I have had a burning question for quite a while now...is everyone five five who posts on this site!? My problem is that I love old cars but they do not love me...I have to grease my self up and get a running start to get in anything pre 1962. Even my 56 buick is tight...yes I have humped alot of steering wheels in my day. Basically, I am heart broke because every old truck or pre war ford will not fit my 6-4 frame/ass. Since there are actually some incredible fabricators who post here, I thought I would see if anyone has stretched a 32 body or made mods to fit a gorilla. What did you do and how much of a pain was it to do? I talked with a 65 cobra guy and he said they trim the padding in seats and tilt the dash on occasion to fit taller people. Anyone with the same issues? Thanks...
move the front seat back , and get it low . in a sedan there is plenty of room to do it. in a coupe , like a `32-`34 you can remove the package tray to make room for the seat you also want to place the controls , like steering wheel and gas/brake pedals where they will be comfortable. i usually put the owner in the car and go over this stuff while in mock up i built a `33 3 window for a guy 6' 3" and he had plenty of room...when i drove the car i had to pull the glide seat forward. i'm 6 foot
im 6'4" 300 pounds and i had a 32 pickup with a 4 inch channel and a slant chop, its a little uncomfortable, but i was willing to sacrafice comfort for looks,
I am 6'3" and weigh 325. I fit in my 33 Ford 3 window coupe just fine. I don't have a package shelf, the seat is way back and the back of the seat is raked back. The car is very comfortable, even on long trips. Due to a 3 1/2" chop, viewing traffic lights can be a literal pain in the neck.
I'm 6'3". Here's some things I learned on my build: -Remove the rear seat. put the drivers seat as far back as you can. -bench seats are better than buckets. -The lower to the floor you sit, the more you have to worry about brake and gas pedal geometry in relation to your foot. Instead of stepping down on the pedals (ideal) you wind up pushing them.NfG Forget about chopping. Look out for the shifter preventing your right knee from mobility
I'm 6'4" and hitting 300#. I fit pretty good in my '40 Ford pickup - No extra room to spare, but I fit. I drove a '37 Ford pickup and it was tight - the '40 is much better. I'm also building a '36 Olds coupe. My plan is to move the seat back from the stock location. Lucky the Olds has some funky shelving unit behind the seat - So goodbye shelves, hello leg room. Todd
It's a high tech car but look at the '32 3wd Alan Johnson finished last year for Ron Winter. It was red & unchopped with big-inch, painted, billet wheels that looked like steelies. It's been in all the magazine event coverage recently. http://www.shadesofthepast.com/2007data/Top25/slides/Winter.html I thought that they had bobbed the front frame horns on the car until I was told by the owner (who had to have been 6"6") that they had pushed everything (hood, grille, engine, etc...) forward to make more leg room inside the car. I looked at it for 10 minutes & still couldn't tell how they did it without making it obvious. It was a 'glass car that the owner paid someone else to build. They guy was just tickled with it & was talking to anyone who would listen. It was as contemporary as could be..... & I loved every inch of it. JH
I'm 6'2", 220lbs got about a 6" channel with no chop, got the seat way cut down and way layed back with no shelf. My knees are kinda up but I think its kinda comfy! It can be done!
Where's Deuce? That guy is over 6' easy, and drives a '32 5-window with the package tray still in it.
Roadster? I have a Show Me Rod and Custom glass body. It is stretched 2" in the doors and 2" in the cockpit. I'm 6'2" tall and fit OK. If you are interested, Show Me is located in your neck of the woods; between Branson and Springfield, MO.
Aussie Steve is probably 6'2-6'3 and he drives a deuce with all the original guts...of course, he engineered it for his frame, tho. so yeah, it can be done. The easiest would be chopped/unchanneled (who the heck covers up a 32 frame anyways?) with no package tray, seat on the floor. be careful with motor placement, and you got yerself a winner!
I'm 6'4" and 400 pounds, I feel your pain brother...the whole "frame scraping ground with a 6" chop" thing makes me cringe thinking about getting into them...good luck bro...
Make your seat, and make it fit you...in all reality, it is not that hard.. a bit time consuming, and the high density foam is a bit pricey depending where you get it...
So, I need to go low and shove her back. A Sedan is probably the way to go...roadster..hmmm...might look like a Roth cartoon...but uglier! The doors on the fords scare me...tiny. Well, I need to do some crunches anyways! (abs not balls) As for my 56 buick...any suggestions on moving the bench seat back a few inches. The interior is in great shape and cannot afford a tilt steering wheel to better maneuver in and out. Has anyone ever moved the sliders back with a brace that mounts to the original. Catch my drift? Pics work for me...
