So where do you guys draw the line between comfort and style?

I recently gave all of my Model A and hot rod related stuff to a guy and in return he's building a Model A pickup for me. I went and visited it for the first time since it's starting to resemble a vehicle. I am stoked on how it's starting to look. It is a '30 pickup unchopped, chanelled the width of the frame, firewall has been reversed to clear the '59 Y-block. He found me a Caravan rear seat that fits perfectly in it. I was able to climb in throught the roof (doors tacked shut for now) and holy cow, I barely fit! Granted the seat was sitting about 4" higher than it will (sitting on some of the temporary body bracing) but I literally had no room for my feet. Where do you guys draw the line between form and function? I could move the motor, mount the body higher, and put the firewall back to stock and run a smaller motor. I don't want to do ANY of that! I love the look, but I'm concerned I won't actually be able to drive it. Do I change things now or build it how I want it and realize it will only be a short trip vehicle? Thanks in advance for the advice. I have a few ****py cell pictures I'll add later tonight.

amsvette

 

im not too far from you..
and not a very big guy..you can give it to me if you cant fit..no problem

 

I'm 6' 4" and drove a 1930 Model A thousands of miles,,,30 years later I'm about the same hight and weigh a good 50 lbs more than I did then and now I drive a 1932 pickup which ain't much bigger.

It's a snug fit but I've driven it about 500 miles in one day,,,I do take a few strech breaks though!

Just use what little bit of room to your advantage. HRP

 

When I got my T roadster, it wasn't comfortable and I really didn't fit.
So taking the seat back out, raising the seat a little, about 1 1/2 inches, and repositioning the steering wheel helped. But the biggest improvement was loosing 20 lbs. off the driver.

i can drive a full tank of gas now and still walk when I get out. The more you drive it, the better it fits. You get used to it.

If I could loose another 20 I could go back to sitting on the floor.

Frank

 

Get a seat with a thinner back on it. Fact is you have a damn small cab made even smaller by reversing firewall.Can you put floor on bottom of frame to gain a few more inche's?I would spend time right now making this work before moving on. JMO

 

Ditto thet.

You may want to spend some more time in it before you start thinking about drastic changes. You don't have to sit in the dark and go "Varooom, Varooom" but it's allowed.

When I first got my truck, I thought it unbearably cramped. Now, it seems roomy to me.

 

I think two things are killing the space in your cab. You're losing around 4" of leg room with the reversed firewall. Second is the seat those seats have thick backs. So if you lose 4" from the firewall and 4" from the seat back you lost 8".

You say the truck is channelled so I'm ***uming no fenders. Why don't you scretch the frame? Push your seat back as far and as high as possible. I think this would make a big difference. Also I should add wheel and pedal pos***ion make a big difference. Don't just settle for thats where they are I'll leave them. Remember 1 or 2 inches here and there really add up quick in a early pick up cab.

 

A lot closer to comfort since I broke my back.

 

You didn't really expect "comfort" in a Model A did ya??

I think Tony's truck is a Model A

 

Leave firewall stock and slide the cab back 4' or so. ??

 

i drove my es*** roadster from kentucky to colorado in one day,but damn i looked cool. build your seat to fit your body

 

I'm 6' 4" also. I gave up my Model A truck for the same reason. Later I saw that some were extending the rear of the car (past the door) by adding 4" of extra space there. They were then shortening the bed by the same amount. This way you can have your cake and eat it too.

 

The only running car I have is a '26 T Roadster channeled 4", chopped windscreen, and no provision for a top. There is nothing comfortable about my car but you get used to it. I just wish I had a cup holder in that thing!

 

Comfort goes out the window when I climb out of the Lazy-Boy and into the Studebaker PU...

 

Rich,,you ALWAYS look cool!

Back to the subject at hand,,,

If you are tall,,,drop the seat as much as possible and raise the column for getting your leg up to stab the brake pedal.

Forget the mini van seat and fab up some high quality thick foam for the seat and use thin foam glued to the back of the cab,,,

I also agree with the other guys,,the more you drive it the better it will fit you,,,

Some of my friends get in my truck and shake their heads,,they just can't believe I drive it as much and as far as I do.HRP

 

I've found that the older (and wider) I've gotten, comforts priority has moved up.

 

At about 500 miles!!!

 

Hey, thats the reason it took so long for me to finish my T.

 

i just sold a rpu with reversed firewall and 3 1/2" channel. it was uncomfortable. i would suggest not reversing the fire wall.

 

"It's better to look good than feel good"!

 

A van seat won't work in a model A pickup. You need to build one out of plywood and foam.
The seat back needs to be as thin as you can get itabove your sholders, then put some lumbar support in.
The seat base needs to have 2 cutouts in it for your ****, cover these with webbing then build the rest up with foam with a roll at the front to suport your legs.
You can make it work!

