Child booster seats, seat belts and your Charger....What do you do?

[Ghoste]

I just never took the kids in the 67.  Even if I had installed a tether for the back (and that big space behind the seats in a first gen would make a great anchor point), I still would have been uncomfortable about them being in those fold down seats.  We discussed putting the car seats in there and my wife was going to look into what was legally needed but I just didn't want to do it.  I don't recall ever hearing that we would have needed to retrofit shoulder belts but even though my kids have only been out of that phase a short time, things can change pretty quickly in Ontario law without us ever knowing.

[Dodge Don]

Well I discovered that the Ontario law on this does not apply to vehicles that are only equipped with lap belts. That is on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation site. So under the law we are not obligated to change anything. That is good news.

However I still will need to consider the safety of my kids aspect.

[Old Moparz]

Well I discovered that the Ontario law on this does not apply to vehicles that are only equipped with lap belts. That is on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation site. So under the law we are not obligated to change anything. That is good news.

However I still will need to consider the safety of my kids aspect.

Don,

My daughter is 9 now, but when she was younger & rode in my Satellite convertible, all I did was use the lap belt to hold her child seat in place. The child seat had the side bolsters & a harness that went over her shoulders & clipped into the seat bottom between the legs. (Like a race car set up.) I did put her in the front seat so the windshield gave her better protection from debris & wind. Even though there wasn't a shoulder belt or anchoring point for the tether, the child seat stayed in place tightly. I would fold a large towel & place it on the seat to help keep the vinyl from getting scratched or indentations. The child seat we have is adjustable & has the ability to match the angle of the car seat which prevents it from rocking & sliding. There's even an adjustable stabilizer on the bottom, front, of the seat base to make up for different factory seating shapes or angles.

I felt that this was very safe since I did the exact same thing with her seat in th rear of the 1995 Ford F-150 pick up truck I used to own. The reason I say this, is that she was unhurt after the F-150 was rear-ended by a tractor trailer while she was in it with my wife one day. I'd center her child seat in the rear where there was only a lap belt, then pull it as tight as I could to pull the child seat snug to where it wouldn't rock or slide. She was asleep when the accident happened & had only bumped her head on the padded lap bolster. The F-150 was hit hard, since the driver's seat bent from my wife who was driving, & the frame of the truck buckled in the center where the cab meets the bed. My wife was okay as well, but said her body was sore for days. I did the same thing in my 2004 Ram as far as location, but it had anchor points for the tethers I used. Did this until she was too big for the seat.

[1972Rallye]

I work for an aftermarket & performance seating company that also produces child seats.  After having a good, long discussion with the child seat engineer, I am going to be purchasing a new child seat for my 5 year old.  My company does make a child seat (not a booster) that will accept up to 70lbs. with just a lap belt.  I might consider installing a top-tether anchor, but it is not required for this particular seat.  She rides with me frequently to shows and cruises... 

I don't care what the law says about requirements for older cars, I'm going do what's right for my kids.  This thread got me to re-think things a bit... Thanks!

[Mike DC]

 
Another wrinkle in this whole thing is the strength of the Charger seats themselves. 


I know the '68/69 lowback buckets are literally unsafe in terms of the steel frames themselves.  I've seen several Charger wrecks where the weight of an average-size adult passenger's torso alone bent the seatbacks way out of shape during a hard impact.   

[dodgecharger-fan]

Well I discovered that the Ontario law on this does not apply to vehicles that are only equipped with lap belts. That is on the Ontario Ministry of Transportation site. So under the law we are not obligated to change anything. That is good news.

However I still will need to consider the safety of my kids aspect.

If the child seat has a harness for the child, that'll keep all their body parts in one general motion - wherever the seat is going. The lap belt would be used just to hold the seat down. So, not a risk to the child's mid section if the design of the seat allows for the belt to run through the seat rather than across the child's lap.

I think that would work fine.

I know. Booster seats are not full seats with harnesses, but you can get the full seats for bigger kids that do..

Britax is one company that comes to mind....
http://www.britax.com/

[472 R/T SE]

Neat set up this dude did in his blown '70 Charger.