I am 6 foot 2 inches tall and real close to making 300 pounds and I can fit in Hotrodprimers 32 Ford pickup. He is a little taller than I am but weighs less. I have driven my 32 Roadster over 50 thousand miles and it is real comfortable. I do have a custom built seat which is a little lower and further back. I have the package tray out of my 32 3W coupe, and the seat is back aa little further but I have plenty of room in it. 33 and 34 Ford cars have even more room than a 32 ...
Quote :"As for my 56 buick...any suggestions on moving the bench seat back a few inches. The interior is in great shape and cannot afford a tilt steering wheel to better maneuver in and out. Has anyone ever moved the sliders back with a brace that mounts to the original. Catch my drift?" For 5-6-7 Chevies, somebody makes a plate that mounts to the original seat mount holes in the floor, and has new holes about 4" back. Made of 14 guage steel, about 1/16 thick by4" by 20 or so. The relocated seat bolts don't go through the floor. Found em! There's even installation instructions with pictures! http://www.classicchevy.com/product.asp?pf_id=35-254&dept_id=1697 Easy to make, looks kinda expensive to buy. Ralph
I'm 6'4" and weigh 235lb and fit in the 32 pickup pictured above in Randys post,,,I will point out that it is not chopped or channeled and the original tank is no longer under the seat. I built a new lower seat and the steering is a little higher than the original to give my long legs a little extra room when using the brakes. It's not the most comfortable hot rod I own but it sure is fun. My original plan called for just around town hot rod truck,,,but I have driven it to the Shades of the Past,,,Goodguys and a bunch of other short 2 hour trips,,,,I surprised myself,,,it's really not that bad. If you make a good plan while you build there are a lot of things and ways to gain a few extra inches here and there,,,,if I can do it in a small pickup think what can be done with a coupe or sedan. HRP
I found a photo of me driving my ol' 32 mor-door the same 6'4" guy that weighs in a 235lbs. pleanty of room,,,original steering column and original seat,,,,HRP
Or you could do this... I'm 6'6" and fit with room to spare and I drive it a lot. If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't extend it quite as much. I'm building another 34 right now that will not be extended or channeled. Just a 4.5" chop...
I always figured that I would measure the height, floorpan to roof, inside my honda. Subtract that from the same measurement in my somday A, and that gives you your chop. I'm 6'4", but thankfully only 190 lbs
I guess there are a lot of short people around here! I'm 6'10" 275lbs., and I too have dreamed of a bitchin fenderless hot rod but been worried that I could never realize this dream not just because of the money, but because I'm a pituitary freak. I peaked at the pedal setup of a model A and wondered how I could possibly only touch one pedal at a time with my size 14s, never mind worrying about head room. Alas, I have been doing some research and have found that the 27-32 Essex bodies, while not as popular as the Fords and Chevys are very similar in styling and are just a bit bigger in every dimension. I was over at a fellow HAMBers garage last weekend and took a good hard look at his 29 Essex and confirmed with my own eyes that I could fit EASILY. I'm used to folding into smaller cars, I drove a Honda CRX for years, and the Essex had WAY more room than that car. So, the search is on for an Essex, just something you might want to think about. I also flipped through an article in a taboo hot rod magazine regarding a 27 Essex. The builder not only had a radical chop and channel. but placed the floorboards BELOW the frame thus gaining him an extra 4"! That's the kind of stuff that gives big people like me renewed hope in one day tooling around in a vintage traditional hot rod. Good luck, shorty.
like dirty says, when it comes to cars I'm glad I'm 5' 7" and weigh 160. with that said my 32 cabriolet has to be the BEST model if you are a bigger guy. with me in the car comfortable there is 10+" behind my seat. my shoulders are just above the tops of the doors too. when compared to my 29 roadster it is unreal. I can barely fit in that one. doors on the cabriolet are bigger than a roadster too. if you want an open 32, I would try to find a sport coupe, cabrio, touring (good luck!!) or a five window without a roof. btw I have a 3" chopped windshield and I still look through, not over, the windshield
I am 6'3" 250Lb, size 14EE. I fit in the '31 Model A Tudor Sedan (my Avatar) with the driver's seat back 3". I chose the 30/31 for the extra foot room. It's not chopped, yet anyway, but I have about 4 inches of headroom (stock seat, on the floor). On the A's the Tudor Sedan doors are longer, I have been toying with the idea of coming up with a 30/31 coupe and stretching the cab to fit the bigger doors (flush mount them too). For now it's just a dream, I'll have to get alot better at working tin first.
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