Attention Fathers.... Trying to be a smart dad...

[DissFigured]

I have my first baby due in July.

First I must Thank God that my wife is letting me keep the car...

Second, is there a law about age limit and when a kid can ride in the classic? I live in Texas and I don't know the laws. Obviously there is no way to put a car seat in the 65 and I wouldn't dream of it but what age is appropriate before you allow a little one go cruising with you?

My gut tells me when they are big enough that they don't need a car seat I am guessing around 5 years old or so but I wasn't sure.....Maybe older. I don't know.

I have a long time until I really have to address this but the thought did dawn on me and I wondered about other dads out there that take the little ones w/ them.

 

[88gt]

If you have seat belts to hold the car seat in place, take the little human with you and enjoy.

My 88 didn't have a center belt in the rear, so I installed one. For 3-4 years the 88 was my only form of transportation and I had to do something to make it safer for my son. I didn't want him riding next to the quarter panel while strapped to a car seat.
If you have a fastback, you may have no choice but put the car seat off-center. I could be wrong, but, I don't think there is an age restriction for letting kids ride in a classic....to the law...it's just another car. As long as you follow the law regarding the car seat, you should be fine.

Jim

ohh...stupid me...congrats on the new addition to the family!!!

 

[RogerC62]

First I must Thank God that my wife is letting me keep the car...

I have to laugh every time someone says this cause this was never an issue for me. My wife knew I wouldn't get rid of it so the subject never came up. She did make me get rid of the woman warrior riding a chariot and driving a team of tigers tapestry when we got married.

I would think that as long as the baby seat was correctly fastened in it doesn't make a difference what year the car is. I've seen other street rods with a version of a racing seat for toddlers.

 

[jb1dsl]

My 3 year old rode around in my 66 fastback all the time before I started the strip/repaint process. Just strap the car seat in and go. It is great the first time the kid says lets go fast, Daddy!!

 

[2nd Mustang]

Although it was new at the time, my son came home from the hospital in my Firechicken! A couple years later, he rode in the backseat of my 4x4 as we went off roading. No wonder he grew up into a gearhead.

 

[spirockp]

First I must Thank God that my wife is letting me keep the car...

I purchased my Mustang 4 years ago when my daughter was two weeks old. I never understood that whole thing of selling your car when the kids come.

 

[paintballtommy]

women try to pull the you need to be responisble chain and focus on important things. im only 20 but ive see the same thing with women even at my age. my oppinion is that kids are something that should add to your life, not detract from it. if your in a situation where you need to sell a car for money to support your kid... then imo you shouldnt have had a kid. i think one would just need to be careful where he places his priorities. but hey thats me. anyways CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RUGRAT. strap him in and go!!!

 

[FLStang]

We have a 17 day old baby boy....


And a 66 Mustang I'm working on.

On car seats: Most of them only require a lap belt, it does not have to be a modern 3-point belt. As long as your lap belt can be tightened down around the car seat "belt ears". Our car seat can be used alone, or with a separate base. When used alone, you just use the belt ears on the seat itself and tighten the belt down. The base piece mouts a little more securely and stays put better, the lap belt goes through it. Then you just plop the car seat on top of it and it clicks in place, secure as ever. There's a one hand release lever for when you need to take it out. I like it. Ours is a Graco, others make similar setups. I think we paid like $130 at Babies R Us. The base sits in wife's Neon, because that's the car we use most frequently. The seat part can be fitted in any car with lap belts if necessary.

Remember to fit the car seat so the baby is facing towards the rear of the car, and the rear seat would be better than the front.

On Wives: My wife was pregnant when she MADE ME buy a 1970 Chevy Nova for her, to accompany the 66 Mustang we already had. She says the cars aren't going anywhere, she's anxious to get her figure back so she can fit behind the steering wheel. My goal is to make the mustang and the nova as safe and as reliable as possible, especially since my wife wants to make the Nova her daily driver.

I love my wife!

Sell a car "because we are having a baby"???? Makes no sense. Absolutely no reason to.

Jan

 

[geostang351]

We have a 17 day old baby boy....


And a 66 Mustang I'm working on.

On car seats: Most of them only require a lap belt, it does not have to be a modern 3-point belt. As long as your lap belt can be tightened down around the car seat "belt ears". Our car seat can be used alone, or with a separate base. When used alone, you just use the belt ears on the seat itself and tighten the belt down. The base piece mouts a little more securely and stays put better, the lap belt goes through it. Then you just plop the car seat on top of it and it clicks in place, secure as ever. There's a one hand release lever for when you need to take it out. I like it. Ours is a Graco, others make similar setups. I think we paid like $130 at Babies R Us. The base sits in wife's Neon, because that's the car we use most frequently. The seat part can be fitted in any car with lap belts if necessary.

