stingry

OK. Here is the problem.

I am 6'6" and own a 1970 Convertible. (And very happy about it)

It is a manual and I have size 13 feet. Hence I have no leg room and no foot room. I enjoy driving the car but long trips are just not practicle till I get the leg room issue sorted out.

Has anyone modded there C3 or replaced items to make more room.

Can the seat be moved back further?
Can the seat be lowered by removing the rails?
Can the foot pedals be moved?
Anyone converted from regular to Tilt-Tele? How much? How difficult?

Any advice appreciated.

Pete



[Modified by stingry, 7:46 PM 8/26/2003]

Todbo

I'm 6'1" and I was having trouble getting my right leg under the steering wheel as I entered the car , changed over to T&T steering wheel and it's like a new car. No trouble for the change , maybe 4 bolts - 2inside 2 outside , but my dash was out when I switched them. They can be expensive plan on spending 400 -500 on used , make sure it has a good turn signal switch , the switch is diff from the straight column and not available. :cheers:

mrvette

Guy, you got my sympathies...I am 6'5" and with extra vertebrae in my back been a real pain in the as s all my life....and neck and well you name....

so over the last 7 years I have done the following to my '72.....

cut off the rearmost mounting tabs on the seat rails...remove the black seat belt covers for clearance, and ability to dry out the belts....I also bent the front tabs straight inline with the tracks, and cut out ALL padding from under the carpet where the seat sits....thereby lowering the seat by allmost 2" in rear and a 1/2 inch in front....

2 years ago, while I had the car apart for a complete overhaul, wiring updating, computer DPFI relocating, and entire pass/engine rewiring, and rack/pinion install....I decided to get rid of that pesky leg room situation....
SO,.....having allready done some year previous a TT wheel install, I found it somewhat far away...so I moved the ear flange back 3/4 inch off the firewall and reversed the potmetal castings in the 3/8 bolts holding the tabs under the dash...the allowed the TT wheel to move back 3/4 inch...helped me a lot....
I also have a later shark smaller wheel bolted on...

I also cut a U shaped slot into the fiberglass floorboard, up the sides to a point roughly the height of the steering column...and then forced that portion of the firewall forward and held it in place with wedges, and then filled it in with super thin aluminum house roof flashing, what this did was make a base for the resin and roving of the actual fiberglass fill in that extended the floorboards further forward for my feet.....NOW sometime earlier since I did a later shark TT wheel conversion...the dimmer switch was rewired to the steering wheel, off the floor, and that section's bump removed...
when moving that floor it was further smoothed out....

I also removed the brake and gas pedals, and then cut the brake pedal on the rear edge of the lever, and bent the thing untill the brake pedal was further down to the new floor line, same thing by heating the gas pedal....
the brake lever was welded new again....

SO that moved my feet further forward by about 3 inches, and the pedals too...that dropped my legs off the steering wheel and made the leg support much more comfortable....lowering the seat made a nice rake to it also, and that allows more headroom, moving the wheel back made it more comfortable too, as I"m no longer an 'ape hanger'...like a biker....

NOW, with a cushion behind her back my 5'5" wifey-poo can slide the seat forward, adjust the wheel and mirrors and be totally comfortable driving the car also....

ergonomics IS possible...just have to DO IT!!!

AND my comment is...IF the general had the time/effort/budget to engineer that sort of ergomomics into the vette as they did in the olde tyme B body cars of the 60's and 70's....it would have sold even more....
those olde tyme B body cars had some adjustability in those 6+++ wau power seats...lovely highway scenei cruisers....drive for hundereds of miles full of smiles....large leather seats, recline, get laid, do whatever...plenty of room for a BJ while rolling down the road....man that was STYLE!!!!

GENE

DougsL89

My son is 6' 6" and fits in my car perfectly - when the driver's seat is removed! :lol:

gkull

A cheaper source of steering room that I’ve seen this summer at a car show is the 2/3rds of circle steering wheel with a straight across flat bottom or even a lower part arch.

I bought a nearly flat on the floor Sparco racing seat and basically bolted it solid all the way down and pushed up against the battery box in back.. It put your legs almost straight out. It’s non adjustable so no shorties are ever going to steal it.

I’ve considered cutting out the 2 inches or so raised under the seat floor panel and reglassing it in flush with the floor. I keep hitting my helmet.

stingry

Todbo, Mr Vette, DougsL89, gkull

Thanks for the advice.

:hurray:

I am on the lookout for a T&T and will be pulling out the seat soon to look at how to do my MRVETTE mod. :)

I will look for a slightly smaller wheel but I want it to look stock, even if it will be able to be driven by Giraffes.

Thanks for the info. I can see a way ahead now.

Pete :cheers:


[Modified by stingry, 9:45 PM 8/27/2003]


[Modified by stingry, 9:46 PM 8/27/2003]


[Modified by stingry, 9:48 PM 8/27/2003]

mrvette

[Q
I am on the lookout for a T&T and will be pulling out the seat soon to look at how to do my MRVETTE mod. :)

I will look for a slightly smaller wheel but I want it to look stock, even if it will be able to be driven by Giraffes.

