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  #1  
Old 05-09-2006, 12:06 PM
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Question The Safety Of A Rear Seat or Kinderseat In A W107

Hi All,

I recently put a rear seat or a kinderseat in my 1980 450 SL for my 6 year old.
There is good leg room for my little guy but I am concerned for his safety.
I always take him around town in my 89 560 SEC and I feel very secure. I do want to be able to drop the top and cruise with my family..
I know that the SL never came like that in the States but did in Europe.
My concern is has anyone here ever heard or read about the safe or un safe use of this rear seat?
It has a lap belt and I am adapting and making a shoulder/lap belt for it too.

Thanks
Jack
1980 450 SL
1989 560 SEC

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  #2  
Old 05-09-2006, 12:10 PM
page62's Avatar
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Location: Luckenbach, Texas
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What's the problem? The kid is basically in the middle of a car that the MB designers nicknamed the "panzerwagen", which translates as "tank." The back seat is set back well from each side of the car, and it is not next to vulnerable doors, either. About the only risk is a rollover, but this isn't exactly a tall SUV, thus risk is diminshed.

Just make sure the seatbelts (and seats) are securely anchored...and enjoy the ride!
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  #3  
Old 05-09-2006, 12:31 PM
seatonone2's Avatar
1986 560sl, 1986 300E
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 17
Red face kids seat

i put one in my car also, it makes the car look finished (someone put two speakers in the back dash, and they didnt look very good). as far as a kid in it i put my grandaughter in it for a ride to the ice cream place down the street, she got a kick out of the top down, but i dont think its real safe, but there again, your in a convertable,how safe can the car be? i dont think any car without a top is safe,but i do think this back seat is made for a little kid, i tried to put my 17 year old daughter in it for a ride,,,, boy talk about a tight fit. i had to just about pour her in,,,
steve
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  #4  
Old 05-10-2006, 11:56 AM
coleyjf's Avatar
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: East Midlands of the UK
Posts: 264
107 rear seats

Hi Guys

I've got a Euro model with the rear seat as standard fit which I use on aoccasions with my 10year old Grandson, but as they only come with lap belts I'd like to fit "normal" 3 point fixing belts myself - for increased safety of any (fairly small) passengers - where have you put the 3rd (shoulder) fixing? and where there any problems doing it?

Cheers

Jim
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  #5  
Old 05-11-2006, 02:24 AM
Strife's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coleyjf
Hi Guys

I've got a Euro model with the rear seat as standard fit which I use on aoccasions with my 10year old Grandson, but as they only come with lap belts I'd like to fit "normal" 3 point fixing belts myself - for increased safety of any (fairly small) passengers - where have you put the 3rd (shoulder) fixing? and where there any problems doing it?

Cheers

Jim
I saw a disturbing piece on TV about "lap only" belts in rear seats, it tends to break people in half, leaving them partially paralyzed. I don't know if this could happen in this car, considering that there is about 0.01" between an eight-year-old's body and the back of the front seat. In any event, I don't wear belts in the back seat of a regular car, and If I have to, I'll explain to the judge as to the reasons why.
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  #6  
Old 05-11-2006, 06:58 AM
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Location: East Midlands of the UK
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UK Law

There's a difference between UK law & US in this area I believe - In the UK ALL passengers are required to Belt Up (where a seat belt is fitted - which has been the case in all new cars since the 70's in the UK) It's the driver's responsibility, so that's who gets to loose their licence!!

As lap belts are already fitted as standard in my SL they must be worn - BUT I want to upgrade and fit lap and shoulder belts for the reasons Strife won't use them (smashes the face of the passenger into the back of the front seat and possibly damages the spine ), so am welcome to ideas as to the best place to fit the top mounting bolt.

Cheers

Jim
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  #7  
Old 05-11-2006, 07:44 AM
88Black560SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: CT
Posts: 3,510
I remember the time the mandatory use of seatbelts went into effect the first time in New York. It must have been in the late seventies. In any case the morning after the law went into effect it was reported that the very first highway fatality in New York was a person essentially killed by the seatbelt. They did also mension that it would have been highly unlikely that this person would have servived had she not worn her seat belt.

Another words if the seat belt is the only thing that touches you, then it is the only thing that can kill you. I dont worry about this but yes a 5 piont harnes would be much more effective.

