Kinda O/T What are the chances of me fitting into a 29 Essex Coupe?

All right - opinions wanted -
I might have a lead on a 29 Essex Coupe c/o a fellow HAMBer, but was wondering what the chances of me fitting into the car would be.

I'm 6'10" 275 pounds, fold up pretty small, and have driven Honda Civics on numerous occasions.
If I were to acquire this car, I'd like to chop it a bit and channel as well.

Am I just kidding myself, or what?

Experiences from folks who have seen these cars or tall dudes who own similar size/style cars are more than welcome.

Thanks.

 

Don't know about the Essex, but my feeling is most cars of the period were similar dimensions. I've got a '31 Ford coupe chopped 3.5" with Fiero buckets that sit on the floor. I am 5"8" and chubby and I wouldn't want to be taller or wider.

Here's a link to a '29 Essex project and the owner might be able to give you some help.

 

Thanks Dude... Sigh.

 

i have a friends 29 chrysler 4 door in my shop and its all stock, its all good once i'm inside but i find i have to plan my entry more then a modern vehicle, i'm only 6ft and 210.

 

Hondas are a lot wider than most pre-war cars.
And the transverse engine gives lots of leg room.

6' 10",might squeeze into a prewar sedan,maybe.
Once you start chopping and channeling,it gets tough fast.
Good luck with a coupe.

 

A late-30s pre-war Business Coupe (maybe a Buick Opera Coupe or similar) with room behind the front seats would work. A plain coupe,
early 30s, probably not.

 

Well I'm glad you said something, because I'm totally new here and was wondering 'if this is off topic then I'm going to get yelled at a lot!'

I think a question of if you are going to fit and general comfort of your hot rod is very much on topic! I passed on a few chopped and sectioned project cars because I didn't fit and I'm only 6' 180#!

 

maybe the "kinda ot" part is not the request for the internal dimensions of a specific vintage automobile

it is the need to discuss the shoehorning of his pondering bulk ito a late model import

 

I'm not sure how old you are,Paul, but "shoehorning"? How may of the HAMB family have the slightest idea what a shoehorn is? For that matter, I can remember my dad putting shoe trees into his shoes every night.

Can't remember the last time I saw a shoehorn, or a shoe tree, but I wear boots or sneakers. Made me smile though.

 

If you go into a real shoe store they still have shoehorns, even some with long handles for older folk.
Shoehorning it what I will get to do on my 38Ford pickup project.
I'm 5'9 and 205# and a Stock 38Ford pickup cab is tight.
I have never ben in a 30's coupe but I would imange they are not much bigger.

Jim H

 

I'm 6'1" and 255 lbs. and had a 27 Essex 2door sedan some years ago. It was much bigger than a 26-27 T, had a wider cowl and firewall than a Model A Ford, and had suicide doors.
You'd have to remove the package tray in a coupe body for that extra leg room but don't go so far back with a seat that the back rest is vertical. There is nothing worse and more uncomfortable than a vertical back rest on a trip, 5 miles or 50 miles or 500 miles.
DO IT! But don't get nuts on the Chop or channel jazz.

 

How about a boot jack? I have a showhorn actually 2 - A nice stainless and the after market plastic[I think maybe it was a kit}. I'm 54

 

HAHA!! Talk about the thread getting derailed!
I guess in retrospect, it is a pretty pertinent topic pertaining to hot rodding, I just thought the majority of fellow HAMBers wouldn't be able to identify with my "problem". They say you get further in this world being tall, but I can attest that once you go past a certain part, things get a lot harder to do, and selection of damn near anything, including vintage tin becomes a problem.
The gentleman who told me about this coupe has one himself that is in the birthing phase of a project - he's sent me some photos, maybe if I'm REALLY nice, he'll let me stop by and try it on for size in person.
I'm not getting my hopes up, but it's one of the reasons I've been searching for just a cowl and a few various parts so I could fabricate the body around myself. However the traditional side of me would love to start with the classic lines of an original body. I bet I could make a 5 window coupe work a lot better and a sedan even more. It's too bad I like the looks of the coupes and 5 windows so much more than sedans - but then again, people in my shoes can't afford to be too choosy.
Thanks for the advice, experiences, tips and informative history of shoehorns.
Sam

 

shoehorn? evey time i hear of somebody putting a large motor in a small car it's 'shoehorn that sucker in!' forgive my ignorance, but is the terraplane similar to the hudson coupe in size? 'cause they're quite a bit bigger than say an 'A'....good luck.....john. (huh! my second post as a newbie, and i've gone from O/T to kinda O/T!)

