Don't over pad your seat back. You only need the right shape with little padding to be comfortable. That will keep your but as far back as possible and room for your legs. Way that option with all else that has been said and you'll be fine. Doug.
You should save yourself some trouble and sell it now. Since you won't stretch it and it has been narrowed (insane I might add) you won't fit in it. I'm building a 26 roadster pickup and stretched the body 4" behind the doors. That and the modifications I am going to make to the toe board area of the floorboards will give me the leg room I need. Barely and I am 5' -9". The T is a tiny car to begin with, if you aren't willing to make it fit you ,don't bother.
I'm 6'2", 210 lbs, size 11 shoe (you'll find out why that's important if you build one). My T bucket is built with as much room as you can design into one, mainly by mounting the engine low to keep the floor flat. I run a T5 and have room for a clutch pedal, but it's tight in the foot well area. If I only had one hot rod, it wouldn't be a T. They're fun for short hops, but it's been said you wear a T bucket more than fit in it, and that's true. Bob
Wow, lots of great input. Thank you so much! I have a 47 Ford Sedan, which I'm hoping will be my long-distance comfort ride. That's kinda what started this whole idea for a roadster. I've got a strong running flathead from the 47. And have collected parts over time. 39 banjo wheel, drilled and dropped axle... just lots of goodies! I'm mostly thinking of having a little roadster for drives no longer than 2 hours or so. But I'm VERY stubborn, so I'm probably just going to be a little cramped and have fun!
I'm gathering it's a bit of sacrifice of comfort for fun... which I'm completely ok with! My big old 47 Ford is comfortable, ***bersome and cushy. A perfect for a fat old guy, but not really all that great for an angsty young buck as I would describe myself. But I'm kind of obligated to finish that first... So right now all I can do is dream about a 27 t roadster. Someday, hopefully soon I will start in on a project!
I mentioned it. I have one, but don't really need it. I take it off as a theft measure. It's a gennie Superior 500 red metalflake. Paid $150 for that ****er.
I have '27s. A few of 'em. I'm 5'11, but used to be 6'1. (Thank the '27 gods for old age!) My tub is the easiest, I can move the front seatback rearward a couple of inches. I would NEVER sit up high enough to require a tall windshield. My full body roadster will sit atop some 1.5" wood strips, fitted between '27 body and '32 frame. (that added 1.5" forgives a little extra wheelbase, just 2" hood stretch for my 354 Chrysler hemi; NOT disproportionate like the raven.) My '27 bucket will be a 'California Modified', along the Bo Jones lines. (I have a faaast 4-banger) I also own the original Anderegg frame. And I have a '27 Coupe body, minus the top. This body is the original one Von Franco was going to use for his Anderegg clone, but he was immersed in the 'Kookie Kar klone', so this body was left behind when he had Dan Segal do the Kookie ch***is... Louie did the 'Anderegg tribute', so the clone idea lost momentum. Three of those cars are enough! I have a '27 roadster body that is pretty nice, and some '27 Chevy rails. (nice kickup, makes a nice not-too-low profile... My new shop needs stuff to put on my frame table! Oh, the hollow seat perimeter with the elastic straps? I use that on everything except my '54 Ford g***er, and my F100 pickup. Just make it out of steel, not wood.
I meant, move the floor area under the seat down. Similiar to the 30-31 rdstr curtain wells under the seat
I built this one with that same plan in mind. It's a gl*** 25 body sitting on top of Model A rails. The body was set back far enough to eliminate the angled floorboard...and that alone created a ton of leg room. Another side effect of moving the body back a bit was that the top of the Z was a perfect platform for the seat bottom. It turned out to be slightly lower than the stock seat bottom would've been. So....the driver looked like he was sitting "in" rather than "on" the car. The other "must have" on this car was the stainless steel Speedway steering column with quick release, removable steering wheel. All those things combined made getting in and out easy for me and I'm just a hair over 6".
