Date:         Mon, 18 Nov 2002 02:02:14 -0800
Reply-To:     Jessica Evans <jessica@LUNULA.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jessica Evans <jessica@LUNULA.COM>
Subject:      Re: Child seat/jumpseat compatibility?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

BenTbtstr8@aol.com wrote:
> I did not know that the 87 Wolfsburg Edition haad rear facing jumpseats. The
> only ones I have ever seen have a single rear facing seat with storage or an
> ice box underneath. It is just to the rear of the driver's side.
-snip-
> For clarification purposes, I am defining "jumpseats" as those seats which
> can be folded up and removed by pulling on it's attachment knob. I want to
> clarify this so that there is no misunderstanding as to method of attachment.
> This is different from the Wolfsburg rear facing seat as that is bolted to a
> box which is bolted to the van sheetmetal floor.

I looked at these '87 Wolfy seats myself.  They were folded at the
time, and are clearly the folding, removable rear-facing jumpseats you
describe, not the seat-on-a-storage-box. There were two of them.

> Jumpseats are bolted to a frame which is bolted to the front wheel
> housing/battery box structure. There is a bottom stud made to fit into a
> receptacle which is welded to the floor. Care should be taken by those who
> want to add jumpseats to vans not so equipped.

Good to know!

> Infant seats are another story as many are designed
> to be rear facing to begin with.

All infant seats in the USA are now rear-facing.

> There should be a rear anchor made to secure
> the rear of the seat to the floor while the belt is used to secure the front
> part of the seat.

With you so far.

> I'm trying to say
> infant seat on jumpseat should have the infant facing forward instead of
> back. Has to do with the direction the belts are designed to work. Should
> anchor rear of seat (nearest child's head) to the floor using auxiliary
> anchor. How's that?

This sets off BIG alarm bells for me.  A rear-facing infant seat is
rear-facing because in a front-impact accident, the weight of the
infant's body and head are distributed straight back into the infant
seat. This is to prevent injury to the fragile, still-developing
neck/spine. A rear-facing infant seat should never be placed rotated
in the car, as it defeats the purpose of having the infant be
rear-facing to start with!

A toddler seat (designed to be forward-facing) or an infant/toddler
seat (designed to be switched around to forward after the child is
30lb or so) I hypothesize could be safely placed in any seat that is:
A) bolted securely to the frame of the vehicle, and
B) has good belts.
I also hypothesize that a toddler seat installed in a rear-facing
jumpseat might actually be a safety improvement as it would give the
toddler the same whiplash protection that a rear-facing infant seat
gives to a baby.

But there may be drawbacks that I don't know about...cargo would need
to be well dogged-down so as not to become missiles...etc.

> IMHO the rear seat in can be used like any other automotive bench. In which
> case the rear of the child's seat should have the rear anchored by an
> auxiliary belt as well.

Do you know if the rear bench is bolted to the frame?

Thanks and regards, Jessica