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Old 08-24-2011, 03:44 PM   #1
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Vintage SMB (1989) -- I need baby seat recommendations

Hi All,

This is my first post here. Found the group through Google. I've got a vintage 1989 Ford series Sportsmobile which has been a great vehicle throughout the years! But I recently had a baby and my wife sees the SMB as a baby death trap. I'm looking for help on how I can change that perception by turning it into a model of safe baby transportation. Baby is 8mo for clarification.

The ONLY out-of-the-box option, I can think of is to put the car seat in the front seat and use the shoulder belt to strap it in. Being an 89, I don't have any airbags, so that's not a concern. (The back seats of newer cars, of course, have the baby seat hooks that allow you to connect right into the frame.) The front seat option isn't the best option, because I'd much rather have my wife sitting next to me. And, more importantly, I'm not even sure it would pass muster from a legal point of view.

I was considering bolting a few hooks through the floor into the frame between the passenger and driver seats so that the little bambino could ride just behind us in the baby seat. That's been the spot that has traditionally been reserved for my dogs.

Does anyone have any suggestions here? Have you gotten creative on your child seat options on a vintage vehicle? Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated! The future of my SMB hangs in the balance!

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Old 08-24-2011, 05:33 PM   #2
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Re: Vintage SMB (1989) -- I need baby seat recommendations

Eric reminded me that I should post my layout type. I've got the EB-10 layout on an 89 Ford E250. See the image on bullet point 2 here: http://sportsmobile.com/1_cost-examples.html for reference.
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Old 08-24-2011, 05:49 PM   #3
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Vintage SMB (1989) -- I need baby seat recommendations

Good luck! You are likely screwed. After exhaustive research, there is nothing you can do that will meet what are considered today's safety standards (at least in my wife's eyes and the lawyer that will litigate it if the unthinkable happens).

That being said, I'm sure you could over-engineer something that would be very safe. However, you will likely find that it needs to be a do-it-yourself thing as no one will accept the liability in our litigation-happy society.

Wow! That ended up sounding like a rant. Unintended rant complete.
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Old 08-24-2011, 06:29 PM   #4
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Vintage SMB (1989) -- I need baby seat recommendations

Do a search on Jump Seat. In the Projects and Modifications section there is a thread that may help. It is about adding a single seat.


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Old 08-25-2011, 08:36 AM   #5
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Re: Vintage SMB (1989) -- I need baby seat recommendations

I like your bolting to the floor between the seats idea. I have considered it before. I actually once used about 4 ratchet straps to secure a baby seat that way for a road trip with my nephew. Worked great and he was happy.
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Old 08-25-2011, 01:39 PM   #6
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Re: Vintage SMB (1989) -- I need baby seat recommendations

The Jumper Seat thread in question:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7411

That's not a bad idea at all. I just need to make sure I can accommodate a jumper with the space I've got available.

The good thing about the bolting to the floor option is that it wouldn't take up any additional space when the baby seat wasn't present. I'd love to ideally be able to hook the child seat base in and out with as little intrusion as possible.

Jesse, I refuse to give up the good fight just yet!


EDIT: Whoa -- I posted the really wrong link the first time around!
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Old 08-29-2011, 09:18 AM   #7
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Re: Vintage SMB (1989) -- I need baby seat recommendations

I have an aftermarket bench/jumper set in my F250. You might have to give up the swivel buckets, but it seems like a good solution- and one that will work until they're too big for the jump seat.
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