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

If you can't drive it, what's the freakin point of owning it? Finish it and sell it. Someone would be happy to fold themselves like a Taco just to be cool(?). Then buy/build something that fits. I got rid of a chopped/channeled car and got this 38 for that reason, and love it

 

This is why my A coupe project will be channelled, but remain unchopped until I can drive it and see what the reality of the interior is.

 

I think I drew the line at age 50 comfort became more of a priority for my ****, and legs. Especially since I like to take long trips in my cars...John

 

X10 on that. Got a buddy that builds what I refer to as 'fairgrounds cruisers' They look great and get a lot of attention but 10-15 miles would be about as long as anyone could stand to ride in them.

 

Drove my 28 rpu to oklahoma in 83 ,about 1000-1200 mile trip one way. Could of bought real cheap by the time i got there and mine is basicly stock bodied with stock seat springs. This was after modifying the back from 4-5 in to 2-3 in. Still at only 5'11-170 it is barely enough room but tolerable. I wonder sometimes what the average hieght of people where in 1928.

 

I like to drive my cars so comfort gets top priority.

 

Party hard man. I would make the sacrafice. I have the same feeling in my coupe, but thats part of the fun. Would everyone be driving these is they had to sqeeze into them. Its what makes a hot rod a hot rod.

 

I drive a Willys 4x4 pickup... I have no style or comfort.

Sorry I couldn't help ya.

lol

-Chris

 

My Es*** is the most uncomfortable POS I've ever ridden in! It's tolerable for about an hour, then my hips start to hurt from the seating position. The guys who originally built it recessed the firewall nearly 11" so the slant-6 would fit! This spring I'm tearing it apart and dropping in a boring old SBC. There's enough room under the hood that I can run one of those and put the firewall back to the stock position. I'm also getting rid of the bulky shifter console as it really limits where I can put my feet. My goal is to get it to a point where I can make all-day cross country trips in it.

 

You may want to try the plywood seat mentioned before. I have a T bucket. I'm 6'4 around 250 and 62 years old. (Man that is hard to say!) I've driven 2 hours with reasonable comfort. 7 hours in 1 day. The back is just plywood and about 3" of foam. For the bottom I made 2 **** sized holes and covered them with webbing and then about 4" of foam.

Bill

 

OH no no no.... If you want comfort, put the seat back in the mini van, load up the fam and go to the beach. I'm a Chevy fan, but I'm tired of small blocks in A's & T's. Make it look how you want, THEN build a nice little seat that fits you. That what I think anyways....

 

I wanted a coupe but my size told me to buy a tudor so I could move the seats back. I did just that and was soooooo glad. I had never driven an A and getting the 30 off the truck with the seat stock had me kneeing the steering wheel. I can only imagine a pickup cab

 

build a tudor sedan. you'll have room for days...

 

Man I'm hoping the improvement in my 47 chevy coupe pay off. I am yanking the power Caddy seat and replacing it with brand new unused power 2006 Monte Carlo SS bucket seats. I need the power lumbar for my really bad back. I run with a lift on the seats to get to that comfortable position I desire. My first change was to lengthen the gas pedal 3inches so my ankle stayed to the floor. I round out my comfort with a new (rebuilt) tilt wheel. Getting old ****s so comfort helps cause I'm going to drive the **** out of this car.

 

I found if I was to build an A pickup for myself, at 5'10", I would adjust the cab so the doors close flush, and have a custom upper seat back made no more than a couple of inches thick. With a stock firewall, I would then have room enough to be reasonably comfortable. This was on the basis of trying out a stock truck with the original seat cushions (and stock steering) in it.

The big thing for me was no room to stretch my legs out flat, which I like to be able to do on long drives. I also figure a tilt wheel will be a requirement, if just to ease getting in and out. Or a smaller wheel, but I like big late '50s steering wheels for appearance's sake.


Or, I could just scare up a coupe body instead and solve most of those problems that way.

