Technical Ford: How big are the interiors year to year between 1928 to 1934 pickups vs 1928 to 1932 cars.

Hi All, first off I've never sat in any of these vehicles so this is a guidance request. I have been looking for a 1928 to 1934 Ford pickup for what seems like forever and after looking at Boling Bros site I am considering expanding my search to include 1928-1931 coupes (3w- 5w). I'm 5'11" so not super tall but, my eye tends to be drawn towards chopped and even channeled cars. I imagine I'm splitting hairs requesting this but, is there more interior room as you progress through the years? What about a pickup vs a car, does one of them get the nod towards a bit more leg room? Once car shows start up again I can look a little closer but, seat of the pants tells it all.

 

Im 6ft 1 and have a stock cab 32 pu. I look through the top 2 inches of the wind shield. I fold up to get in. Coupes are a little better since you can remove the package tray behind the seat to gain a couple inches of leg room.If you chop a top ,and or channel you may end up sitting on a custom made foam pad for a seat.They are very tight. Best bet if you like them is a 2 door sedan.You can move the front seats back to were you have leg room.The back gets smaller,but it beats getting crammed in to your own car.

 

I'm 6' 4" and have driven thousands of miles in a 32 pickup, I can assure you there is no leg room in these trucks, I just had to stop every hundred miles or so to stretch, HRP

 

I'm 6' and found the '29 CCPU impossible to drive comfortably. The cab corners are stretched 6-1/2" and the CJ-5 seats have been replaced by CJ-7 seats that have a taller back.

 

The coups have a package tray which can be removed so the seat can be moved further back. No package tray in the pickups, just a solid wall.
The situation becomes more difficult when chopping or channeling which necessitates lowering the seat which can bring one's knees up to one's chin. Which makes moving one's seat back even more important to one's comfort.

 

I'm a quarter of an inch under 6ft, but have long legs (33" inseam) and I can only just get in and behind the wheel of my friends almost stock '31 PU.....no hope of trying to drive it.
I did have a friend who is 6ft 2" and he had a unchopped but seriously channeled Model A coupe, and he drove that pretty much sitting on the floor with his knees up at shoulder level......but he was only in his 20's when he had that car, and nearly 20 years later he now wouldn't even contemplate doing that because of the pressure it puts on your lower spine in later years.

 

Damn. Everything I've read is supported by your comments - needed some real owner feedback though. I've stared at pics of sedans trying to picture myself in one but, not feeling the love. I painted a pic of an A coupe on the door of my '65 pickup while secretly thinking if I ever crossed paths with a '28 - '34 pickup I would unload said '65. Then after pouring hours into a project the bond strengthens and your mindset changes. Back to the Coupe, I have a perverse need to build one to fullfill my, Whatever, ya call it'. I will try to figure out a way to sit in one before I go over the falls in a barrel and buy/build a no go car due to my age at completion. I still need to have a strong talking to in order to remove them from consideration. What a goofy virus this game is.

 

I spent a few hours driving a 28/9 closed cab truck.
Small.
Drove with my shoes off. Big toe on the gas pedal.

 

The 33-34 pickups have a extended firewall. I’d guess it extends into the engine compartment about 3-4”.
This will give you enough room to be comfortable.
I’m 6”2 and 215.
Truck is not chopped and I’m comfy.
If you want room, go to later model Fords.

 

40's cars generally have more room. But even at that, sometimes you still have to move the seat back. I moved mine in my 47 Lincoln coupe back about 2". Made a world of difference in leg room.

 

Coincidentally a '34 was what started it for me. There were 2 for sale, one local and the other in Washington State. At the time I had broken some ribs and was not in a state of mind to figure it out anything then both sold before I could pull it together. I haven't laid to rest the concept yet. If someone 6'4" or any of you taller than me can do it then I likely can too.

 

I hear ya. I look continuously but, very few if any project cars comes up for sale up around here I live. More pop up for sale already done but, price points are beyond me. A '40 pickup popped up on Vancouver Island about 2 years ago with a significantly messed up frame and drivetrain and before I could think it was gone too.

 

From the sound of it , there may be comfort to be derived from sitting sideways and pushing the peddles with my hands.

 

You could also buy a 32 pickup and install a new 34 firewall for space.
Here’s my 34 dimensions.

I’ve added some pictures for clarification.
Please excuse the rough drawing.
A lot of the dimensions were taken from the door and floor opening edge.
Let me know if you need any others.
I believe the seat is the second or third seat from a 60’s van based on the tubing frame underneath. PJ

 

Thanks @Petejoe. This is traction I can work with. I can mock up your measurements and figure it out to get me in the ball park. Hugely appreciate this.

