Hot Rods Did people have smaller feet in 1941?

HEAD!

 

My great-grandfather Miles Turner, born 1859/died 1940, was 6' 8" and wore size 16 shoes, but he wasn't fat.

 

I have size 12 and I took my largest boots with steel cap on.
First pic -48 Dodge, 2 and 3 pic -41 De Soto.Lots of space...what car do you have?
Fiat 500?

 

I have a problem with driving cars with the pedals through the floor, very uncomfortable! The pedal pad angle on pre-1949 cars is terrible at least for me. I had to adjust the clutch pedal arm on my '59 Ford lower, the seat needs to go back about 2" otherwise the drive is comfortable on longer trips. I wear a 36-37" sleeve shirt and my inseam is 32" so I'm a bit mis-matched.

 

Most people were smaller due to lack of nutrition.

 

Now you see why you have to drive with your arm out the window. It's because everyone is larger and don't fit comfortably side to side.

 

Make sure they are the pointy toe boots.

 

Are we all sure it's in the right spot? Looks Ford from here, 39-40-1? My Tudor has the dimmer in the center and down from the clutch/brake combo. Trucks different? I found out Tuesday I can't drive a Ferrari Boxer in my work boots. Size 12 is tough enough, with a pair of Wolverines on I can't even think about it. Guess I'll have to sport my Simpson crew shoes for test drive day

 

I noticed something. I drive a 3/4 ton 80,s truck. Its a large truck. I went to a auction sale and parked. My truck was the oldest one there. and the smallest. The 1/2 tons where physically larger than my truck. the so called compact trucks where about the same size as mine. And the 3/4 tons dwarfed my 3/4. Is it because they had to enlarge them to accomidate the big fat tubs of guts?

 

Good thread. This seems to be something a lot of people take for granted. I can only imagine trying to explain this situation to someone not into old cars. Over the years this topic was discussed quite a bit in various magazines articles I've read. When I started my project steering column, pedals, and seat position were the first things I started with. There's more than one guy I know that either built or bought a car without giving much thought to this.

 

There's only one hole for it, can't go anywhere else.

It's a 41 Ford Pickup.

 

My uncle Lloyd was a basket ball star for the Proctor, MN high school team in the early 1920's. He was known as "The lanky center from over the hilltops". He was 5' 10". I also have a friend with a '36 Dodge pickup. I tried to drive it once and immediately though better of it. Just riding in it for any distance is uncomfortable. It is not chopped or channeled. I am 6' 0" and 220.

 

The interior is spacious in a '48 Dodge compared to that of a '41 Ford pickup & even a '41 pickup has more room than the Model A's, 32's and Model 40's. HRP

 

It's not a shoe size question so much as a people size question. Smaller people have smaller feet.
At 15 years old, I was a late bloomer and puberty was still a distant event. I weighed in at 88 pounds soaking wet.* It was Holloween time and I was wanting to put together a costume to wear to some deal. A lady friend of the family still had her divorced husband's WWII sailor uniform, the whites, which it turns out, fit my boney body like it was tailor-made. So this story isn't about me as much as it is about that previous generation. My classmates all seemed like linebackers to me, including the girls.

*I shot up to a whopping 132 my last year of high school and continued to slowly grow at about 2 pounds a year until I topped out at 6' 2" and 200 pounds and a size 11 shoe.

 

I moved from Mass to Calif. at age 22. I was 5'6" when I left, and the shortest of our group of 5. I went back home on a visit 5 years later. I walked up to an old friend I had grown up with, and we both looked at each other like something was wrong, or at least changed. Finally Ron said......when did you get so tall? What was wrong was that I was looking down to someone I grew up having to look upwards to. LOL. I grew 2 1/2" after I turned 22.
When I built my avatar car, I made seat mounts with much more travel than normal, knowing I'm a short guy, but my son, who is 6'4", may end up with it when I'm gone.

 

Have you L.H drive guys ever wondered how us right hand drive guys get a gas pedal in that space between the brake and the kick panel-especially in a Model T or A?I does take a little head scratching to make it fit!

 

that's why out model A fords have the gas pedal between the brake and clutch 28rp , my 34 is difficult to drive with the gas on the kick panel side of the brake

 

My father was born in 1911, Pretty normal city boy. Seemed normal to me. I tried to wear his watch the other day. Can't believe how small his wrist must have been. For what that is worth.

 

back in the 40,s folks had smaller frames. They ate home canned goods. The canned goods we buy today have vitamins and essential trace elements added to them. and We consume much more dairy. So we have larger bones. Most folks today if they grab their wrist the fore finger and thumb cannot meet. That's wasn't the case Back in the day. I was born in 51. My mother quit canning when she got a freezer. I grew up eating campbells canned soups ect. And at school everything the lunch ladies cooked came from metal cans. There is more than a 1 inch gap between my wrist & forefinger. being your father was born in 41. that was when War Rationing was started. food was scarce. He was likely stunted in his early years?

 

Read again. My dad was born in 11. Went into the Navy in 27. I was born in 1943 and nobody would consider me stunted. My grandfather owned a bar in Philadelphia and I don't think they were growing and canning lots of food.

 

I'd sure like to know more about those 2 position push-pull light switches. I have a problem with floor mounted dimmer switches in both my '31"A" roadster and my '40 Ford coupe.
I wear a size 14 shoe, med. width. Compound this with a very weak left foot due to a back surgery that should have been done years before it was, and the left foot has a problem with depressing things with the ball of my foot, have to use either the instep or the heel on clutch (or brake if I brake with left foot). Going to change the roadster to a dual disc clutch this Winter, hoping the reduction in required pedal pressure will forestall the need to change to an automatic trans. If it works, I'll prolly do the same to my '40.
But that 2 position dimmer switch. does it also have a parking light position, or is that what you're using for the dim lights, along with a relay????? Seems like such a switch would help me a lot

 

DID PEOPLE HAVE SMALLER FEET IN 1941?

I know mine were.

 

Hey dirty old man,
the switch I have in my coupe is first notch is parking lights, 2nd is low beams, 3rd is high beams. I got mine from Ron Francis.

 

Dave, I have the same as MMM1693 in my hot rod. Works well for me. But, it sure helps to have indicator lights.

 

Thx yall, I'll hit Ron's site up and take a looksee.

 

People were just smaller & shorter in the 30's. HRP

 

On average, 1941 Men were 5' 7" today Men are 5' 9" so feet were about 4 toes wide +- HAHAHahahah!!!

 

Wasn't Abe Lincoln like 6'5" or something? And his head fits on a penny!