Childs's Seat?

[Lockout76]

After the birth of my daughter, just had a question that I thought many of you would have run into...

How old was your child before you took them in a ride in your Cuda/Challenger?

I know a child's seat could work in the backseat but I'm wondering if it it is safe or even trustworthy.....

I'm not planning planing to do this anytime soon, just wondering.

Thanks,

Mike

[DoNotChallengeHer]

I brought Shelby home from the hospital in my 73 Duster. I also took her in a friends 70 Cuda. 340 4 speed Cuda when she was 3 months old.  She would whine at every light, til I pulled out. LOL  Her car seat was a very nice one with a 5 point harness. 

[wally426ci]

I think my oldest daughter was 18 months. We all packed in as a family and the youngest was around 1 year old.

It's a PITA to get a car seat into them (at least for me) I slide the back seat out a little and use the lap belt. The problem here is that the buckle is dead center in their back so I fold a towel up and place it behind them. I then run the top mount buckle through the rear defogger hole and latch it to one of the trunk lid supports.

It is not as solid as mounting in a new car. It sucks.

Let me know if anyone figures out a better way.

[DoNotChallengeHer]

Wally, I forgot about the towel under the car seat. But it might have been easier for me since I am shorter then you.     Plus the car seat. I had was on a track so you could recline it , plus swivel it both ways. It helped a lot.

[johannes]

Here is how I solved it....
I switced side on one of the rear seatbelts, which enabled me to position a child seat in the middle of the rear seat.
.....giving a male-female connection in the middle of the rear seat I hope you understand.

Then I made a support having one leg on each side of the cardan tunnel and extending backwards wedged between the seat and back of the rearseat.
This support lifted the child seat upwards, so that my son can look forward between the front seats...he is facing forward....
I use a carpet between my rear seat, and the support, preventing wear /indentations of the back seat.

Of cource, driving carefully is a must... first time we took our son cruising this way, he was 2 years...
A carpet over the whole back seat is nice when he starts spilling ice cram etc...

[footin70rt]

My daughter was about 6 months old when she went for her first ride in the Challenger. The only way I could get a rear facing carseat in and secure was in the front passenger seat. I know kids are safest in the back. She loved it, every time I gave it some throttle she would giggle and smile at me. Must have done something right because she loves going out in the Challenger.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

I brought my daughter home from the hospital in my 65 Belvedere.  It was made up to look like a "candystriper" A/FX car but was only a slant six auto.  I put seat belts in the back for her car seat but the nurse took one look at the car and turned around to bring her back into the hospital.  I had to convince her to at least LOOK inside the car to show her the seat belts.  Now 20 years later I'm a certified child safety seat technician and I stand by what I did.  As long as your factory style seat belts are in good shape and mounted correctly they are plenty safe to attach a child seat to.  They are far from ideal since no muscle car came with the LATCH system, but if the seat belt is designed to restrain a 250 pound adult, they can restrain an 8 pound child in a properly mounted car seat.  Add to this the fact that the majority of people drive collectors vehicles much more carefully than their regular cars and the chances of crash and injury go way down.  This of course is ASSUMING people aren't going to be making bonzai runs with their child in the car!

[babyelephant]

5 months old

[mopar jack]

Raised my two kids with a 73 challenger. They were born in 76 and 78 and car seats weren't used much back then if at all. Used the  stiff arm restraining system my dad used on us. As he hit the brakes an arm would get throne out to stop us from hitting the windshield. However we did use the seat belts but  they probably weren't safe for kids.

[GreenFish]

The problem with the back seat is there isnt a lot of room for a car seat, front or rear facing unless you center the seat. I bought new seat belt and only installed one in the center of the back seat so I could strap in the car seat. Then I went to the junk yard and salvaged some LATCH system hooks as well. I used the existing seat belt holes then used steel plate backings and tack welded them in place. So i used latch hooks and the seat belt through the car seat as well. That car seat gets tighter in the cuda than any other car I put it in.

The issue I have now is my other little one wants to ride as well. I havent figured out the solution for two kids.  My oldest just graduated to a booster so he may be able to ride in the front.

[Grec]

"Then I went to the junk yard and salvaged some LATCH system hooks as well. I used the existing seat belt holes then used steel plate backings and tack welded them in place."

Back when my daughter was young enough for this to have been an issue, I planned on doing the same thing. Unfortunately the car was never running long enough to make it worth my while. Lol.

Mercedes cars have these really cool ones where the LATCH hook flips out, so it's not visible when not in use. That was what I planned to salvage from.

LATCH really is the best way to go. Those things tighten down waayyyy better than standard sealtbelts. But get one of those car seat pads to put under the seat, lest you put creases in your upholstery. :-)

[jimynick]

So I guess the old- stuff 'em in the rear window parcel shelf- isn't happening anymore? My wife remembers her and her 6 siblings filling the car so full, that Opa loaded Mark, the youngest, into said area. 

[YellowThumper]

nope...

But 3 of us boys had a party camping out on the floorboards and also wandering around in the back of moms old Pontiac cruiser wagon.
This was several trips back and forth between SoCal and Wisconsin. Good times!

[TelisSE440]

So I guess the old- stuff 'em in the rear window parcel shelf- isn't happening anymore? My wife remembers her and her 6 siblings filling the car so full, that Opa loaded Mark, the youngest, into said area. 

Parcel shelf... That had to be hilarious