> From: Krister Meister > Subject: [Chevelle-List] Child car seats > > Wondering how those with small kids have addressed this issue. I have a > '66 SS with rear seat lap belts (factory) and I have 4.5 year old twins, > about 33 - 35 lbs, that are growing out of their 5 point harness car seats > which use only the vehicles lap belt. The seat type they need to move up > into all use a shoulder / lap belt design. > > Has anyone found a lap belt design child's (40lb - 100lb) car seat or > retrofitted a '66 to rear seat with shoulder / lap belts? > > My kids will be bummed if they can't cruise around and I just don't trust a > lap belt if there is something better available for their safety.
I know this issue well, and I have to solve it myself. My '67 is my daily driver and I take my daughter to school every day in the car. She is 36 pounds and will outgrow the 40 pound limit on the car seat very soon. The issue is that the five point car seats that are out there are only certified up to 40 pounds. Over that, they are to be used as a belt positioning booster (even the Summit/Simpson seat in conjunction with a lap/shoulder belt. There may be one or two seats that are good to 80 pounds with the five point harness, but I am not aware of the model name and where to buy. You cannot use the seat as a belt positioning booster with lap belts only. The manufacturers tell you to get a dealer installed shoulder belt retrofit, but the dealers have no idea what to do with our older cars. I think the solution is to explain to your spouse that the safest way to mount belts for your children is to install a safety cage. Then you can mount harnesses to that. If this is too much for you (I'm still undecided), you can mount a harness with adapter hardware in the trunk. You drill a hole in the trunk floor and use these big washers to spread the load: http://simpsonracing.com/Shop/ShowProduct.asp?category=85&Product=121 Or http://simpsonracing.com/Shop/ShowProduct.asp?category=85&Product=120 Belts such as this autocross harness: http://simpsonracing.com/Shop/ShowProduct.asp?category=82&Product=474 Or this mini Dragster harness: http://simpsonracing.com/Shop/ShowProduct.asp?category=82&Product=94 What I am not sure about is can the belts just be threaded over the seat or package tray area without reinforcement. It is possible that you would need to weld in a bar or hoop to support the belt. The Simpson catalog talks about how to mount and the angles the belt should go, but it might take a trip to a shop that specialized in fabrication for race cars to see what they say. Simpson's phone number is 1 866 899-RACE (7223) Brad Waller ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) '66 Corvette | 327/dead | 4-speed | Wilwood Brakes | 245/45/16 BFGs '67 Chevelle | ex-SS396 | 355/700R4 | '79 F-Body Brakes ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
