seats

[finally]

rear seats?

My wife insists that I be realistic and only buy an Alpine if I can get back seats in it. Don't have to be big or "very" functional, just enough to throw a kid in on occasion.

Seems like I've seen pics of someone's that had a rear seat. Is it possible? Did you use GT seats or ???

I'd really like to get an Alpine - let me know a way to make it happen!!

 

[Bill Blue]

Believe it not, "back in the day", I had three adults in my Series II on several occasions. Typically, the person would set sort of sideways on one side with their feet on the opposite floor. Once, there were four adults in it, but I was not present so cannot testify as to the comfort. Two adults and two kids was pretty easy, as long as the driver was short (I am). The rear bench was padded, (I added about an inch of foam to the stock pad) and kids were so hyped over riding in the car they never complained about the seat. The biggie would be rigging up seat belts. If you run into a GT, it would be even better, the bench is considerably deeper.

I doubt that you will find a real seat that will fit over the bench. For starters, it will probably be too high, the bench is about seat height. Just pad the bench real nice.

Bill

 

[finally]

Thanks

Yeah, I think I can figure something out like you suggested. And definitely be adding seatbelts. I think if I do this, she'll let me buy one!

 

[Alpine 1789]

I put two seat belts in the back of my car 20 years ago and used to put my daughter's child seat there sideways. We only drove her around that way for local trips, but worked fine. That said, I never felt comfortable about it and am not sure I would do that today.

 

[65sunbeam]

A Sunbeam Harrington LeMans has a nice fold-down back seat!
Eric

 

[skywords]

My solution
We are a family of four, Bought 2 cars. Everyone is safely buckled in proper seats. I never felt comfortable with the kids in the back. When you get the first car besure to let her drive it and she will approve the purchase of the next car. I have four Alpines now.

Rick

 

[finally]

some good thoughts...

We already have a minivan for majority of times, just occasionally I may have to stop and grab one of the munchkins.

I like the idea of the fold down Harrington LeMans seat with seatbelts added. Especially if the bottom cushion part is thin.

Most likely wouldn't use it more than once a month for a short drive to school or something. Of course with seatbelts!

If I can't figure something out I will probably end up having to resell the car in a year or so... bummer. My wife believes everything should be practical.

 

[skywords]

I too have a mini boring van. Good kiddy hauler and shopping vehicle. You need the wife to fall in love with these little cars as mine did. Country drive with the top down for a picnic without the kids, let her drive. She will love the attention it draws. This is after you have worked all the bugs out of it. A Harrington is more of a gentleman's car. Think Convertable. And keep reminding her of how it is appreciating not depreciating.

My girl loves airplanes, boats, cars and rides a Harley, they are not all like that I realize but if she doesn't dig a convertable drive to a picnic then there is no hope. Good luck

Rick

 

[Rsgwynn1]

Have you considered a luggage rack?

Sam (who may eventually have to strap a grandchild or two or three in)

Speaking of children's car seats, I've observed that the ones they make nowadays are incredibly complicated, though undoubtedly safe. Still, my wife and I were talking recently about a car seat we had 20-odd years ago. It was sold by GM or Ford and was just two simple pieces--a bottom seat pad and another well padded part shaped somewhat like a school desk that fit into it, completely surrounding the child with a padded, smooth enclosure. You put the kid on the seat pad, placed the other part over and around him, and strapped the seatbelt around the whole thing. It seemed absolutely safe, and it gave the kid a surface to draw on or play with an Etch-a-Sketch on trips. Gone the way of the Edsel, I suspect. Or the way of the Etch-a-Sketch.

 

[Alpine 1789]

I still remember the car seats I grew up with c. 1955. Small boster seat with an attached steering wheel. No seat belt of course and I suspect that horn was especially deadly in an accident. The only real purpose of the seat was to keep a child 'contained' so he/she didn't bother the driver. It amazing any of us survived.

 

[Jim E]

I had the same one! but it was more like early 60s

 

[Nickodell]

It's amazing any of us survived.

I started driving long before collapsible steering columns. I was told, many years ago by an ER doctor, that the columns on most cars up to about the early 60s was "a lance, aimed at the driver's heart." Couple that with light bodywork tacked onto a chassis, doors that burst open in an impact, no seat belts, and a dashboard full of knobs and levers that noted auto writer Ken Purdy called "a ghastly meat grinder waiting for your face."

But think of the previous generation: ordinary window glass that broke into scimitars ready to fly into your face and jugular, a gas tank just above you knees, and brakes that only worked - poorly - on the rear wheels. Aagh.

 

[dmich2]

I was reading my VB cataloge this morning in the 'office'. I was READING, really. In their 'interior' section they show seat kits for rear seats. Seems I've seen them on the Forum posted in photos before.

Dennis

 

[skywords]

I started driving long before collapsible steering columns. I was told, many years ago by an ER doctor, that the columns on most cars up to about the early 60s was "a lance, aimed at the driver's heart." Couple that with light bodywork tacked onto a chassis, doors that burst open in an impact, no seat belts, and a dashboard full of knobs and levers that noted auto writer Ken Purdy called "a ghastly meat grinder waiting for your face."

But think of the previous generation: ordinary window glass that broke into scimitars ready to fly into your face and jugular, a gas tank just above you knees, and brakes that only worked - poorly - on the rear wheels. Aagh.