Remember to fit the car seat so the baby is facing towards the rear of the car, and the rear seat would be better than the front.

On Wives: My wife was pregnant when she MADE ME buy a 1970 Chevy Nova for her, to accompany the 66 Mustang we already had. She says the cars aren't going anywhere, she's anxious to get her figure back so she can fit behind the steering wheel. My goal is to make the mustang and the nova as safe and as reliable as possible, especially since my wife wants to make the Nova her daily driver.

I love my wife!

Sell a car "because we are having a baby"???? Makes no sense. Absolutely no reason to.

Jan

I started a thread about this earlier in the week with little response. You are refering to babies 1 week to 1 year old with the solid base that detaches and babies facing backwards. Most people, including myself, want to have their 4 year olds or 6 year olds in the car. They sit forward and are little people. They no longer use car seats with the 5 point harness but require a booster and regular seat belt. Should a 6 year old be in the back of my coupe with just a lap belt and booster? What do all Dads do for this problems should be the real question.

 

[rbohm]

as i recall my niece was 7 or 8 when she first rode in my 64 falcon. she rode in the front seat as well, but she was buckled in. since my falcon doesnt have an air bag she can sit in the front with no problem.

 

[bdepedro]

Your state police web site will probably have detailed specs on weights and car seats.

Age is irrelevant, it is the weight of the child that determines how they are "supposed" to be secured. I say "supposed" because in NC a child is supposed to be in a booster seat until they are over 80 lbs or something like that. I don't think my daughter would allow my to drop her off at middle school in a booster.

If I remember, infants are supposed to be rear facing in a car seat. Once they are old enough to have good neck support they can face forward. They usually recommend 8 years or better for front seat passangers.

This is all recollection for me, I'd check with your state or local police. They will even check the fit/location of your car seat.

 

[D.Hearne]

My son, who's now a Marine, used to love the rides he got in the 67-427 Stang. And he was only two-three years old at the time. Car seat? What car seats? He's a gear head too now.

 

[krallman]

When ever i have a kid its gonna have one of those sweet little racing seats. For you dads out there keeping your kid involved through cars is one of the greatest things. One of my greasted memories when i was about two or three and i was helping my dad change the oil in the old stang. Ever since that time my life has revolved around cars and rocking in the garage with the old man.

 

[danny clemens]

I think it would be worthwhile to invest in one of the barriers that fit behind the back seat just in case the tank should ever explode in a collision. I know that it's not probable but it's better to be safe than sorry.

 

[zookeeper]

My son rode in my fastback with a forward-facing car seat. It's a squeeze to get one in the back seat, because the child seat is wider than the rear seat in the Mustang, so I stuffed a folded up bath towel underneath and tightened the lap belt. Now he's old enough to go without a child seat, so it's no problem. As far as the horrors of riding in a vintage car with only a lap belt, I'm with Hearne on this one, I remember riding in cars as a kid and never, ever wore a seat belt. I slept in the package tray of my Dad's '57 Chevy on car trips, stood up in the seat of his Model A coupe hot rod (how else can you see over the dash?) while he drove as well as rode in the back of my grandpa's pickup as a teen (with a loaded gun!) to go hunting, and yet I'm still here. I realize that that kind of stuff is out of place today, but I also don't drive my fastback, or my wife's '69 Corvette with the same attitude as I drive my Suburban with, and I also don't live in a large city. Maybe if I lived in Los Angeles, I'd do things differently, but as for now, I think my kid's just fine.

 

[zookeeper]

When ever i have a kid its gonna have one of those sweet little racing seats. For you dads out there keeping your kid involved through cars is one of the greatest things. One of my greasted memories when i was about two or three and i was helping my dad change the oil in the old stang. Ever since that time my life has revolved around cars and rocking in the garage with the old man.

You have hit the nail on the head! My kid loves to ride in vintage cars, and I love the fact he does! One of the reasons my car is white is so when (not if) he accidently dings or scratches it, it'll be a snap to repair. I will not own a car that I have to fear my son touching. A freind of mine owns a very nice, pearl blue '67 and his kids are not allowed to even open the doors without him right there. WTF is the deal with that? I remember riding in my Dad's hot rod coupe like it was yesterday, hearing the loud exhaust, watching the Hurst shifter shake, and feeling the car jump when he got on it, and I knew it was cool then and it seems even cooler now, knowing my Dad was sharing something so fun with me.