Customs Child safety seat in a classic?

I have a 65 ford f100 that my 3 year old son loves. Up to now, i've not had any seat belts in the truck... But, now that he is old enough to enjoy it I want to start taking him with me instead of just working on it or pretending to drive it. I have the seat out of a 89 GMC that has the seat belt provisions. I know I can easily get a lapbelt to put in the truck. ( the truck has the mount points for seatbelts... as it was an option for those years and not standard. My question is what are you guys doing with your kids and child safety seats. lapbelts.. 3 point belts.. custom.. Any advise im open to and any resources you can share are appreciated.

 

Julianos comes recommended.. http://www.seatbeltstore.com/

 

I have three points in the back of my comet for my kids. My fairlane has lap belts and I put my 7 and10 year olds in them all summer. Probably not as safe as a 3 point but better than nothing. My 2 trucks are lap belts and they both ride in them with me.

 

If you're using a 'chair' type kiddy seat (the ones where they can see out of the windows) then you need a lap belt and a dedicated connection directly behind the top center of the kiddy seat to restrain the top of the seat. New cars have these on the package tray, the new trucks have them too. I'd check out a late truck for possible mounting options. A lap belt by itself or a standard three-point will allow the seat to pivot on the lap belt in an accident and slam the child's head into the dash. If you use a 'conventional' kiddy seat where the kid's butt is on or close to the seat bottom, a simple lap belt will work.

Basically, if you use the chair type you need to install a restraint point between the top of the seat and the bottom of the rear window. Not easy to do and make look good, plus is there enough structural strength there? I had this fight with the mother of my children, I didn't trust the body structure in my '68 Ford truck. I told her that if she got in an accident with the seat 'up' and the kid got hurt, I'd have her charged with willful child endangerment....

 

btt for the morning crowd

 

If you are putting a child safety seat in for safety you need a 3 point harness for it, they are not designed to work with a lap belt only. if it is just for looks you can probably get away with lap belts on most occasions. Personally if I were going to put the safety seat in there it would be for safety and not just to appease the law.

 

Modern car seats attach at three points, two d rings attached to the vehicle and then a tether clip that goes over the top as well. Since your kid is three years old he won't use the stock belt at all, the car seat will be attached to the vehicle and he'll be strapped into the seat. You can use the stock lap belt for the lower connector but you'll need to fabricate something for the over the top tether clip to attach to. Totally worth it to be able to take the dude along for the ride!

 

I put clips similar to those in the rear seats of modern cars in the back of my '53 Ford Sedan (see avatar). This way, I un-clip the seats from the daily driver and clip the seats into the Ford. Takes less that 3 minutes total.

 

Good grief Nancy. I guess my parents were terrible people when we travelled cross country on vacation trips either standing in the back seat of the station wagon holding onto and looking over the back of the front seat, or sleeping in the back.
Get a grip on yourself. Act like a man

 

That was a different time... I never even rode in a car with seatbelts until the late 60s. These days you risk a large ticket most places, and maybe a visit from CPS to see if you're 'good' parents (don't laugh, it's happened). But the point I was trying to make is some child seats are more dangerous than even a simple lap belt if used wrong.

 

I use the lap belt with a child seat and installed an I bolt to hook the strap from the seat top over the truck seat. I reinforced the I bolt mount with thick fender washers on both side of the floor. I'm running the stock seat.

 

I was thinking the same when i got kids myself.
But then chicken out becouse i would reget it all my life if something
have happened and my kids where injurid or killed.

 

If I'm in a car that has seat belts I wear them,as for children under a certain age the child seat has to be mounted with the child facing the rear? HRP

 

do what ya gotta do to protect the passengers that ride with you. common sense, and laws, require more protection for kids. yep, may not be original or considered Cool by some. but, one accident will make it all worthwhile.