 

You mentioned a sedan. I have a 1930 Tudor that is chopped 4". I am 6' and 78 years old. It is a feat getting in and out of. I have moved the seats back somewhere in the leg room area of the back seat and it is comfortable for the legs to drive, but I am looking out the top of the windshield and cannot see stop lights. I also have a 1931 roadster pickup. I removed the original seat and installed a school bus bench with the bottom cushion mounted directly on the seat box. With the back cushion push completely back under the body lip, I have reasonable leg room but I still need to be a contortionist to get my size 13s in. I don't know what I will do when I get a top, but I wouldn't trade it for any thing.. My buddy up in Haida Gwaii has a 1928 closed cab pickup that he drives all the time. He is 6' and has mastered entry and exit. No matter what , they are all small, so try before you buy.


This is the only picture I have right now. The top of the seat has been removed and the seat moved back 1.5"
Warren

 

Chop or channel not both if you want to drive it much. They are all small inside. Then there is the ride quality and noise to deal with.

 

I'm 5 ft 10, 190, and getting in and out of my 30 A pickup is a little contortiony, and once in, I would never consider a longish trip with some stretch stops along the way. Length and legroom are certainly concersn, but width can be a bit of issue too, if you and/or the passenger are biggish. Remember-depression era folks were not as well/overfed as we are.

 

I traded a no rust 31 pickup for a 40 just to get the added cab room.
Once I got in the A, it was relatively comfortable with a thinner seat back, and I had plenty of head room.
BUT the problem was getting in. Not enough room between the door jamb and seat riser to get the left foot in without contorting like Elastic Man. Probably old age contributed to that, along with a size 12.
Like buying shoes, you need to try it on before you buy.

 

I'm 6ft (or at least I once was, I seem to be getting a little shorter I think), and while the others are correct, there is little leg room in an early 30's pickup, I have no problems getting in/out of mine, and I drive it everywhere. I'd drive it 3000 miles across the country if I had the opportunity. I love driving it, the small size is part of the appeal. It's incredibly responsive, handles/corners like it's on rails. The suspension beats you up, and the wind noise will make you deaf, but that's true with any car of the era, pickup, coupe, sedan or roadster. It's just a very crude, rudimentary chassis. On a long drive you need a break from all of that as much as to stretch the legs, plus it only has about 11 gals, so you need to refuel anyway.

My pickup is chopped about 3 1/2", not channeled. My seats are forklift seats from Northern Tool, mounted on mounts from Speedway, shorted 2" in front and 3" in back. Nothing fancy, it's just a jalopy, but they are sturdy seats, secure, and comfy. My ass and my back have no complaints. If you have problems with your legs, maybe your knees are bad, maybe you'll have problems getting in/out, but it's not a problem for me. Right leg goes in, my butt goes in and against the back of the seat, my left leg follows and my foot squeezes in past the door frame, then the butt goes down into the seat, and we're off. Oh yeah, as an example of how small these things are, you can adjust the outside mirror on the passenger door from the drivers seat, just lean and reach over and it's right there. Seriously, they are small, little to no leg room, but the fun of driving exceeds all of that. I also have a 47 coupe, but when it comes time to jump in one and go for a drive, more often than not it's the 30 pickup. It has far more smiles per gallon!

 

I think people were smaller back then.

 

Always wanted a 29RPU. Sat in many over the years. Just too tight for me. Now at 79 would really be a fight to get in and out.Still love the look. Dean Lowes is the best ever in my opinion.

 

Being under 6' is a plus. Waist measurement under 34" will also help getting in and out.

 

I am 5'9" and have spent a ton of time in both a chopped/channelled 33 and a Stock 34. The stocker is actually harder to drive than the channelled one. Like @anthony myrick said, you almost have to sit sideways

The @Rocky 33. I both rode in it when he had it then bought it.

 

Yeah, they definitely were. a 6' tall man was considered tall in the 30's. I have my dad's army uniform from WWII, there's no way I could fit in it, even when I was the same age he was at the time I couldn't have fit in it, and he was average size for men of his era. People have definitely gotten bigger, kids today are bigger than we were.

 

To get room for the blower drive on my early hemi the motor went back 11 inches in my 34 tudor.... Every thing else in side the car moved back 11 inches... I still have lots of leg room in the car and the rear seat still has leg room....

 

At 6-3, I didn't get in the car I put it on. The car was chopped 3 inches but not channeled, after about 1 hour I was ready to get out. Seats were as far back as they would go, but my knees were still chest high. Mine was a Chrysler and a little bigger so think about not chopping it. I sold the car and bought a un chopped sedan, much more big guy friendly.

 

Blues4U’s perfectly described how to get into a Model A. Right foot, then the butt, then lean in and wiggle the left foot in. Then scootch under the steering wheel. If you get a leg cramp during this process and have to jump out it really sucks. But a small, stiffly sprung and overpowered roadster is a hoot.

 

I'm a hamstring leg cramp jump up in a restaurant kind of guy - wonder how this is going to work out. Actually all these examples of grimacing and contortioning is helping me get a better image of exactly when I will do this. Inspiring!

 

Another Model A thing is that getting in sometimes will rip the belt loops off of your Levi’s.