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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Shortening pedals for a tall driver

Posted by: zaphod750 Dec 1 2006, 03:17 PM

I am tall, about 6'7, and I have a little bit of trouble fitting in my car comfortably...I am in the process of rebuilding it with some modifications, one of which will be a cable shifter which i can relocate a bit if necessary. I was thinking about taking out the pedal board and shortening up the clutch and the brake pedals somewhat..(using a subaru drive by wire gas pedal, also relocated.) and maybe pounding the firewall back a shade for an extra inch or so and putting on a steering wheel extender...

has any one else run into similar issues? How did you correct? I would prefer leaving my feet attached...

Posted by: Aaron Cox Dec 1 2006, 03:26 PM

im 6'2" but i use a pair of vintage racing scheels seats.... and they tend to lay you back a bit... making your knees bend more... thus making it more comfortable to drive....

you will want a smaller steering wheel (350mm) to clear your knees

Posted by: zaphod750 Dec 1 2006, 03:46 PM

Yeah, its the knees that really give me the problem. I think relocating the shifter will help a lot, but still not a fantastic driving position.

It would be sweet to get just another inch of legroom..it makes so much difference.

I tried on an Elise last year and my feet wouldnt even fit in the pedal box...heheh. so i guess it could be worse.

Posted by: jd74914 Dec 1 2006, 04:16 PM

We're looking into the same things for my brother. He's 14 and has decided to restore my "parts car;" the kicker is that he is also 6' 6" right now and is said to have a growth ceiling of 6' 10." He really likes the car, but my Dad and I can't think of many ways to create more legroom.

Now, if you just want a Porsche 911s have tons of legroom with the seats all of the way back, especially if the seat tracks are cut and welded on further back. My Dad feels that any person can fit into his 911.

Posted by: zaphod750 Dec 1 2006, 05:05 PM

Nah...gotta fit into the teener. hmmm...maybe i can just pad and uphoster the floorboards and firewall...

Posted by: Dave_Darling Dec 1 2006, 05:42 PM

You wouldn't be the first person to do that... One guy (Stan Hanks, formerly the Porschephiles head-meister) said he used two pieces of sheet aluminum as his racing seat; one bolted to the firewall in back and one bolted directly to the floor. Probably not overly comfortable for long-distance journeys, though. You might be able to do something like that and then install some padding... Nobody else will be able to drive your car, though. Which could be a feature?

I personally bump the roof with my head. (Unless olne or the other is in the trunk! ) I take out the bottom seat cushion and use a ~1/4" foam pad, which gives me a couple inches more headroom.

You may be able to pull the backpad out and slide the seat back a little further, particularly if you mess with the seat rails. Perhaps....

--DD

Posted by: Mike T Dec 1 2006, 05:54 PM

Zaphod;

I'm 6' 5" and 300lbs. I don't have particularly long legs as most of my height is in my torso but still, without a 13" steering wheel, I could not really drive the car. My knees get all tangled in the wheel/shifter. My first drive in a 914 required I remove the seat cushion to keep my head out of the roof panel. At that I barely managed.

In search of more room I took the seat right out and sat on the floor just to see if I could fit that way. I did fit easily so I ended up removing the stock backpad. Then I removed the stock seat adjuster tracks and mounted the seat right on the floor and all the way back against the firewall. Nobody else smaller than me can easily drive the car but hey, it's my car.

Mike T