 

Child seats and the laws governing their use has turned into a real thicket... There's multiple designs out there, a few that can be used with a lap belt only but most now need a dedicated anchor point directly behind the top of the child seat (as found on new vehicles). Failure to have the anchor points right can make the child seats as bad as no seat at all or worse.

 

I think that varies from one state to the next. Something I don't think about much, my youngest granddaughter graduates from high school this year.

I do know this if it is a safety feature and has something to do with someone other then myself it is not for looks as far as I am concerned. Maybe I am getting old but fooling the cops is way behind me any more.

 

Like the kid's say Beeno...."WORD"..HRP

 

It is pretty much recommended to keep a child rear facing until they outgrow the limits of a rear facing design seat which is usually around 30 lbs although some go higher.

 

How are any of us even here to talk about it?

 

That is almost like the one I rode in as a 2 and 3 year old in 1955-56.
Mine however had a little red butt shaped metal bucket much like the old metal tractor seats, holes and all.
It also had a white woven safety belt and I loved the plastic steering wheel and the gearshift.

 

And you are ALIVE??????????

 

I found a 3rd row seat out of a late model suv that has integrated 3 point belts..

Its not "traditional" but I'm willing to sacrifice for safety

 

Half the goddamned driving public wasn't texting then! I'm with porknbeaner, I'd hate to have to explain to either of my children or their spouses after the accident, that I didn't think it was important to protect their children.

 

How about he act like a responsible FATHER and exercise due diligence to ensure the safety of his child?

 

Its a joke. Shame a sense of humor isnt one people are born with like a sense of smell, hearing, taste ect

 

I was wondering how long it would take for this thread to degrade to the "seat belts? we don't need no stinking seat belts!" level, tacking smartly away from the OPs question. The reason we have seat belts and related laws, of course, is because of all of the people (large and small) that were thrown from cars (often thru the windows) or found mortally injured in a heap under the dash - is that they are not here at all, screaming in our faces, about how important seat belt use is. Gary

 

http://www.uamshealth.com/carseatguidelines
http://www.uamshealth.com/Taxonomy/...=4808&sid=1&ContentTypeId=90&ContentID=P02985

 

I haven't had seat belts in the truck for along while because I didn't want them.. But now.. That's changed. Nearly 10 years owning the truck. I won't let him ride in it till I'm 100% safe as I can make it for him.. Should something happen I couldn't bare the thought of.. Man I really should of used an extra strap.. Or something. He can ride in my daily till that day gets here. I never hardly wore a belt as a kid either.. But this is a different time. I may put my own life at risk with no belt but not his. Just not worth it...in any way shape or form. I would be doing this regardless of laws.

 

I wasn't wearing a seatbelt at age seven, when my Mom was rear ended by a drunkin idiot, forcing the car across the road, and into a fence.
I was OK, and got my younger brother and sister out the back, then helped my Mom out. Lucky it was a slow impact, but I'll never forget the blooded face of the drunk, who had kissed his windscreen.
Now, with a five year old around, I have the best car seat I could get, its the law here, and I take my responsibility very seriously, cause the Hot Rod is very light, and a good hit would be bad news.
Its held in by a 3 point belt, I'll throw up a pic in the morning.
She loves riding in it, but I'm very conscious of her safety, to be anything else should be a criminal offense IMHO.

 

I only use the lap belt or the clip bars that are part of my seats in my DD. If you have a lap belt in the back of your car you should be fine. Otherwise you might consider welding two hooks between the cushions if you don't have a lap belt.

safety1st/cosco is the line I used since the beginning this is best rated in safety (check you favorite rater). Second only to the britax which cost three times the price. It is better rated because it is more comfortable on long trips. I guess the kids really won't know the difference if they never sat in one (que the bad parent music)

You might just need to buy a different seat as mine work for both rear facing and forward facing with just the lap belt. They have their own harnesses built in. Safety1st/cosco Alpha converts from a car set to a booster (25-100lb) is around $150. Hope this helps.