 

The hole in a roll of Ducktape is the right size for a cup or barley pop. Plus after it sits on the floor for a day or two it will blend right in.

 

On a hotrod, I don't give a **** about comfort (yet). If there's enough room to fit in the car and operate it, and no springs or splinters pokin' me in the *** that's all I need.
Customs must have both. Gotta have the style to get them in, and comfort to keep them there!

 

Put a small block in it and get your 4"s back...

 

That's what I use for a cup holder on the forklift at work. Works like a champ.

 

Well, I think one of the answers would be for the driver to lose some weight! I'm short and stocky just like my dad was...thanks Dad! I look huge in this picture, but I'm only 5'7. My right foot was literally on top of the transmission to be comfortable. I suppose it is not out of the question to have the accelerator peddle in the middle of the firewall. I guess I need to wait until we get closer to putting floors in the beast before I worry too much about where everything including me will go.

 

First off, somehow,comfort and hot rod don't go together. Now, that being said, having a car you can't drive safely ****s. I'm 6'4" (but skinny as a pencil and flexable) and drive a T Bucket. The first thing I did when I got the body was mock up the seat. I knew going in that there wasn't going to be a lot of room, so I planned it out. Everyone said I was doing it all wrong and told me how I should do it. In the end, I did it my way because it's my **** and I've never gotten tired or cramped while driving. There are folks who will tell you what will and won't work, but it's your **** that has to sit in it. Plan it out for YOU.

That van seat doesn't sound like the plan. Sounds like you'll need something with less padding. You're going to have to make a seat for YOU. My gas peddle sits almost on the top front of the ****** hump and I can work it and the brake peddle just fine.

I'm getting ready to redo my seating arrangement and will gain even more room than I had before, so it can be done. Look at it real hard and plan it out.

Depending on what motor you use, maybe you'll need gas before your **** hurts.

 

[FONT=&quot]I have been trying to ****yze what makes a comfortable interior. A pet peeve is all the special construction vehicles (hot rods, three wheelers, race cars etc.) that are built to look cool, but can’t be tolerated for more than a 10 mile ride. A friend with a Triking gets leg spasms whenever he drives it any distance! Interviews with guys driving chopped and channeled coupes almost universally indicate that the “look” took president over comfort, and that real driving enjoyment was compromised. You never see the driver in the channeled coupes featured in the magazines. Seeing out without ducking is another issue.....
I thoroughly enjoy driving my 2002 Mini Cooper S, and felt that the Tribaker needed to be equally comfortable. I have compared interior dimensions of the Mini, the MGTC, the Saturn Sky, the Miata and the Corvette and have come to some conclusions about what might comprise a fairly “universal” recommendation to shoot for, provided that the driver is not too far from average size. I haven’t seen this discussed or published anywhere. I didn’t record center hump heights, which I expect is a very personal preference, but have observed these to be comfortable up to about half way between the lower seat cushion and the arm-pit. If the upper arm were straight down in driving position, it would be about one third of the way up. Depends too on the height and placement of your shifter.....
Here are a few numbers:

Interior space [/FONT][FONT=&quot]across seats[/FONT][FONT=&quot] MGTC 45" [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Mini[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 50.3[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]Seat width [/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC and Mini[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot] 17 [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Seat depth [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 17 [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Mini[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot] 21[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Dash height [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 20.5 bottom [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Dash height [/FONT][FONT=&quot](top)[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 28 [/FONT][FONT=&quot]mini 28[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]Steering wheel [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 12 above seat[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Steering wheel [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]12 before seat back[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Firewall to seat [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC [/FONT][FONT=&quot]30.5 MINI 30[/FONT][FONT=&quot]pedals to seat [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]MGTC[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 22 MINI 26[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Miata, Saturn Sky, Corvette were also evaluated. All had about same legroom and ****pit width, so I will ***ume they would be similar to the Mini in terms of driving comfort. Pedal positioning and design needs a good look.....[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Therefore:[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Dash height 28" or less[/FONT][FONT=&quot]****pit 55" firewall to back of seat[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Pedals 26" from front of seat[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Seat depth 21" or less....down to 17" (which is probably plenty)[/FONT][FONT=&quot]****pit width 50"[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Seat center 14.5" from midline[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Seat 17" wide[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Legroom (pedal to back of lower seat cushion) 42"[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Possibly 6" wells in upper kick-panel to allow clearance for pedals, etc. would be nice.[/FONT]

 

Pain is beauty is what i have always heard! 6 feet 7 and I am building a chopped channeled A coupe .

 

If you really plan on driving your truck, time spent on seating and pedal arrangement are the best time you will spend.

If you plan on it being a short trip driver, I suppose looking cool is important to some.

I drive my stuff. Comfort is as important as being reliable. I can't see what I look like in my car or truck. I already know I'm not cool looking, so the way some people perceive what looks cool is of little importance to me. Gene