Hauling a baby seat in Club Cab

[DValentine]

I have been informed that I will become a father April of 08. Not knowing a darn thing about little people, nor child seats I am putting this out to the masses. Can a baby seat be strapped into the 93 Club cab? I got to thinking at 35 years old, I don't remember much ado about child seats in my childhood. I remember nothing about seatbelts and the like. Has this been a development of the past 15 years like all the kids wearing biking helmets... when I had none as a kid and survived? I would hate to have to give up the truck as I can't justify buying a new one. My wife has a kid hauler that we bought used a few months back, but there will be times that I will have the family in the 93... ... can it be done in todays world of baby seats?



Dave

 

[AKaiser]

Try googling car seat retrofit. Here's one I found How to Retrofit a Car Seat LATCH | eHow.com

 

[Don Tanklage]

just bolt a bench seat into your truck for a few years



either that or sell it to me...



tank

 

[DValentine]

Nobody hauls kids in these things? AKaiser, that sounds good. I wonder if things work with our sideways seat belts.

Tank, the day may soon come when I will sell her.
Will try to work out something in the mean time.

Dave

 

[KOG]

Kiddy seat will work fine in the rear seat. Which is where it's supposed to be. You'll need to strap it in facing forward though, which may require some additional belts or anchors.

35 and you've never heard of kiddy seats? My daughter is 35, had her seat in a '73 Valiant (which we still have) and '74 B250 Royal Sportsman.

 

[Don Tanklage]

on the floor, backwards, against the heater box, between passengers feet...

when my daughter was born all i had running at the time was a '71 440 'cuda that while having a lic plate was far from legal (10" slicks, louder than hell) and a early toyota x-cab p/u (wifes car).



showed up at my grandmothers house one sunday to show the kid off and granny was in the yard when we pulled up. she was at the passenger side of the truck before we came to a stop and you should have seen the look on her face when she leaned in and saw maxx down there!



granny was normally pretty cool...



let me know if you decide to sell the club



i promise not to have any tires expode



don

 

[flathead6]

I've hauled mine in the back for years. I even contacted the state police PR dept and asked if the sideways seat and a lap belt was sufficient for a car seat/booster. They said that if it was standard equipment for the year and no mods then it was legal. I printed the email and stuck it in the glove box in case I ever got pulled over for it. They were never in an infant carrier so I don't know how that would fit/work.



Both kids are fairly well adjusted even though they rode "sideways", and still do.

 

[DValentine]

Kog, I grew up on an island in Alaska... . 36 miles of road... . no way off except by boat or plane. I ran boats before I drove. People did things a little differently. I'll talk to my parents today and see if we used car seats.

Flathead... . got a smile out of your last sentence.

Dave

 

[PToombs]

Dave, check with your local PD. Things have changed since we grew up, and so have the rules. Here it's a no-no for a carseat to be belted in sideways, factory mounted seat or not. When they are little, they face the rear for about 8 months. Says right in the carseat instructions.

I thought about bolting a seat belt to the floor, in the middle of the jump seats. Then I got rid of her, been more peaceful around the house too! Before you do mount a mini-bench in the rear, check for clearance with the front seats. My '95 has a bench in the rear, (factory) and there is barely enough room for the kids legs. A carseat can go in the middle and have room, if you have buckets. Good luck!

 

[Don Tanklage]

just sell me the darn thing and go buy yourself a minivan



and if you are not loaded be careful - they kinda come in three's...

 

[PToombs]

just sell me the darn thing and go buy yourself a minivan

Geez! Go to e-bay!



:-laf

 

[DValentine]

Talked with my father last night..... he said that we never used car seats as little kids. He still refuses to wear seatbelts too... but that is another story.



I do have the bucket seats, and was wondering about putting the car seat sideways. Well, I've got a few months to work this out. Thanks for the responses.



Pete, I know what you mean by not enough room behind with a jump seat. My wife has a CC Dakota. There is not enough room to put a child seat in there... . she has tried it.



Tank, my truck doesn't have big enough tires for you, not enough power and it still has a working AFC:-laf

 

[KOG]

Selling it and buying a minivan didn't occur to me. I've already got two minivans.

 

[DValentine]

The wife will not have a mini van. She has a 4 runner for hauling kids. There will be times, though when using the truck will be necessary and it go me thinking, which lead me to the question.



Thanks guys,



Dave

 

[dpuckett]

I dont know why you couldnt install another set of seatbelts on the floor, right behind the console, to secure the baby seat to. Granted, it isnt factory, but with some beefing under the floor, and the right hardware, I see no reason it wouldnt be any less safe than the shoeboxes on wheels they sell nowadays.



I never rode in a car seat- it was a luxury my mother couldnt afford, and it wasnt the law then (at least it wasnt enforced in SE MO). Had a '65 F350 SRW p/u with Fred Flintstone floors. 5. 13ish gear prevented it from doing much over 55mph. I do remember being secured by baling twine when I got older, and could sit upright.



Daniel

 

[Don Tanklage]

Tank, my truck doesn't have big enough tires for you, not enough power and it still has a working AFC

minor details that could all be changed!



hehe. .

 

[TSuter]

I'll try not to go into a rant about the government and safety, but with today's climate I think the only legal way would be for the baby to ride shotgun (since you have bucket seats, and your wife rides in the back.



Or we could trade your buckets and console for my bench, then everyone gets to sit up front:-laf



Tom

 

[Moab4x4]

As a kid: What car seat??? we rode in the PU box, back of the station wagon, etc. I loved the 73 CC W150 short bed we had. , my sister and I could kick each other all the way to town.

Nowadays, I have 7 kids so I have been a little creative with seatbelts and not had a problem as long as there was a seatbelt. The rear seat of my 77 F250 crew cab has 4 seatbelts. I have had a booster seat in each of the 3 seats of the wife's suburban simultaneously. That helps separate the others from fighting.



Easiest option - bench seat

Otherwise, I would install a seatbelt center rear of the cab and find a convertible seat that will fit.

Congrats!

Ken

 

[Sri Ram]

I did this for a while when my wife had her 93 club cab. I bolted an extra lapbelt and an anchor in the middle of the floor and hooked the kid seat into that. The only downside was the kid didn't have any legroom due to the console. A bench seat would have been better, but it was only for a limited time.

 

[PToombs]

My mother had a '59 Crown Vic. I wore the carpet off the "hump" standing there hanging on to the seat backs.