Grassroots Classic Car Kiddie Carrying

This Saturday there's a big steam engine/ farm equipment/ flea market dealie going on over at the local fairgrounds, and of course there's going to be a classic car show there, too. Wife and I really haven't done anything car-centric this year, since having the baby in June, so we figured it might be fun to head down there in one of my old Volvo Amazons.

Problem: None of them have any rear seat seatbelts with which to secure the child seat. However, in recent years all new car seats have been equipped with these neat little straps that clip on to brackets in the seat crotch of modern cars. So I took two D-rings and mounted them in the back seat floor of my 122 wagon, on the passenger side right where the seat splits to fold flat. Used Grade 8 hardware and big spreader plates under the floor.

The D-rings will fall flat so I can still fold the seat down when not using a kiddie seat, and with the seats in position they're hidden from view. Just clip on the seat anchors and go.

Go ahead, report me to CPS.

I did notice, that rear-facing child seat SWALLOWS the back seat area of that 122. Holy crap. And good thing my wife is short- I had to slide the passenger seat nearly full forward to fit the child seat rear-facing behind it.

Did almost the same thing with my duster. Only i had to put it in the center and move both seats forward.

There's no way I could drive the car if the car seat were behind the driver's seat. It's amazingly huge. And there isn't really a "center" in a 122. The whole car is only about 54 inches wide on the outside.

Well you already know that I wouldn't do what you did...

But yeah, rear facing seats are gigantic. Way bigger than most people think.

They are about to get bigger. The doctors now are advised to recommend reverse facing for two years, which is borderline impossible with current seat designs. I would bet money that within the decade carseats will be redesigned to accommodate such a misguided attempt at safety.

Remember the good ol days of sitting on the arm rest in the middle of the front seats? Or sleeping on the back parcel ledge? Those days are gone...

This isn't going to be a regular transportation device for said youngin'. It's just so when we go to shows, cruise-ins, etc we can bring her along in some semblance of legality. As for safety, while it isn't in the middle, the edge of the seat is about at the middle of the car, so it's pretty far away from the door. And the D rings are rated for 3000 lbs each.

Speaking of safety, while I was under the car I discovered (and wondered why the heck I'd never noticed it before!) that the metal fuel line had some wetness on it. Then I found out why- the P/O had apparently "fixed" a leak in it with some sort of adhesive. I've owned the car for about 7 years now, and it apparently just decided to start leaking. So, naturally, I slapped more adhesive over it and called it a day.

No of course I didn't. I properly cut out the offending portion of line (which appeared to have been rubbing on something, hence the leak), replaced it, and secured the line so it wouldn't rub.

FYI the federal law on LATCH anchors (it's an acronym) is right at 2,500 lb. So, you are probably in the right neighborhood with regards to the ultimate strength of your device.

Sounds like a good plan.

Have a picture of your installation? I've thought about installing racing harness brackets in the back my BMW for latch tethers.

Friends brought their newborn daughter home from the hospital in a baby carrier bolted onto the rear shelf of a Sunbeam Tiger. The daughter got a lot of seat time in various child seats in the back of Sunbeams, including an all too memorable mid summer excursion to Colorado and back, from their east coast home, when the daughter was about 5.

And the story continues. The daughter, now married, just brought her new daughter home from the hospital, in the very same Tiger.

Stu

nderwater wrote: Have a picture of your installation? I've thought about installing racing harness brackets in the back my BMW for latch tethers.

No pics- I could get some tonight. Basically, I just bought a couple of D rings from Home Depot- LIKE THESE. Bolted them right in the seat crease to the floor. In a wagon it's easy- the seat folds up out of the way, exposing the floor beneath (before you fold the back of the seat down...but leave it up for installing the D rings.) In a normal car you'd have to remove the lower seat cushion.

I used 3/8" Grade 8 hardware and backing plates under the car to through bolt it. LeMons requires a 3" spreader plate/ washer under harness attachment points, so I used that as a guide.

I would think racing harness brackets would work, I think the LATCH car seat latches will go through those. Watch out with the D-rings- some are too bulky and the LATCH clips won't go over them. I think a 3/8" diameter ring is about as big as you can go. As for strength, I figured max kiddie/ car seat weight at about 50 lbs, multiplied by 10 for potential crash forces, and then figured in a factor of safety of 3- so about 1500# is roughly the min I was shooting for.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse:

Data says 19G peak. Your 3000 lb is fine.

Moral: Always use a factor of safety.

So, here's the floor-mounted D-rings:

And here it is with the seat down, and the car seat in place. I meant to take a picture of our lovely daughter's first ride in the Volvo, but I forgot my phone at home and by the time we got home it was dark, and I don't like taking flashy photos of her.