 

Just my thoughts,when I was young and skinny I wanted an A coupe and couldn't afford one. Now that I've got old and no where near skinny anymore and finally have money to build a nice hot rod I don't like the way an A coupe fits so I got a '41 fat fendered business coupe that I can be comfortable in and even take my wife if she insists. Some guys think your car will make you cool but I like to think you gotta make your cars cool,and if it ain't comfortable it just ain't cool.

 

Ever figure out why fat fendered rods became popular? Us older guys like 'em because they have more room.

Comfort trumps 'built to look Kool' every time in my book. I drove this hot rod '29 ***eol over 1000 miles - worst, most cramped and uncomfortable ride I have ever had, despite the air suspension seats. It took my gas pedal foot days to recover. The cab is actually smaller than a '28/'29 Model A phonebooth. If you want to live with it and use it the way it should be then comfort should be your #1 priority.

 

The biggest mistake guys make building rods is not arranging the controls and seating to fit the driver/owner.
A simple matter of making the seat fit the **** and back, the wheel fit the hands and arms, and the floor controls placed so they can be used comfortably and easily.
Nothing wrong with left foot braking if it fills the bill for comfort. You'll get used to it.
Seat belts keep you behind the wheel at the controls where you should always be.

I'm a believer in seat springs, which for a Model A are all available and not too expensively either. In this case maybe the bottom spring only and a nice foam back with a lumbar support bump would be magic.
In T buckets a stock T seat cushion (also available new) and foam back with a lumbar support bump make all the difference in the world for long rides, 500 miles plus. This even if you've got the cushion on the floor at the back and on a 3-5" riser in front.
Seat springs are available NEW for T & A Fords from Snyder's in New Springfield OH and from Car-Line Mfg in Beaumont TX. They will also make new ***emblies from your drawings or original samples of springs from your Chevy or Plymouth or Huppmobile or whatever.

 

I get the idea, but you need a drawing to understand these numbers! I did a similar thing at the start of my build, comparing interior widths and headroom on cars like the Miata, Vette and RX8 by using new car dealer brochures and data from the internet to see if I had a chance in my gl*** 27 CPU. I think I did ok, but the world just keeps closing in on you as you go from empty body shell to finished car - the drive line tunnel, the door panels, coverings on the kicks, etc. I still have good leg room, but the foot box is not very wide down at the firewall. The interior guy added a lot of padding to the top of the seats costing me head room, too. That will have to get un-****ed, for sure, before I can really get comportable. I do plan on long trips, so comfort is paramount. Who was that blues singer who said something about "built for comfort, not for speed?" Gary

 

I did a 4" stretch to gain room. I am using the mini van seat layed back and no channel with a 4-1/2" chop. Plenty of room for me but I'm only 5'8".

 

I use this for reference. I try to get my head down so my eyes are in the middle of the windows instead of just head at roof (and leave room for helmet at Mokan) so seats get leaned back from stock. My **** to head is about 35". I'm about 36" **** to toe so it seems the model is probably about 5'9" and you need another 4" for pedals . This makes **** to foot and foot width the two dimensions that always seem to come up short. I only have 9" in footbox on current build due to raised engine/trans which dictated centered engine as driveshaft is between seats so I will have to hold one of my 11-1/2EEE feet back. May get uncomfortable. There is also a cowl hoop in that 9". I did go automatic. Other build has lower engine, but even with 2" engine offset I had to heat and bend Model A clutch/brake pedals closer together. Also with this seating position switches have to go on hump as you can't reach dash easily.

 

After seeing the photo you might want to consider unchanneling the truck.

When I built my pickup I still had a 32 Roadster and my 32 4-door so the truck was not being built for distance driving,,I thought around town daily driver type truck but the more I drove it and got use to the tight confines it got easier,not better,they are small and with limited room and I have experienced leg cramps and had to stop and get out also. HRP

I have drove the truck many highway miles and enjoyed most of them,I stayed warm and dry,,I couldn't do that in the roadster although there was more leg room.

I added a photo of my truck with yours truly and Mrs. HRP that was taken my Al Turner in Pigeon Forge,Tenn. last year,,note my knee sticking up when my foot is on the brake.

 

This morning I'm going to drive to meed the group for regular Wednesday morning breakfast in Hotrod Nash.

