Tall driver / vintage car match

[Guest hudson56]

I currently own a 1956 Hudson Hornet and was planning on buying a vintage era car (1919-1930). The only problem is that I've noticed that cars from that era are very tight in the drivers seat (rear seat have generaly endless space!). I'm 6'3'' and I can't seem to be able to put my legs in comfortably and I can't possibly imagine how I'm going to be able to use de pedals without my right knee being in the way of the shifter. My left knee is obviously going to be completly squeezed next to the door.

Anyone know what can be done? Is there a make that seem better for tall people? It seems the bigger the car is, the smaller the space in front!

Someone sugg. that I should modify the front seat; thats out of the question.

Is it simply possible for a tall person to own a vintage era car? (And being able to enjoy driving it)

Thanks!!

*The big picture here is that, if this is true, it may? compromise the future of vintage era car because newer generations are much taller...) :eek:

[Guest bkazmer]

why would drilling new holes to mount the seat further back be such a big deal?

[edinmass]

This is a common problem. I'm a Pierce Arrow Society club member and we have a guy who is 6'5", and he has owned several 1932 and 1933 Pierce Club Brougham’s. They have huge doors and bucket style seats that can be easily moved back if you need too, but if I remember correctly, he fits just fine with them stock position. Interestingly, he told me he tried lots of other cars and could not drive them safely, as most of the cars have fixed seats. He was able to fit in my one off custom bodied 1933 Pierce LaBaron Limo with the huge front doors and 147 inch chassis, but that car is now in a large preeminent collection on the west coast, and that option tends to run into an expensive solution.

[Barry Wolk]

I'm 6'5". I've simply moved the seat back on many vehicles.

You can typically make the move reversible by using an adapter plate that has holes in it for the original location and holes for a new attachment point.

It was common practice for people to relocate the seats when the cars were new, why not now?

At 6'5" I am one of 19 in 10,000 people. Too small a niche for height specific cars.

[Mssr. Bwatoe]

Get an orignal Lincoln continental!! remove extensions from pedals...move seat all the way back...remove 6 bolts between seat and brackets..tilt back low..you will fit.

[Barry Wolk]

Convertible, maybe. I can barely fit behind the wheel of the Continental. That's why I don't own one.

[mrspeedyt]

i'm 6'3 and it can be a challenge to be comfortable in most any vehicle. i fit tightly behind the wheel of my '23 buick touring car and it's just about impossible to fit in a stock model 't' or an 'a' ford. i just have to make do.

[poci1957]

*The big picture here is that, if this is true, it may? compromise the future of vintage era car because newer generations are much taller...) :eek:

That is indeed a problem, and you are right about the tight driving compartments. I would say a closed car should be adaptable, but a 1920s open car with the small door openings would be less so.

Sounds like Barry is the voice of experience and indeed moving the seat back on some adapter plate is what they would have done back then anyway. Just watch for a roadster or touring where the body design limits how far back you can go. Good luck, Todd

[Barry Wolk]

i'm 6'3 and it can be a challenge to be comfortable in most any vehicle. i fit tightly behind the wheel of my '23 buick touring car and it's just about impossible to fit in a stock model 't' or an 'a' ford. i just have to make do.

It is true that the stature of the population of this country has increased dramatically. As far as the Fords go, Henry was a tiny giant and built his cars to fit him.

When Bob Lutz was with GM I asked him about egress on several cars. He told me that if he didn't fit (same size as me) the car never made production. I don't know about that.

[CarlLaFong]

I am a dwarf, at a mere 6 feet/220. I could just barely fit into my 25 "T" Roadster P/U. Backing up, while wearing boots, was a real contortionists act with my knee hitting the wheel and trying to stab the pedal with the side of my size 10 1/2. Still, a Ton O' Fun

[Steve Moskowitz]

In the vintage you are talking about there are all sorts of different scenarios. My 1920 roadster fit me fine but my 6'5'' friend could hardly get in...my '29 is the opposite since I barely can reach the pedals and will need to do something to modify the seat! Short or tall there always seem to be an issue.

Moving the seat back will be much harder on most of these early cars (if you want a roadster) as they are already affixed to the back of the body! Sedans can be done with not much effort and without ruining the integrity of the car...don't let this stand in the way of getting an earlier car. There are cars and there are ways to make this happen.

If you are a Hudson fan, they are a pretty active bunch and you probably can see if there is a car to suit you.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Steve Moskowitz (see edit history)

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Hudson 56,

As a general rule of thumb, you are probably better off looking at Sedans and Touring cars

(vehicles with a a back seat).