 

Back on topic- doesn't the 29 essex have suicide doors? They tend to make a car harder to get in. I love the body though. good luck. TP

 

i have a 31 essex, im 5-9 210 fit just fine. there is about an 8" package tray behind the seat if you needed to move it back you could get crafty. i think with your size youd have to be crazy to consider a chop or channel, it would be a total shame if you couldnt fit or didnt feel comfy afterwords. i too think the essex has a little more room inside than others but i could be wrong. for my hieght in stock configuration it seems to be just right, i can push all the pedals to the floor. i like the looks of a chopped coupe, but i also like room.

 

You should probably leave it stock height and sitting on the frame. I'm 6 feet and barely fit in my chopped (3.5 inches) 34 Ford coupe, I have to tilt my head forward so it does not brush the roof.

 

I used to own a chopped '29 Essex coupe, and there wasn't a hell of a lot of room in it. One of the previous owners was just over 6 foot and he was ok, but there was no headlining in it. I think 6' 10" would be pushing it.

 

Thanks for all the advice dudes. I wonder what I could do if I got crafty ... if the body is pretty rough, I might make a roadster or something, but I might hold out for something a bit bigger.
If only my Aunt would relinquish her death grip on the bone stock Model A 5-Window her dad gave her!!! Aggghhh!!!!
Maybe I could have 6" removed at my shins, and six inches removed at my femurs ... hmmmm.

 

A 29 Essex body is definitely wider than a Model A. I had an un-chopped one channeled the full depth over a 34 Ford frame and it fitted over the outside of the rails without any problems. Mine was a 3 window body, and there seemed to be plenty of room inside with the parcel tray out, but you wouldn't be able to see to the side if you moved the seat too far back from the window!

Cheers, Glen.

 

If I could make myself fit, I might consider molding in some "rear quarter windows" or even wrap-arounds. Haha! It might not be traditional, but safety is everything, and it would give a whole new meaning to a 5-window. Hmmmmm...

 

just a bizzare idea butt what if you took a sedan body witch is really roomy i got one cut it at a comfy length. then finish the back with the rear off a coupe. if that makes any sence then if you channnel it drop the floor board down between the frame rails. would work wouldn't it?

 

Hey, Gigantor;

I have a '29 Essex 3-window business coupe. [ To best of my knowledge, no 5-windows ever made]. It's a *lot* bigger [inside & out] than a Ford Model A cp. & a lot nicer styled, too. ['29 had the fancy art-deco inside trim - '28 was plain]. Engine compment is decent-sized. There isn't much in the way off blind spots in the turret, 'cause the door windows are rather large. A 5-window would look quite freaky on this one. When you see it in the tin, I think you'll agree. At best, it'd be something like the '48 Chev 5w PU effect. Nice there, not on this one. BTW, iffen you get it, & don't want all the stocker stuff, please PM me. I probably do [depends on cost & shipping, etc. ].

Good luck, grab it it you can. You'll find very few of these things out there, especially unbutchered. & they are really nice looking vintage tin.

Marcus...

 

Yep,there is a "bootjack" in my house.It actually belongs to my Dad,and he needed it alot,he was a mountie for many years.

 

i have been wondering the same thing for a while....i want to build a early 30's truck but do not know if i would fit (without smashing my fatness into the side of it).....i'm 5'8, 265....

that wouldn't make any difference on your height while sitting down....

 

Well, I figured sacrificing a foot in my legs might give mesome wiggle room ... but there are some additional benefits to removing a few ribs I've heard.

 

Holy Smokes, 6' 10" why in the world would you not want your own "big", Olds, Chevy, Ford, etc??

 

If you shorten your legs, your 3rd leg appears larger!

Seriously, as a 6'2" 210 lb. guy, getting in and out of cars gets old fast. Once the "I look cool" feeling wears off, you'll regret chopping/channelling it. Then you'll sell it, and regret that too.

I'm not chopping my 29 A sedan. Life's too short to hate driving my own car!

 

Denise - Every red blooded American boy wants his own fenderless hot rod - I'm no exception.

As far as chopping and chanelling goes, this is all hearsay. I wont know until the car is in my posession - even if I get it, but I will take comfort and safety into consideration - as well as style, and somehow hope to meet in the middle. I know nothing sucks more than a short trip in a too small car, much less a car I'd like to spend hours and hours in on a perpetual basis.

However - I was looking at some picutres of my new friends coupe as it sat on the trailer and it appears that it is cut into two halves. If the coupe he has told me about is in similar condition, I don't see any reason I could not just make the coupe a tad bit longer in the doors and build it around myself. I think I could make quite a bit more wiggle room with an extra set of doors to blend together without totally screwing up the proportions. I ride in most cars practically laying down as it is, and it has become my preferred method of driving. I can only imagine that with a little Yankee ingenuity, I could fabricate my own seat(s) to accomodate my long back and still be able to reach all three pedals ... might need a longer steering shaft though!