Thanks for the info. I can see a way ahead now.

HAHAHA...that's funny my wife who is 5-5 collects giraffes as a hobby, whole bookshelf devoded to them...must be severa hundred of them....guess that's why she married me, I'm her only LIVE one.....

the best smaller stock looking wheel comes off a late shark...thicker rim and padded, smaller diameter...stock as a stove....
and the mounting flanges are rivited on the seat tracks...I just ground the rivits off and frankly never bothered to redo the mounting back there, just in front...I feel IF I hit hard enough that slight upward tug of the seat will not add anything to injury....IMO...only of course...then again, you could put a 3/8 bolt and reinforcing washers on that thing to tie it down good as GM....

SIGH...so MANY mods, so little time....

GENE

stingry

Gene,

Will be looking for that wheel. Ecklers has a 14" leather one for $100. I'm off to measure what I have on mine to see is larger.

Would an inch smaller sterering wheel make much difference to my steering effort?. I have manual steering.

My wife like giraffes on the bookshelf too. Something about short women liking tall men in corvettes going on here....

I like to think of it as an "ergonomic enhancement" instead of mod. :)

Cheers,

Pete

Ganey

Pete

While I am not too tall for a Corvette, here are a couple of things.
Removed the duct to side vent which was right over feet.
Several years ago, I installed a shallower dish Grant w/ polished slotted spokes & black leather that I have been rec. Even though I run the shorter 77 up tilt/tele column w/ st. wh. full forward, this moves it even further forward & works great for me. I don't use the tilt. (6'+) Pic. on my website.

I was going to be even taller however when I read a long time ago that anything much over 6' was going to be a tight fit in an XKE, I knew Who to call.

:cool:


[Modified by Ganey, 8:05 AM 8/31/2003]

mrvette

Sting, I think going to the smaller late shark wheel instead of that over large early wheel with the thin grip will for the MOST part make even manual steering easier.....as the grip is larger, something you can actually grab, and not just skim your fingers over...

the biggest change for ME was lowering those pedals and the lower firewall, I just slid the carpeting forward, and put a scrap into the seat holes, and with the pile/nap it's hardly noticeable fits well....took my hi beam switch out also, and put it on the steering wheel, but then again, I have a late vette wheel in there too...so it may involve a whole bunch for you to change over to that turnsignal stalk-pull for hi-lo beams....check with Jim Shea on that....

GENE

Jack71

Wow, Gene... might have been easier to have your legs shortened.


Well I'm 6'4" 250lbs. I converted to TT & added a smaller diameter wheel. That did make a huge difference. I have always avoided manuals for that reason.

Gene, I will look into that seat thing -- there was that much padding under your rails?!?! Wow...

Tyrannus

This is great info... I just bought a 69 and I'm 6'4" and can drive it but not comfortably. I've already cracked my skull a couple of times now on the roof and decided this is job one. So I have a couple of questions:

1) - I take it the T&T is tilt and telescope?? If so, mine doesn't have that and I've looked on eBay and have found some expensive rebuilds and used but I wanted to make there are no gotcha's when converting from a non T&T..

2) - Have you learned anything new to get more leg room? Since this info on this discussion is 10 years old and I'm curious..

3) - Any recommendations for small diameter steering wheels?

Thanks!

thegavel

Some great ideas here, guys.
I went with this aftermarket wheel .
If you wanna loose floorspace.....convert to Right Hand Drive.
Just have a look at your passenger side floor then
imagine putting your pedals in there.
My Hi Beam switch IS under my clutch pedal.

Belgian1979vette

You guys have to stop eating so much I'll sent some of our 'crisis' your way, that will help some...

cpita

I'm 6'6 size 13 220#, and never driven a vette, I was worried about being able to fit it my 82, but I can just not as good as my crew cab truck LOL!

SuperBuickGuy

impressive

MrForce

This is a quick fix and somewhat "Bubba", but pull out the T-Top liner and gain an inch of headroom. Glass tops offer the same gain.

I haven't gone to a tilt/tele column but when I got the smaller diameter steering wheel, I found one with flatter spokes that moved it away creating a more comfortable arm position.

Rob

MikeDs73

I just recently found a beautiful T&T column locally for $500 that only needed a little touch paint. I then bought a new 14" steering wheel PN: 103834 from Corvette Central for $89.95. I liked that wheel because it looks closer to stock type and should fit me good.

roscobbc

Whilst only being a 'shorty' at 5' 10" compared with some of you Giraffes owing to a back condition I need to have a low reclined seating position - my car being a '68 has fixed column and Huge steering wheel - swapped to 12.5" aftermarket wheel and have no problems - although I really wouldn't want to use this without PS.

Hub454

I am 6'4" size 13 and installed the smaller steering wheel black leather wrapped with the factory corvette horn button and it made a world of difference. I could hardly get in it before. I looked at changing to TT but once I changed the wheel I didnt need to.