Coupes and Roadsters generally have fixed seats, with little or no provision to move them back, due to design of the coachwork.

On the other hand, some Brass cars require extremely long legs...

I acquired a '28 Ford coupe about a year ago, and being 6'2", it is indeed "cozy"... moving the seat is fairly major surgery, and would only gain a couple inches back.

My biggest issue is getting in & out of the car: I have to go in "head-first"... If I back-in, placing my bum on the seat and then swinging my legs in, my 13-A feet don't clear the space between the seat riser and the door pillar !

Driving position is a little bit cramped, but I don't have trouble negotiating the pedals.

A friend who is also 6'2", but has longer legs, finds his knees jammed against the steering wheel.

Another friend is about 5' 6", and says the Ford "fits him just fine".

The other issue I have is that I find the upper windshield header right around eye-level; the edge of the visor a bit lower.... so I'm usually in a "crouch" when driving the car.

A prism-type traffic light viewer is a must for me.

You'll definitely have to "try one on" before you buy; if you see a make/ model you like at a show, you might be able to chat-up the owner, explaining your dilemma, and they may let you slidee behind the wheel for a test fit....

Good luck - I feel your pain !

( Ever watch a Laurel & Hardy movie and wonder how on earth Ollie managed to squeeze-into and DRIVE a Model T (usually a runabout !) ?? !!! )

[keiser31]

You guys need to try 1931 Dodge Brothers coupes or pretty much any coupe from the Chrysler product range of 1930, 31, 32... They have tons of room for tall dudes.

[TG57Roadmaster]

My late Father was 6'6," taller than any of you, and he always said that our '63 Renault Dauphine (bought after owning a '60 Mercury Monterey) was the most comfortable car he ever owned. They also enjoyed a new '85 Renault Alliance with exceptionally comfy seats for a few years.

I think the issue has more to do with ergonomics and seat positioning, rather than the perception that large size equals comfort. But as you've all stated, the only way to know is to "try 'em on" for size.

At a mere 5'10," I find the driving position rather awkward in our '34 Packard Eight Coupe Roadster, but we'll sort that out while the car undergoes restoration. Either I'll adapt, or we'll modify the seat rails a bit.

TG

[Guest hudson56]

Thanks for all you replys,

you all seem to say its possible, so it must be!

I didn't want to modify the seats because I hate doing that to a car (modifications) but like Barry said, they did it back then, so why not now... (I didn't know).

So I'll keep my spririts up!

Thanks!

[Shop Rat]

Please do come back and let us know if you do find a vehicle that meets your needs.

[CarlLaFong]

They also enjoyed a new '85 Renault Alliance with exceptionally comfy seats for a few years. TG

Which was the average lifespan of those Franco-American POSs. The comfy seats were a big plus while you waited for the tow truck;)

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Just saw an older gentleman driving around in a Renault Alliance convertible a couple weeks ago. Not a collector car, just this fellow's sunny-day driver....

First time I think I've seen an Alliance rag-top in about 20 years....

[mrspeedyt]

it just may be the only one that is still driveable!!!

[Shop Rat]

.....The comfy seats were a big plus while you waited for the tow truck;)

Glad I wasn't drinking a beverage when it read that. **spit take!!!**

[Richard Lichtfel]

Get a DeLorean. John DeLorean was over 6 foot and he designed the interior for tall people.

I'm over 6 foot and with the seat all the way back I can't reach the pedals.

[Ivan Saxton]

There is a useful chapter in Hugo Pfau's book The Custom Body Era on dimensions in relation to the driver of cars they made the bodies for at LeBaron.

If you have to build a body for a car you are restoring it is not a problem of course.

I was never a basketballer, just 6ft 2inches. I never had a problem with my cars, such as 1927 Cadillac 4 passenger Phaeton, or the 1918 Mercer "Sporting". On the other hand, a friend's 1923 4 1/2 litre Delage I found impossible because of the placement of steering wheel rim and the right hand gear lever, as there was no room left for my knee where it had to be. (This was a quite large car of its era, and right hand drive, of course.)

One way you can cheat is by using a heel well in the floor. There is one for a 1923 4 cylinder Stutz I have, and I made something similar for the Roamer-Duesenberg. Without that it was a problem for me: not so once I had done this.

When I was very young I would get into all sorts of things that were about. Up in the rafters of the garage in the back yard were a score of very old British army jackets, some red, some blue, which had different embellishments. Best guess is they were possibly Crimea War era. I could no longer fit into the largest of these when I was 13 years old! Possibly a lot of people were not as tall because of nutritional difference to some extent. However some people in history were very tall even by our standards. These include the Black Prince, and I understand his battle armour shows this.