This is the main reason I scratch built my roadster. 133" wheelbase and the same cab measurements as an 85' full size Chevy Blazer I own.
my main problem is leg room (6'1" 235) my knees are in my chin for most cars. so if i build a roadster the drivers footwell will be cut out. which is why i would lean towards a sedan where i'd get lots of room to stretch out annd be comfy, even with a second person in the car (of equal size)
I'm 6'3". I can fit. Build a high boy,,,,, put the seat on the floor,,,, recess the floor,,,, slouch down when you drive.... do what you have to do. hot rods are too much fun to leave them for the short skinny guys.
Maybe broaden your car horizons a bit. Some cars are just born big boned: Right now I've got a 38 Chrysler coupe parked next to my 50 Plymouth 9 p***enger wagon. The coupe is bigger in every dimension, is a fine looking car, and you won't see one just every day.
reading these threads just makes me feel alright about being short...might not be great for sports but...kicks *** on airplanes and cars...a big hureh for being 5 9
Here's another thought. Center steering, and quick release steering wheels are your friends. I'm 6'1", 300, with bad knees. P***engers have never been an option in my roadsters, or my Morris either.
Hey worry not! I am 56 and 5ft 10 3/4" at 306# . I am not fat! I am just too short for my weight. Really i should be about 7ft 2 I think. Anyway i am building this thing I call the Senior Dragster. I have been told it is too wide but i need it like that. i am 28 inches at the shoulders so it as to be at least that wide inside and it is. Here it is with the body panels we mocked up in cardboard today. If you build a rod you can build it to fit You. Dont let the little kids dictate your fun. Just build what suits and fits you. Dont give it a second thought. Anyone gives you flak just sit on them. All the best Don
Richard D, Just stay away from channeled or radicality chopped cars and you'll be alright. I had a '27 T Ford sedan and I had a lot of leg room, although no one could sit in the back seat. I owned the T sedan for 17 years and it was a lot of fun to drive, but after a 100 miles or so I wanted out. Tried a fat fender '41 Ford converible next still too small and I didn't like getting blowen around. I'm very comfortable now driving a '49 Caddy sedanette with a lot of *** room, leg room and still can put 6 footers in the back seat. I'm just over 6 foot. The coupe that has the most room is a '33/'34 Ford, lots of leg room. "Drive a cool short" - '50's term for a cool ride................... Be cool Cruiser 49
Airplanes. UGH! My arch nemesis. I ****in HATE being on a plane. Even the exit row is pure torture. I'd rather spend a week in solitary confinement than an hour on a plane.
Just put a bubble top turret on it, like B-17 or something. Post war cars are a little roomier, but nothing like a late 50's Chyrsler.
And what kind of tips do y'all have for a 6'-2"/265# ******* that's building a '33 pickup? Besides no channel and puttin' the seats on the floor. Thanks -
If you want something big, try a 37 Terraplane. It's 55 inches wide inside,mine is chopped 2 inches and still plenty of head room.
I´m 6ft2",330 lbs,not a fat ***,and not a body builder(used to be)and my main problem is leg room,I´m building a 32 pu wich is getting a 4" chop,and I think it´ll be ok.
I agree, headroom is not an issue. I could probably cut 3-6" and not miss it. It's the legroom issue. I have set my *** in a couple channeled trucks, and I can't even get the door closed because my knees is between the steering wheel and the door. I'd like to use the stock pedal ***embly, but not too sure I can. Swing pedals would give me more floor/leg room. We will see.
Aside from being 6'3", what's your inseam measurement? That seems to be the most important one to go by when setting up the seats etc. during the build. One pic shows an aluminum bucket that's up against the 31 roadsters rear ****pit rail. I'm 6' with a 32" inseam and even with a 4" firewall recess I couldn't reach the pedals worth a darn. Note the location of the shifter. The next three pics show the mid-90's ChryCo Soccer Mom van seat I'm using. It's set about right for me, it may go back 1", but I'll wait until it's running before I do that. (The seat base I made is adjustable by R&R four bolts and moving to another set of holes - seven in all 1" apart.) The seat can go back under the ****pit rail which is an important consideration. A lot of room is gained that way and - as is obvious - you just have to make sure to keep the seat forward enough so you have some cushion for your back. Note that the same shifter is now quite a ways forward. In both seats the shifter was set just about right for the intended use. Which is to say, with the aluminum seat it's a little further back comparitively speaking than it is with the van seat. That due to the car started out to be a dry lakes car, but is now going on the street. The van seat could be lowered a couple of inches in the back and 4" - 5" in front, but you'd lose the tilted back aspect of it and the way it is now it's very comfortable. You could arrange an A - or Deuce - roadster to fit you very easily. A coupe should be just about as easy once the rear package shelf is removed. Sedans, no problemo. Moving the seat back in those doesn't seem to impinge on rear p***enger legroom to a great extent. Far as chops go, an inch and a half or two inches would look good, and make most people wonder what was done. You don't have to chop the snot out of a car just so's folks notice....
Just do a "A" coupe or Sedan...no problem, I got one of each and no room issues at all....... Love 'em!
6' 4" a paultry 280# 29 Sports Coupe converted to a roadster. No problems at all.. You may want to stick with an automatic too.
How long are the panels(Quarter panels? Cab corners?) between the door and bed? I'm doing something similar on the Plymouth and figured 18" would be sufficient, my dad and several friends are well over 6'.
Good Greef, Boy are we all a bunch of LARD ***ES or what. when I built my 48 Austin 4dr. Hot Rod I moved everything back G***er Style and get in and out the rear doors. talk about leg room........LOL Buk
about the steering wheel,a big 40´s wheel is out of the q for me,couldn´t use the wheel I was planning to.
You shoulda seen HAMB Drags '05, when the bus with the Southern Mississippi State football team got stuck in the parking lot of the Ramada. The HAMB Offensive and Defensive lines outweighed theirs by a good 75lbs each....(woulda been 100 lbs if T-man, Nick, and Plowboy werent there...)
I'm 5'9" too, but I'm also the same width. Sort of 5' 9" squared. I'd post my weight but unfortunately I live in an area where the pull of gravity is freakishly high, so of course the number would not be at all accurate. I'm wondering about my T-Coupe project. Me and Mama tried on a T-Coupe at a cruise one night and we fit but it was tight! It may make my plans for a 4-speed kinda tough on Mama's shoulder. A column shift automatic would make more sense for me.
I'm 6-0, 180 lbs, and would give you my inseam if I knew it, but we don't wear long-sleeve pants that often here in Surf City. I fit fine in my 28 rpu and 29 roadster, but have lowered and "thinned" the seats in each. Stock 40's era steering wheels and clutch activation are a challenge (and keeping your knuckles off a raked windshield) but with careful planning you can make it all work... On the other hand, I sat in my bud's 33 roadster the other day and it was like sitting in a freakin' hot tub. If you want serious interior room, consider the 33-34.
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