It's minus nine on the Farenheit scale. There is snow-pack on the road. It's nine miles to the meet, and if'n I slide off the road, I need to be dressed for the hike in minus twenty chill factor. I'll be wearing long johns and hiking boots. I can't imagine not having enough footroom to comfortably reach all three pedals.

Over half of our group will NOT drive their jalopies today. If my floorboard was as cramped up, like I see some of them. If it was, I couldn't safely drive my favorite jalopy today. That's a shame, but I wouldn't drive some of them either, given their *****le-toes pedals and lack of a heater. After all the heater don't take up any more space than a 12pack of suds!


When I built the body I widened it at the shoulder area about three inches, to provide enough space for donor seats with belts and harnesses. Two can sit, with plenty of elbow room and all that comes with that.

Oh. afterthought; Style? Whether it's got footroom to safely touch the pedals with my brogans on, or shouler/head room, nobody lookin' at it like it is, or if it didn't, could tell the difference unless they was sittin' in the seat.

The picture is from winter last, but lookin' out the window right now, the scene is the same.

 

flip your firewall back to stock..look into the early mustang back seats..has built in trans hump and the back is less then 2 inches thick..but very comfortable...no fenders up front??then streech the frame between the cowl and the rad about 3/4 inches...pedal wise, i have yet to find a set that is less then 4 inch throw from up to down position...model A small??well my A cowl makes my topo cowl look like it is for a matchbox car....about 3 inches skinnier.....

 

Change now is my advice.

Can you do anything with switching the pedals from or to swing mount to make room?

FWIW my hot rod is a little larger than the average ford, yet even the slimmest minivan seat just eats the interior and ruins driver position. I ***ociate plywood seats with short trip vehicles too, which really only leaves one option......

Cut down an older seat to fit your truck. Strip it down to metal essentials, chop & mig til it fits, have a cover custom s***ched. When my project gains steam again, it's top of the list.

Whatever you do, gotta do it now.

PS- what kinda shoes were you wearing? I've had roomates with modern cars that required taking a boot off just to jockey em around the driveway, but no problem wearing sneaks. (stick shift 240sx). You may have to let the truck choose your footwear!

 

Change your firewall back to stock, stretch the frame to accommodate your awesome engine (NO SBCS!) and lose the van seat like has been suggested.

At 6'10", comfort is not as important as actually being physically able to drive ANY old car. Hell, I'm not comfortable in 99.9% of the newer cars out there. I'm building an Es*** coupe and have been keeping my ability to drive it comfortably paramount in my mind.
Phil1934's illustration is perfect... that's how I have to drive most cars out there and how I will be driving my Es*** eventually. Good thing I have matching monkey arms so I will be able to reach the dash.
Groucho is correct, what's the sense of building the car if you can't drive it? I may be a glutton for punishment building a coupe for my tall *** in the first place, but I like to look cool too. It CAN be done.
Was it Mr. Brown who channeled his Es*** but built the floor beneath the frame rails adding another 8"? It CAN be done.

 

Why build something that you have to be a contortionist to drive? Not many folks are double jointed. Enduring hours of back pain after a 30 minute drive is not a smart trade off. You can change a cars configuation but, the human body whatever configuation yours has, is the reality you have to deal with. Build to fit yourself, and let the form follow the function. You'll still have a cool car.

 

i got a 31 sedan, it's been chopped 5",channeled 6" and shortened 10"...im 6 feet tall....im pretty stuffed in there, but it looks cool!

 

im 6'1" and had a 31 coupe 5" chop, 4" channel.. that was my limit

that being said, im SO much happier drivin my 64 galaxie LOL

 

Seat position is key....and room to put the seat in. My buddy has some OT muscle cars and the seat position ****s....my Dart I was able to manually adust the seat so that it is higher in the front and then rebuilt the foam and boy is it comfortable.
At 6' I always wondered how some of you drove those pickups. Big Ken are you listening? I would be in favor of going with a 4 speed (for the fun of it) but also for the room in the cab...smaller ******...more room for your feet. If it aint comfortable I'm probably not going to drive it.