I think the auto industry has gotten carried away with safety devices. The more safety devices the heavier the car the heavier the car the more safety devices needed. Bottom line ( NO LIFEGAURD ON DUTY ) I don't remember my sport parachute coming with a air bag incase of a double malfucntion.
Just don't crash! My mother was flaming alcholic and I grew up in cars from the 1960's with no seatbelts and she would drive like the wind weaving all over the road in the snow and ice. Been in more than one good crash. My survival tactic was to lie on the floor boards in the back seat. My brothers face formed a nice dish in the steel dash of a Ford Fairlane. Good thing we were made of rubber in those days. In those days if you were pulled over drunk they just told you to go home.

Rick

 

[Series3Scott]

Remember when Ford tried to sell safety in its 1956 models? Padded dashes, seat belts, less pointy dash knobs, better brakes, etc?

Chevrolet on the other hand sold performance and more performance.
Guess who won that sales race that year?

Turns out the public didn't want to be reminded they could actually die or be horribly maimed in their fun-mobile. Ford quietly slipped the safety marketing hype to the back burner.

 

[weaselkeeper]

My mothers safety device was her arm as she slammed on the brakes and concurrently whacked me in the chest with her outstretched arm to "restrain" me. When she did that once when I was 25 yrs and 185 lbs, I started laughing..... she didn't know why.

 

[Nickodell]

I think the auto industry has gotten carried away with safety devices. The more safety devices the heavier the car the heavier the car the more safety devices needed. Bottom line ( NO LIFEGAURD ON DUTY ) I don't remember my sport parachute coming with a air bag incase of a double malfucntion. Rick

Speaking of safety devices and parachutes: Did you read about the who guy flew into IMC the other day and became disoriented (haven't we all?), picking up freezing rain and zooming up and down from FL 30 to 120 and finally crashing. He was in a Cirrus, the best plane in theory for this kind of misadventure, with its unique whole-plane parachute.

Sure, on examining the wreckage they found the plane's parachute deployed, but some miles away. Problem was, as you know the VNE for the Cirrus chute is 133 kts., and they reckon from the radar trace that he was doing at least 170 when he deployed it, so it broke away as it's designed to do in case of accidental deployment in normal flight. He must have had a warm fuzzy feeling as he reached for that lever: SAVED! But only for a couple of seconds. As we used to say, you can make something fool proof, but not always bloody fool proof.

When I used to sport jump, back in the days when all we had were converted military T28s, the reserve chute had a neat device to deploy itself in the event that the main canopy failed and the jumper was either unconscious for some reason, or just froze in fear. A barometric device sensed when you passed through about 500 feet descending too fast, and the D-ring, one end of which was loaded into a little tube, was ejected by a small .22 blank cartridge, thus opening the pack. I recall that the parachute rigger had to set it up for the pressure altitude at the start of the day's fun. I never saw it operate, and often wonder if it really worked as there was really no way to test it except by needing it, like a fire extinguisher.

 

[skywords]

When I used to sport jump, back in the days when all we had were converted military T28s, the reserve chute had a neat device to deploy itself in the event that the main canopy failed and the jumper was either unconscious for some reason, or just froze in fear. A barometric device sensed when you passed through about 500 feet descending too fast, and the D-ring, one end of which was loaded into a little tube, was ejected by a small .22 blank cartridge, thus opening the pack. I recall that the parachute rigger had to set it up for the pressure altitude at the start of the day's fun. I never saw it operate, and often wonder if it really worked as there was really no way to test it except by needing it, like a fire extinguisher.

They still use those things today (AAD) (Automatic Activation Device)and they have not changed very much. I was always shuned by some for not having one. When you heard the horror stories of inadvertant openings at the worst time such as when you were hanging onto the outside of a King Air and a pressure bubble would cause them to fire or if you had a low opening for whatever reason and just when you got a good main the reserve would deploy into it I choose to not have one. You have to be open at a set altitude above the set activation altitude so the gizmo could sense a slow decent.
The RSL (reserve static line) is another safety device I left in the dropzones display cabinet. I did a lot of C.R.E.W. (Canopy relitive work) this is where you dock on others canopies and form stacks of canopies. The RSL was a really bad idea in a canopy wrap where you have to cut away. It consists of a short static line that is connected to your main when cut away it deploys the reserve. They are life savers when you are pinched for altitude. I lost a good friend that might have been saved if he had one. Hard to say, he cut away at 200'. I really don't think he knew he was so low. His main was spinning and he was spinning flat on his back. He had a good canopy but the steering lines got stuck from a tight turn that turned the canopy and not him causing the lines to twist. It was a borrowed rig that had to large a canopy for his weight. This all happening at a low altitude. When we had a memorial service at the dropzone two weeks later and an Army Jumper went in at terminal with nothing out of the container. Jim's parents had to witness that after buring their son. I don't jump anymore.

Rick

 

[Jeff Scoville]

I was reading my VB cataloge this morning in the 'office'. I was READING, really. In their 'interior' section they show seat kits for rear seats. Seems I've seen them on the Forum posted in photos before.

Dennis

Hope all this answers your question. So I guess your supposed to buy a parachute rather than a seat? I'm confused.

Really though, the "seat" is actually nothing more than a foam pad covered to match your interior. While looking nice I think it would not provide much comfort.
I have an OEM one and thought about it's only usefulness would be for the kids in a parade or such. You would of course need to mount seat belts. If that's all your looking for it would be an easy good looking answer. If it's just for the occasional use, you might save money with belts and a pillow!
Another thought would be dependant on your chilrens age. If they were in the 4-8 yr range I would think a booster seat and lap belt a fairly good answer.
Yeah, yeah I know, "without a shoulder harness" but we all should make our own choices.

 

[finally]

lots of ideas...

I started liking the parachute idea... or even the luggage rack. turned into an interesting post anyway!

On the serious side, I got several good ideas on how to get something set up.