2003 Chevy Passenger Astro - Need help w/installs: Regent, Apex

[heyruthie]

My 2 oldest DCs are going on a beach trip with their Grandmother this coming week *gulp* and it's a long trip (at least 7 hours.) When they ride around town on short trips with her, they are in boosters (best we could do for 3 across, so my DD also has a seat in her small car.)

However, for this long road trip, they are driving Grandpa's Astro van--not Grandma's smaller car. I'm hoping to install their "normal" seats from out of my van, into the 2003 Chevy Astro. Their "normal" seats are (DS1) Pre-advisory Regent (can be installed either way--whichever is better in the Astro) and (DS2) Apex65 harness. The biggest questions I have are: where are the tether anchors (if any?) Also, can someone talk to me about the seatbelts? Locking retractors? Just locking latchplates? Also, headrests....since I have an Apex. And anything else pertinent to this install.

She's going to bring the van over that morning for me to install the seats, but I'd like to have a game plan for installation before she gets here. Also, I'm pretty sure she'll want the boys in 2 different rows of the vehicle, and hopefully I can accomodate that.

[heyruthie]

ok--i'm not joking around. i seriously need help for this for tomorrow :D HELP!

[Jeanum]

I can help with LATCH info. from the LATCH manual for you, but I'm not going to be much help with the seatbelt type or the vehicle headrest portions of your questions. The '03 Astro has full LATCH in both of the second row outboard seating positions, with tether anchors on the center of the second row outboard seatbacks if it's a second row bench seat, and tether anchors underneath the vehicle seat if it has second row bucket seats. The third row passenger side has a tether anchor located underneath the vehicle seat. There are no lower LATCH anchors or tether anchors in the second row center or third row center or third row driver's side seating positions. Some GM vehicles from that timeframe have locking latchplates and others (like an '02 or '03 Suburban I remember installing seats in) have switchable retractors to lock the seatbelt. I just don't know specifically which type the '03 Astro has but barring another member who knows for certain, you can figure it out hands-on if need be. The seatbelt primer at http://www.carseatsite.com/lockingclips.htm can help walk you through determining the type of belts. :)

P.S. Doing a google search for interior photos of the '03 Astro can probably help you scope out the headrest situation. :twocents:

[heyruthie]

thank you for this help RE: the tether anchor positions. I knew I had never SEEN any, which meant they either didn't exist, or were under the seats. My BIGGEST concern/problem is the DS1 really only has 1 seat right now--the Regent. I don't really have an awesome backup for him (like a Monterey--which I WANT!) And b/c he's over 40#, the Regent MUST be tethered--so I was terrified of her showing up, and having no tether anchors, not being able to install his Regent at all, and not having a backup. The trip is LOOOOOOOONG and my Mom is a decent driver, but....ahem....not the BEST driver :rolleyes:

Also, FTR: this particular Astro has a middle bench seat. If anyone else can comment.

Any other info is still appreciated!

ETA: I've just realized that even if the van has no headrests, I can put DS2 into his (still beloved) EFTA in the van. So....I have 2 options for him now, if there are no headrests. *phew*

[ketchupqueen]

My MIL has an Astro... I think it's somewhere around a 96 or so. IIRC, it does have locking retractors-- but I may be mistaken as it's been 4 1/2 years since I put a car seat in that van. I know I didn't use a locking clip... I didn't use LATCH either. And I didn't know about flipping the latch plate back then. So either it has switchable retractors, or it has locking latchplates that held so I felt secure in the install. ;) But then, that may have changed in the intervening years.

It had headrests on all but the middle seats, IIRC.

[heyruthie]

thanks again for the posts. i'm going to do the installs tomorrow morning, and i only have about 30 minutes to get BOTH seats right before they have to leave. the time pressure was my only worry. any other last-minute tips still appreciated. TIA!

[heyruthie]

OK, thank you to all who posted--esp. about the tether anchor points--the advice was right on.

I got both seats installed in absolutely no time, with no problems. the regent was easily installed post-advisory with SBP, lap/shoulder belt (locking retractor!) and top tether in the back (3rd row) bench seat outboard on the passenger side. the apex was easily installed outboard in the middle bench seat (2nd row) on the driver's side.

for anyone ever searching this vehicle in the future: both bench seats had headrests, although there appeared to be only 2 headrests in the back row (outboard, but no headrest in the smaller, middle seat of the bench.) i think the only seat that it would have been really harder to do an install with (unless you HAD to have tether anchors--and that rules several seats out automatically--read PPs, they were correct about all tether positions--there are 3 of them, IIRC) would have been the middle row bench seat "passenger side." (I say passenger side but it's more like middle, since that row only has 2 seats on the smaller bench.) That seatbelt comes from a really weird angle off the ceiling, and would have been hard to work with. Once installed, it also made it really hard for people to enter the back seat because of how the shoulder harness comes off the ceiling. So, i wouldn't choose that seating position for any permanent CRs. Also, as I already posted, the vehicle did have locking retractors. Hope this helps anyone trying to install in this vehicle in the future.

[Jeanum]

Glad to hear it worked out so easily for you. :thumbsup: Thanks for the update and the vehicle headrest info.