Raising steering wheel? Im too tall for my 27 Roadster

[TimFX]

So I don’t actually fit in my 1927 Chrysler 60 Roadster. 

I can’t close the door with my foot on the clutch. 

Is it possible to move the steering wheel up a few inches? I’d like to move the clutch lever back a few inches too

 

First pic is my knee jammed between the door and the wheel. If only it was up just a bit…

Second pic is where the steering wheel column mounts to the frame rail

[Marty Roth]

Have you considered modifying the seat back and the seat cushion,

maybe reducing the padding?

 

A tall friend had a similar issue driving our 1927 Chevy roadster

Edited February 8, 2022 by Marty Roth (see edit history)

[TimFX]

I attempted to have the seas rebuilt and made thinner, unfortunately, they would hafto be only 1” thick to work. 

As it is, I can only get in the car with the seats completely removed. 

 

Raising the steering wheel and setting the clutch pedal back seems to be the only recourse (aside from selling it…)

 

 

[keiser31]

A look/photo of the column drop would maybe answer that question. Is there space above the drop to raise the column up closer to the dash? There is usually a little wiggle room on the steering box bolts to frame.

[TimFX]

 

There’s room to move the bracket under the dash, its whether or not I can rotate it at the bottom where it attaches to the frame

 

 

 

[ArticiferTom]

Their should be some oval in frame bolt holes to allow for mounting cab . Loosen and rotate . But do not bind at dash . Leave it floating until done . If not enough elongate holes in steering box and a little more in frame . A few degrees will mean alot at end . 

  Pedals should be adjustable , refer to BOI . all pedal needed to be adjustable for different cabs and floors . Look under should be able to figure out total push needed to operate and work backwards .

[Narve N]

Reckon that wooden dash is homemade?Dashboard is made in steel on the Series 65s which I know, typical Series 65 dash would have some oval mounting holes as mentioned here. Anyhow you can both push the mount all the way to the top of dash rearside and shorten the bracket to raise the steering wheel. The seating in my Series 65s is cramped and I spent a bundle on lowering the seat cushion (so that I could see under the windshield upper framing). Still the entry/exit is difficult and I drive the car with legs slightly crossed, but I manage to close the door and my legs are not hitting the steering wheel!

Edited February 9, 2022 by Narve N
Misplaced photo into text (see edit history)

[Gunsmoke]

If box housing is a cast steel unit, modifying those holes is not likely easy or recommended. However holes in frame rail can be easily changed (assuming enough clearance for boxnhousing to not hit upper or lower web of frame when rotated slightly). It is important to keep sector gear (spline end) centered in original hole in frame. So I suggest you unbolt box from frame (4 bolts) and free column from dash. Then rotate box as you raise column as close to underside of dash as possible and strap column temporarily in place (zip ties, wire etc). Also temporarily clamp steering box to frame ensuring sector gear is centered in hole in frame. then try your seating position to see if it works for you. If it does, it is just a matter of either drilling new holes in frame to match new box rotated location of by elongating original holes(probably by 1/4" or so). Then also drill new holes in column hanger bracket to allow column to be raised as you decide. It might mean cutting an inch or so off top of bracket as it reaches cowl. When everything is bolted together and you are happy with result, consider returning to frame and fill in with weld the balance of the original holes no longer needed for a solid final job (this final step may be left undone if you (or a future owner) want some day to return box/column to original position.) good luck. (by the way, make sure driving feel is good in new location before making any modifications to frame rail or hanger, new position may for example obscure view to gauges). Finally, rotating box 3 or 4 degrees will mean pitman arm will need to be 1 or 2 grooves different fitting on spline, make sure this is possible.  

[Vintageben]

Here’s a couple of pics of the holes in the frame/ Chassis and the top steering column bracket on a 1928 Chrysler 72. You can see the elongated holes others refer to and the various adjustments on the top bracket. The car is a coupe and appears there will be plenty of leg space for me 5’9” 

but it is a bigger car then a 60.

[Gunsmoke]

Vintage Ben's photos show how the Model 72 was designed for adjustment of steering wheel height. As I described, this same arrangement can be done on a non-adjustable wheel with a little care and forethought. My '31 CD8 solves the box issue by having a separate cast steel housing/sleeve bolted to frame into which the steering box slides and with a clamp bolt so box can be rotated to one of 3 different steering wheel heights by simply loosening one clamp bolt and 2 on steering wheel hanger.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Gunsmoke (see edit history)

[TimFX]

Steering wheel height solved!

 

I took Vintageben’s advice. The mounting holes were indeed oval 

Loosened the nuts and pushed the steering wheel up. 

Steering alignment is next

 

Adjusted the clutch pedal down a bit and now I fit in the car with the door closed!

 

Thanks for everyone’s help!

 

 

[leomara]

Another premise, I do not believe my 1928 Chrysler Model 72 roadster has any type of seat adjustment.  Is this so?  It would be surprising to me that an inexpensive car like my Model A Ford coupe has an adjustable seat (forward or backward) and the Chrysler does not.  Also in line with this is the amount of advertising photos showing women driving and enjoying the Chrysler open cars, so how did they fit on the one size fits all seats?  Women are not usually as tall as men.  It's a quandary.

[Vintageben]

On 4/19/2022 at 11:27 PM, leomara said:

Another premise, I do not believe my 1928 Chrysler Model 72 roadster has any type of seat adjustment.  Is this so?  It would be surprising to me that an inexpensive car like my Model A Ford coupe has an adjustable seat (forward or backward) and the Chrysler does not.  Also in line with this is the amount of advertising photos showing women driving and enjoying the Chrysler open cars, so how did they fit on the one size fits all seats?  Women are not usually as tall as men.  It's a quandary.

That’s an interesting quandary, the old one size fits everyone/ fits no one. My 65 sedan has no adjustment on the fronts seat and I find it is a bit cramped for my legs even though the steering wheel position is fine, my wife says it just right yet she is shorter then me mainly in the leg department. I know much of the advertising of the day for the 1929 model 65 was aimed at the women folk. My 1928 model 72 coupe looks again no adjustment but appears that it is going to be good for me but I think my wife will need a pillow behind her. Definitely interesting that some lower priced cars offered adjustment but a much more expensive vehicle didn’t. One of those things we will quandary for some time.

[TimFX]

After moving the steering wheel up, the wheels were turned to the right about 10 degrees or so. Is moving the pitman arm up a few notches on the spline and straightening the wheels to best approach?

A friend said the worm gear might be off centre now and the wheel wont rotate fully in one direction

 

Is there an adjustment to centre the gears?

 

 

[ArticiferTom]

Remove pitman , center steering wheel by counting turns rack to rack divide in half set wheel there . This should have wheels arm with one straight down . Then with tires straight ahead , attach pitman . you will note, rack to rack, will be less as wheels hit stops of turning max. radius .