Question securing my children in troop seats /bench style jump seating in older suvs

[Unregistered]

Hi I have an issue you guys may be able to resovle for me. Due to financial reasons I'm. In a spot where I need to start using my personal car (not used to transport the kids until soon) a the family car its a jeep dj5 (postal jeep from the 70's) awhile back I had installed inward facing benches in the back. (One adult per side comforably or two squished).

I want to know my kids are safe in the back without changing the truck too much as I do use it for offraod camping and hunting trips. The benches will support the whole base of the girls seats (they are two and five by the way). I know side facing is a nono unless proper measures are taken though. I'm planining on running a five point harness that is safety rated and made for kids. on the eldest's booster which has a full back with shoulder and head bolsters like a racing seat, with the lap belt holding the seat secure. Anything wrong with that?

For the youngest I was planning on running the lap belt through like normal and adding a couple brackets for the tethers that come with the seat. The lap belt it has are the kind you tighten by hand and havaftermarket locks that pin through the belt and excess slack to prevent it being loosened.

So they both have five point harnesses (one attacked to car other part of baby seat) securing them and the seats secured by lap belts that can't loosen. Both have seats that exceed current standards and have side impact protection (more important now that they'll be sideways). Does anyone have any other ideas to make this safe?

 

[monstah]

Hi and welcome to c-s.org!! I'm glad you found us.

Can you link us to the products you're considering installing? And possibly a picture of the bench and belts you have currently installed?
Also, what make/model car seats are your kids currently using?

Before trying to figure out what would be safest, I want to explain that aftermarket seats and harnesses are not something we would recommend. I hope someone with more aftermarket / racing experience comes along to help you out.

But my question is, do you have ANY other option? We can try to help you make sure your kids are safe as possible. But, riding in the truck you described probably wont provide as much protection in a crash as a vehicle with lap / shoulder belts and seats that are not aftermarket. So if there is another option, that should be explored first.

I hope you stick around so we can work on this together!

Edited to add: I just realized the seats are facing sideways?? Unfortunately, no car seat allows sideways use. So that's a huge hurdle. There are no "proper precautions" for car seats in a side facing seat because it isn't safe. I'm honestly not sure what to recommend.

 

[Unregistered]

Yea I've been looking around and I'm going to alter the jeep and put two bucket seats in the back on locking swivels like vans have. I can still swivel them inward to get them out the back. And don't have the issue of inwars facing seats. I can unbolt them to use e jeep for other things and thameans I can have them strapped in correctly. I go to california fairly often and its flat out illeagal to have child seats inward facing there. Just gotta buy some low profile locking seat swivels like the 90s vw vans have, then have my local metal shop make pedistal brackets for them and a backing plate for under the floor.

 

[jnamommy]

Edited to add: I just realized the seats are facing sideways?? Unfortunately, no car seat allows sideways use. So that's a huge hurdle. There are no "proper precautions" for car seats in a side facing seat because it isn't safe. I'm honestly not sure what to recommend.

:yeahthatsad: I know everyone here will want to help and not discourage you, but unfortunately, there is no carseat that allows use on a side facing seat. Anything else aftermarket you do to the seat will be an unknown. It might do a great job protecting your children in a crash. It might not. You have no way of knowing, and your children are almost like crash test dummies.

Is there any way you can replace those side facing seats with one rear bench seat that faces forward?