99 Jeep Wrangler, need FF seat help

Hello, we have just picked up a 99 Jeep Wrangler that we are using as a beach buggy. Our twins are at 16 months and 25 lbs. The Jeep does not come with tether anchors and can not be retrofitted. We are looking for a recomendation for a good quality FF seats and also I am at a loss as to how the shoulder belt will hold the seats in place securely. Thanks, JB

Children that small are much safer rear-facing, ESPECIALLY when no tether anchors are available! I would be looking for rear-facing seats in your position.

If your shoulder belts don't lock (they should, but I just saw a 98 Jeep with belts that don't lock... So who knows...) you will need a locking clip to install car seats. Here is a page with good information on that.

Jeeps have locking latchplates

Uh, the one I was in did not. Nor did it have a switchable retractor. I checked the latchplates VERY carefully, they did not lock even when flipped. They seemed to slide freely no matter what you did to them.

If it was a 1998, it most certainly did lock

Yep, the Jeep has Lightweight Locking Latchplates. Our 97 had them too.

We had 2 in our 97 Wrangler for a while. We sadly sold it when #3 came along.

Anyway, my daughter prefered to ride rear-facing in the wrangler anyway, and it's much safer because there isn't much room for head excursion (when a child's head/seat/everything move forward in an accident) when in a forward-facing seat. Head excursion is also increased when there is no tether anchor, so it's definately a high-risk vehicle for injuries from head (and knee, and anything really) excursion in a crash. I know it's easy to say that maybe it will just be used on the trails or dunes, or whatever but there are plenty of other people out there on trails that do dumb things and cause accidents. There are also roll-overs off-roading and heads can hit things then to. Basically, all that to say, even if you aren't keen on the idea of rear-facing past 12 months I'd take a second look at it for the wrangler.

I know the 65# Britax seats fit great rear-facing and it can be tethered rear-facing to the front seat frame, which I liked a lot. The install well forward-facing too, but because of the high profile the kid's knees are about in the seat in front of it. Not ideal. I never tried a Tru-fit in the wrangler, but I'm pretty sure it would fit to.
You can get the radian in RFing, but it is a workout and the front seat has to be pretty far forward. If you're short it might be worth a try.

If there is just no way you will consider rear-facing I'd go for the lowest profile seat possible. Something like a Evenflo Chase, Graco Cargo, or Radian. It keeps the kids closer to the back seat and farther from the seat in front of them.

Here is a Forward- facing Britax seat:
http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/skipspin/Car Seats/?action=view&current=CIMG4421.jpg

Rear- facing: http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/skipspin/Car Seats/446923b1.jpg
(model was around 2.5 and 33 lbs)

I can see what seems to be a lightweight locking latchplate in this picture: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jeep...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

That is not what the ones I looked at looked like. They were plain black plastic without the metal bar that would seem to lock it. They didn't seem to have a place for the metal, either. I wonder if they had been replaced with the wrong kind at some point... Quite possible, they also seemed to be threaded upside down...

Thanks for the input so far. I am going to be taking a close look at the shoulder belts in the AM. I looked at the Graco Cargo online VS the Evenflo Chase and I really like the Graco. Thanks again for the input!!

Was there a specific reason you are not looking at rear facing seats? We do not recommend forward facing sixteen month old babies, for numerous safety reasons.

If there is a specific concern or trouble you are having, the collective wisdom of the masses has dealt with quite a few troubles and come up with clever solutions