without modifying the vehicle. Would minivans really need a small amount of difficult to access space? Has anyone ever seen it used for that?
If you had a picture that would be helpful. I’m imagining a box (as it looks from the back), but inside the minivan, the floor being cut out adding about a 10-12 inches of space.