Also look into non-ford varieties they tend to be more spacious...I am building a 33 plymouth and unless your 11 feet tall you'll fit just fine
Dropped footwell, extended toeboard, higher seat, thinner backrest, no channel or chop, lengthened doors, all help. Or a later, bigger Ford roadster...'28 or later. Or a different, bigger make...Buick, Chrysler, etc. Or do a phaeton. Of course, ya gotta weigh each option against other considerations...proportion and aesthetics, function, personal preferences...
Thanks and I am sorry to be the rainy one. I just think it will make you a lot happier to build a car you will end up fitting into and liking. It can be done if you are willing. I don't think my T body has bad proportions for the slight stretch and I think it will end up looking pretty decent. Plus I'll fit into it comfortably without my knees up around the steering wheel and getting close to my ears Driving a T should not feel like it did when you were 12 and tried to ride your 3 year old brothers tricycle.
We always use toeboards in our roadsters. They allow you to get your feet at a comfortable angle for control and comfort. We use factory T seat cushion spring ***emblies, mounted on 5/8" plywood with several 2"-3" holes in them for ventilation, but mount them lower in the body than stock usually with a 3"-5" seat riser board at the front and smaller wedges or pads at the back end. The back wall upholstery is relatively thin but includes a lumbar "Bump" for better comfort on those long roads.
Do it. I have a '28 and I built a seat riser based on the original one that put me down and back behind the windshield (although I'm only 5'9"). I can drive for days with no problem. And yes, a little lumbar is your friend.
I'm 6'4" my T is an 8" stretched T from Cl*** Gl*** and Performance. Not as much room as some coupes but I get by.
My gl*** bodied '26 is not channelled and the back edge of the seat is on the floor, the front edge rises 7 inches to give a comfortable angle. The back has only 2 inches of padding. I'm 6 ft and my only complaint, if you can call it that, is there's not much room for my left foot between the panel and steering column.
VERY nice! I'm digging the woodwork. Cool shift knob!!! What kind of ****** you running? Anybody running manual trans in a 26-27 style roadster? Or is that just asking for too much trouble? I've got a totally rebuilt T-5 ready for my flathead. Would be REALLY fun, but I also have a turbo 350 I could mate it to as well. I guess it would be another matter of figuring how to sqeeze it all in... Or simply carve my feet into stubs
Anyone have the dimensions on a 28/29 body? More specifically firewall to back of seat? I know it's 55" in a 26/27 roadster body.
T5 in a 23 here. 5-11 between 230 and 260. short legs. At 260 I looked over the W/S, at 230 thru the window. The first couple of rides were tough. I soon got used to it. I can drive 4 hours without a break now. 1/2 inch pad ona 1/4 ply panel for the seat back. cushioned bottom about 3 in tall on a riser about 3 tall. Allt he electrics in the seat bottom and tools and raincoat etc there, too. No toe boards, flat floor. No channel. trans tunnel used to cover the 350 that was in there, a new one sized for the T5 would be a lot smaller. Thru the floor pedals. shifter makes a good leg rest for the right knee. do it, you will adapt. frank
Will you be doing your own work or will you be able to modify stuff? I'm a shorty so it doesn't matter for me but I have a '27 cowl, '13 back section from a Phaeton and homegrown doors. The seats are from the back of a Tracker/Suzuki/whatever 4x4. There is about 39" from the headrest to the dash and 32" from the front of the seat to the firewall. I've had 6' tall people sit in it, not on it. It's not wide but that can be fixed too. It's only metal.
I'm gonna either order a body, or see about a 27 roadster a friend of mine has that lives down south. I don't know what you mean by "will you be doing your own work or will you be able to modify stuff?". I plan on doing both Poli-Form has a 29 body "race-only", but I have my heart set on the 27, they look SO cool! And I have an old 29 shell that needs to be rebuilt and used!... ya got the grill shell, ya have to build a car to go with it right?!?!
Oops. I guess I should have added: if you can do your own work.. you can make it to fit. Stretching the doors or cowl, that sort of thing. I spent too much time welding today. Must be all those g***es. Time for bed. And yes, a grill shell means you have to build the rest that's behind it.
Haha ok, yeah, it may come to that. But I hope not. I'm gonna try doing all that I can before going that route.
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