John Roncallo
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  #8  
Old 05-11-2006, 06:26 PM
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The Safety Of A Rear Seat or Kinderseat In A W107

Hey Guys,

I am studying autobody and my teacher is letting me repair and paint from the doors back in the next 10 weeks of class. Tonight is the first night and we bring in our cars for evaluation to see if they can get done before class ends. He also is going to help me figure out how to put a reinforcement so I can install a shoulder/lap belt in the rear. I only have a lap belt in the rear seat and I do not trust it.
The car has in the rear factory mountings for the seat and lap belts that I found when I installed the rear seat.
When he figures it out I will post it. I found a company in the Porsche magazine panorama, that makes custom seat belts and he will make them.
Thanks to forums like this I can keep all of my cars running correctly doing the work alone.

Keep On Postin'
Jack
1980 450 SL
1989 560 SEC
1931 Ford Model A
1951 Pontiac Chieftan
1953 Jaguar XK 120 DHC
1954 Buick Special
1963 Jaguar MKII
1967 Jaguar XKEOTS
1990 Jaguar XJSOTS
1961 Cadillac Model 62 Convertible
1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible

Who's the sick one????????
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  #9  
Old 05-12-2006, 01:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xkeots
1980 450 SL
...
1953 Jaguar XK 120 DHC
I am glad to see a 107 in such fine company. That XK120 is IMHO the most beautiful postwar car built, period, end of story. I've never seen one in pristine condition personally, though.
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  #10  
Old 05-12-2006, 01:27 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Strife
I am glad to see a 107 in such fine company. That XK120 is IMHO the most beautiful postwar car built, period, end of story. I've never seen one in pristine condition personally, though.

http://hometown.aol.com/xkeots/myhomepage/business.html

Look and see it.
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  #11  
Old 05-12-2006, 03:50 AM
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Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 128
When I was about 10 years old, an E-Type coupe with a V12 crashed through our garage door and just parked itself in our garage. The guy had just bought the car and was turning around in our driveway when the brakes failed on him. Amazingly, the only car in the garage at the time was in the other spot and he missed it completely. The lines made by the garage door as the car broke through looked like racing stripes.

I was so excited, I asked my dad if we get to keep it. Anyway, the guy left the car and the keys there over night. After everyone was asleep, I snuck down and sat in it and played with all the switches and knobs. I climbed through the rear hatch that opened sideways. I remember you had to pull two levers to open the hood and it opened towards the front. What an incredible engine! I put the key in the ignition and started her up. Oh what a sound, smooth as butter. I'll never forget it. I love my SL, but I'll never forget that E-Type. I wouldn't mind having an XK8 either.

David
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  #12  
Old 05-12-2006, 10:49 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 177
[QUOTE=xkeots]Hey Guys,

I am studying autobody and my teacher is letting me repair and paint from the doors back in the next 10 weeks of class. Tonight is the first night and we bring in our cars for evaluation to see if they can get done before class ends. He also is going to help me figure out how to put a reinforcement so I can install a shoulder/lap belt in the rear. I only have a lap belt in the rear seat and I do not trust it.
The car has in the rear factory mountings for the seat and lap belts that I found when I installed the rear seat.
When he figures it out I will post it. I found a company in the Porsche magazine panorama, that makes custom seat belts and he will make them.
Thanks to forums like this I can keep all of my cars running correctly doing the work alone.

I am unaware of the vehicle Design Rules in the States, however as the 107 never had provision for lap sash belts, there are no original upper mounting points. Any modification to create an upper mount for the sash would in Australia require an engineers certificate that the modofication was initially sound, further an inspection to ensure the integrity of the modification by an Authorised Govt Transport Inspection point and modification plate affixed. The old days of drilling holes and fitting steel plates are gone. Australia is probably 10 years behind the US, so I'd say you've got this type of legislation or something similar, sorry to rain on your parade. But if it saves you drilling holes it's worth it.

Brian
280SL
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  #13  
Old 05-13-2006, 10:30 PM
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Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 571
It's a free-for-all as far as modifications here...I just had a W113 280SL come in the shop, the owner wanted inertia-reel front belts installed, he had bought the belts from the parts dept at the dealership...we would have had to do lots of fabrication of mounts and the like, and disassemble the interior to do it, and when I quoted him $1500+ for labor, he went away. Guess you CAN put a price on your safety.
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  #14  
Old 05-14-2006, 10:22 PM
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Wow, has our look on things ever changed over the past 35 years since I regularly sat on my Dad's lap driving the '66 Dodge Polara.
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  #15  
Old 05-14-2006, 10:46 PM
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Scary, huh? My mother had a 69 Olds Delta 88 for years and I don't recall ever wearing seatbelts in that car. I vaguely recall steering the car in my dad's lap too when I was a little kiddo. We had friends who had a large Chevy station wagon...their dad built a platform in the cargo area so the kids could lay back there and not disturb the luggage...can you imagine how unsafe that was? Kids at window level with no restraints? If you got rear-ended, the kids would land on the hood of the car behind you.

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