13 replies to this topic

[happydude2012]

Ive touched on this subject briefly but wanted to ask if anyone has any experiences.

 

I have a TRS harness and cobra Monaco on the driver side, so the back behind me is off limits - however, the passenger side I have a cobra classic with the standard 3 point seatbelt and a seatbelt in the back.

Im usually the only passenger in the car but occasionally have the kids in who sit on the passenger side.

 

Id like to get rid of the standard foam back seat entirely and put a booster seat in for the kiddie in the back, one of these high back bucket type things.

It will sit on the bare metal at the back, or on a bit of carpet and in my mind, will essentially be a seat of its own, correctly seatbelted in as it normally would be, the only difference being that theres no padded rear seat under it.

 

Is this legal? I cant see a problem from a safety perspective as the rear booster will be no less strapped in than if it would normally be?

 

any experience or thoughts?

 

thanks

 

 

[rich_959]

Looking at the various child booster seats we've had, most seem to be quite hard backed and on the bottom too. So I expect you'll have a bit of trouble with it rattling and sliding around. If you're using the standard 3 point belt attachment, the seats actually sit on the rear seats fairly loosely, and are designed to be 'secure' in an accident or heavy breaking by using the self locking feature of standard belts. Day-to-day, I think you'd find it moving around unless it's on some sort of foam padding both behind and underneath.

 

You could buy an ISOFIX bar, or get one from a modern car in a scrap yard, and bolt it to your mini seat base, then you'd have a fully fixed seat that could be easily fitted and removed.

 

No idea on the legal side of any of this, it's just my opinion! I personally wouldn't have it just sat on the steel.

[rich_959]

P.S. Your profile pic looks like you have a perfectly usable extra seat already.

[happydude2012]

P.S. Your profile pic looks like you have a perfectly usable extra seat already.

 

Oh god yeah, that's the driver seat though,

[Retroman]

That's the fly's in your teeth seat...

 

You don't see them anymore....a bare bus chassis with no bodywork going down the motorway.... Madmax style with leather helmet and flying goggles.

 

Legally for the booster seat they go off the height of the child now. I have done it years ago, the early days of child seats, it was bolted in solid...she loved it sat in the middle of a stripped out rally car.

Before that it was a baby bath pinned in with holiday packing....200 miles, all the gear, 2 kids 2 adults in mildly tuned 998.

 

Some carpet or foam underneath will help, you can pull the 3 point tight and it should go nowhere.

[nicklouse]

The first issue you have is the seat base angle it is nothing like the angle of most seats so what ever you fit will need to be very adjustable. Then you have the issue of the base is not very flat and is quite angled in places so that will limit where you can put something. And then you have the issue of fixing it down.

Please be aware the rules about child seats changed last year.

Ps what you want is unlikely to be safe or legal.

[rich_959]

Bit of a sweeping statement nicklouse. We have seats that fit both a modern Landrover Discovery (with or without isofix) the wife's Volvo, and also go in the back of my mini and still meet the latest rules. Two different Recaro seats that fit all three cars.

 

If happydude has a 3 point belt and is able to add some foam padding, or even a portion of a genuine seat base and back, I see no reason why it couldn't be both safe and legal. As safe as you can expect to be in a classic mini amongst modern traffic anyway.

 

Happydude, have you considered having a seat base and back reduced in length and trimmed to fit one half of the car? Depends how far you want to go I guess.

 

If in doubt.... give this a go?

 

 carseat.jpg   34.67K   1 downloads

 

 

[happydude2012]

yes Rich id thought about literally chopping the back seat padding right down the middle leaving the passenger rear intact - which would totally be an option, I just wondered about total take out options.

Where are these new rules on seats? ive googled it but cant find any?

[Ethel]

How about expanding PU foam?

[happydude2012]

expanding pu foam? from a can?

[Ethel]

Just a thought on how to improve the fit twixt seat and bare Mini bench.

[Retroman]

Pu foam for single seater type applications...

 

https://www.demon-tw...g-foam-seat-kit

 

Other shops like CBS may be a better price

 

https://www.gov.uk/c...seats-the-rules

 

Some of the rules are insane....A child aged 3 or older can travel in a back seat without a car seat and without a seat belt if the vehicle doesn't have one

 

So its pinball with kids in the back of a stripped out car....and its legal bonkers thinking.

[Homersimpson]

What.you.have.to.think.is.that.if.an.acciden.occured.and.the.child.in.the.seat.were.injured.due.to.it.being.incorrectly.fixed.or.fixed.by.a.non.approved.method.could.you.live.with.that?

[happydude2012]

all madness. what ive discovered is