Anyone fab up brackets for modern car seats in rear?

[EvanD]

Hi gang,

Searching hasn't turned up much in this exact topic but I'm also evidently pretty bad at using it. I'm curious if anyone has created brackets that somehow bolt to the rear seats/anchor points for the more modern car seats.

I've found a bunch of posts that reference the rear seat belts on 80s being more difficult than most to mount seats. If it would be reasonable enough to avoid that hassle I'd be in.

Sorry for not having proper terms for the mounting point. Despite my best efforts to avoid it I've found myself in a relationship with an amazing woman who happens to have to kids. In other words, I know Jack s*** about car seats/what they need to be safeish. So now I have to acquire new rear seats and figure out how best to secure them so we can take the kids wheeling and camping next year.

Any input appreciated and apologies if I missed something in search.

Thanks,
Evan

 

[Dork]

Not sure if by rear seats you mean third row, or second row. Or, what type of seat type even talking about (convertible, removable carry type, toddler, booster, forward facing, rear facing?)

Disclaimer: my wife once got stopped in a checkpoint the cops put on where they were actually checking child seats. After checking hers, they called over other cops and drivers to show it as an example how securely they should be installed. Because of that, I'm confident in my opinion on the matter.

Anyway, on my '95 jdm at least, there was no 3rd row, so the second row is what I was dealing with. On these, there is no LATCH system (the new standard for clipping in seats, metal rings at the bottom of the seat backs) and the seat belts didn't have the ratchet lock that other new cars have (pull a seat belt all the way out, and as you let it back in, it will lock and not pull out any further).

With those two methods not usable, I then resorted to the third method in the MANUAL FOR THE CHILD SEAT. Seriously, read the manual before consulting the internet for help in "fabbing" something up. This is potentially a child's life you're dealing with. If you're using her seats, get the manuals and read them. If you're buying new ones, read the manual.

Anyway, in this case, rear or forward facing 5 point harness seats all should come with a little belt clip thing that you use to hold the belt tight together. Put seat in, route seat belt through as manual specifies, clip in, then use clip doodad to secure lap portion of belt at the right length to hold the seat base down tight. Then, adjust it tighter. Get in the truck, put your knee on the seat and adjust it even tighter. Then, make it even tighter. For the forward facing toddler size, I used the anchor point in the cargo area for the back strap. You should be able to grab the thing and barely be able to budge it side to side. It will deform the 25 year old foam in the seat bottom after a while, but kids are more important.

Booster seats don't matter much, as the normal 3 point harness is what holds the kid in an accident, the booster just gets them up high enough that the shoulder belt does its job.

A GOOD car seat has a correct way to be installed in pretty much any configuration of vehicle out there. Those companies have large teams of engineers and designers that have spent years of research and testing, and endless inspections and investigations.

Read the manual.

 

[EvanD]

Appreciate that detailed reply, Dork!

More searching led me to this thread which is about as close as I've found (and also mimicks your answer).

LATCH system for kiddies

forum.ih8mud.com

The kiddos are 4 and 6. They're both in forward facing seats but the 4 year olds still has some sort of a harness system. The 6 year olds clips to what I think is called this LATCH system but he used the regular seatbelt over top of it. I suppose I should also look into how long he'll even be in that set up before I go too crazy. Some indications seem that he should be out of it soon.

I'll be planning for 2nd row, not third row. Only problem is both second and third row seats for my rig are stored in my mother's basement across the country. Thankfully, I think I've sourced a set locally. They don't match but it's just a wheeling/camping rig so I don't really care.

I'll work on getting some more info/find some manuals. As I said, I'm pretty much a total newbie to this world. GF seems to think the LATCH system is safer. Search and your input seem to indicate otherwise. Also that prior thread as well as your post read differently than what I had found earlier. A bunch of people stating that car seats in 80s are a pain.

I'm not really interested in buying car seats strictly for the cruiser for the 1 trip per month or so they'll be in it for so I'll keep poking around. Also not against buying better seats that can be moved around if that's the course of wisdom.

Lots to look into for sure.

Thanks!

-Evan

Edit - After re-reading your post. I believe the 6 year olds is a booster design. The 4 year olds is still a full blown harness or some sort. Both if them using the LATCH system are pretty mobile and neither are designed to be pull/carry. I'll dig into it in the morning and figure out what they are/if they're even worth a damn.

Maybe I phrased it wrong but I didn't mean to give the impression that I'm being cavalier about their safety. It's actually quite the opposite. My initial question was based in the evidently false belief that the LATCH system was somehow safer.

 

[BILT4ME]

I also used to lay a towel on the seat to protect the leather, then roll or fold another towel to even the bottom seat with the car seat, keeping in mind that the car seat must be tilted properly. Then I dropped my knee in the center and pulled tight, marked both sides of the belt with a pencil, then released it, installed the metal clip on the belt, then rethreaded it and latched it.

 

[EvanD]

I also used to lay a towel on the seat to protect the leather, then roll or fold another towel to even the bottom seat with the car seat, keeping in mind that the car seat must be tilted properly. Then I dropped my knee in the center and pulled tight, marked both sides of the belt with a pencil, then released it, installed the metal clip on the belt, then rethreaded it and latched it.

The possible damage to the seats isn't really of concern to me. I'll most likely be ending up with cloth seats from a 92 to throw into my 97 LX. So if they get screwed up, no worries.

Good to know about the leveling/proper angeling though. Thanks!

 

[cjmoon]

No one is going to touch the liability of making an aftermarket or adapting the latch system. No No. lien to use the belt properly. You can make an appointment at any fire station I believe for them to safety check the seat or help with the install.

My belief is that the latch system is not for sure safer. Why it is is easier for proper installation so more times than not the seat is installed correctly. My wife can only install one of our 4 seats even close to proper. It has the ratcheting belt with the latch system. I’m 200 lbs and have to get in the car with a knee in the car seat to get it tight enough using the seatbelts to secure.

My $.02.

 

[EvanD]

That actually makes perfect sense about the liability. I hadn't even considered that side of it to be honest.

Sounds good guys. Seat belts, car seat manuals/proper parts it is. Thanks all!

 

[Dork]

The LATCH system is absolutely safer in most cases when in a vehicle that is designed for it. It is a solid, secure point for the base of the seat to attach to that is firmly attached to the vehicle and has been designed to do exactly that. It allows the confidence that as long as it's clicked into place, the car seat can be considered reasonably secure, without relying on the judgment of what is "tight enough" when adjusting the belts manually because like @cjmoon said, the wife probably can't get it as tight as a big husband can.

My oldest is turning 6 soon. His booster seat sits in place nicely using the latches in my wife's Subaru, but in my LC I just extend the latch connectors and stuff them into the gap between the bottom and the back rest. It holds the booster in place well enough that it doesn't move during driving or him getting in and out, and it has a secondary strap that is used to adjust the shoulder belt height. In the manual for the booster, it states they don't actually need to be secured at all. As I mentioned the 3 point seat belt is what's doing the safety job, the booster is just making the kids taller so the shoulder belt rests across their chest and does its job.

It's good your checking. Once you read the manual you'll see it's not rocket science.