[Shakey]

I plan on installing an achor in the package tray and concealing it with a cover as found on the newer cars.

I feel that that, with the lap belt holding the children's seats in place should be sufficient.

One of these years when I get to it, I'll post some photos.

[Skued]

Neat set up this dude did in his blown '70 Charger.

Now that's a safe seat! Even comes with pink ear protection!

I'm always nervous with my 7 & 5 years in Charger.  The five point seat has me really thinking.  Great topic Don, I'm glad you brought it up.

[Mike DC]

 

That pic has a scary lack of rollbar padding though.  (And look at the bends on the horizontal hoop - I smell some thin-walled exhaust tubing there.) 

Even with the seat fully strapped in, it's a mistake to assume that the kid couldn't get heaved around violently enough to contact one of those bars. 




Rollbar padding is a subject that we're often neglectful of.  I think the safety people have raised the minimum density/stiffness guidelines a couple of times in the last 15 years. 

The current padding recommendation for head-contact areas is so stiff that it actually feels more like a padded vinyl dash than a foam item.

[472 R/T SE]

Kind of an in jest poke at DD.  If you'd seen the quality and detail, direction he's going with his car, there's no way a roll bar will ever grace the interior of his car. 

Above pic is of an 80's Pro Street lookin' car that'll never see the track.  No matter how hard I worked him over.  It's strictly a show poodle, trailer queen. 

[Dodge Don]

Kind of an in jest poke at DD.  If you'd seen the quality and detail, direction he's going with his car, there's no way a roll bar will ever grace the interior of his car. 

Mike is right (like usual). No way will a roll bar get installed. If I had a drag car then yes absolutely. It's going to be nerve racking enough driving the thing looking out for every pepple on the road that might jump up and hurt my baby. 

[Rolling_Thunder]

Well - I am convinced...   I do not have kids of my own but hell - I drive with GOOD friends of mine in the car...   a shoulder belt can only help...   child or adult - it is only a GOOD addition...   I'll be adding these to my Charger...    granted my charger is not a 100 point resto but more of a fun driver - I'll also end up installing a 3-point system for the front drivers as well...     

[dkn1997]

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,50200.0.html

Not even a scratch on my 8 year old.  WEARING A SHOULDER BELT!!! 

[1969chargerrtse]

Not for nothing but I grew up in an era that we didn't have or wear seat belts, all 6 kids. When we took the bus to school we had to stand up in front and wait until our stop, while it was traveling at 40 plus mph.   Those were the days.  Muscle cars, loud noise and no protection.  But I made it.   I didn't wear a helmet on my motorcycle either, my thought was drive defensive and don't get hit.

[dkn1997]

Not for nothing but I grew up in an era that we didn't have or wear seat belts, all 6 kids. When we took the bus to school we had to stand up in front and wait until our stop, while it was traveling at 40 plus mph.   Those were the days.  Muscle cars, loud noise and no protection.  But I made it.   I didn't wear a helmet on my motorcycle either, my thought was drive defensive and don't get hit.

I would submit that we did all of that stuff because we didn't know better back then.  We do know better now.  I survived all of that too.  I actually fell out of the car when I was 5.  doesn't mean I want my kids reliving that so I can feel like a tough guy. It goes against my grain to live my life in a sanitary/ultrasafe world, but there are some things I won't compromise on when it comes to safety

[1969chargerrtse]

Not for nothing but I grew up in an era that we didn't have or wear seat belts, all 6 kids. When we took the bus to school we had to stand up in front and wait until our stop, while it was traveling at 40 plus mph.   Those were the days.  Muscle cars, loud noise and no protection.  But I made it.   I didn't wear a helmet on my motorcycle either, my thought was drive defensive and don't get hit.

I would submit that we did all of that stuff because we didn't know better back then.  We do know better now.  I survived all of that too.  I actually fell out of the car when I was 5.  doesn't mean I want my kids reliving that so I can feel like a tough guy. It goes against my grain to live my life in a sanitary/ultrasafe world, but there are some things I won't compromise on when it comes to safety

I'm hearing ya.