Tips for a tall guy to fit in Mark III?

[Oldfart01]

Hi guys, I'm looking at a nearly finished 2006 Mark III that a friend is selling. I'm 6'3" with a 34" inseam. He has the standard seats in it. My knees are darn tight (and uncomfortable) under the dash, & my size 13 wides don't help at all. I've been lurking in here trying to edumucate myself on this. I have done several searches. I have seen the threads about widening the foot boxes, that looks like an absolute must do, for me. I also saw that going with a Kirkey (or similar) seat helps. Any other ideas or links I have not come across? I know MANY years ago I built a Bradley GT & had lowered the floor with a dropped pan under the drivers seat mounting area. It seems to be much more of a leg room/knee room problem on the Roadster.

I was also wondering if there are suspension differences between the Mark III & IV? Thank you in advance for any & all input.

[DaleG]

Go here for the dropped floor mod, and maybe more. Hopefully, someone with FFR's big/tall seats and/or Kirkeys will chime in.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?9583-Carl-s-Mk-4-Roadster-Build (last page).

[edwardb]

I was also wondering if there are suspension differences between the Mark III & IV?

Depends a little. Later MK4's have a different front upper A-frame than Mk3's and earlier Mk4's. My Mk4 is #7750, and it has the same parts as my Mk3. Not sure when the newer frames were introduced, but after mine. Factory Five also had their new front spindle available for the Mk4, replacing use of Mustang donor spindles and ball joint adapters. But Mustang donor spindles can still be used, and as I understand are required for pin drive. I'm not aware of any rear suspension differences.

[CraigS]

You can drop the footbox floor down to just slightly above the bottom of the 4 inch tubes. W/ careful work being sure not to mess up the geometry you can move the pedals forward maybe an inch or 1.5 inch. The most gain will be in the seat. Especially the thickness of the seat back. Thinking outside the box, as a test to show what the max room is, remove the seat and sit in the car. You could kind of work you way backwards from there. Off the shelf, the kirkeys are the thinnest available but they have very high sides making in/out a little tough. I have a similar Ultrashield and have cut down the outer side to make things easier.
https://www.kirkeyracing.com/category/Series41V/41V-Series-Vintage-Class-Bucket
https://www.kirkeyracing.com/category/Series41/41-Series-Pro-Street-Drag-
https://www.kirkeyracing.com/category/Series47/47-Series-Intermediate-Road-Race
If you look at each shop drawing you will notice that the bottom of all these is nearly the same. They ad a headrest to the classic and it becomes a drag, then they add shoulder wings to that and it becomes a road race. Another option
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Aluminum-Hot-Rod-Bomber-Seat,4043.html

[68GT500MAN]

Send a PM to David H. He knows all about this subject.
Doug

[skullandbones]

I can relate to the Bradley GT since I had a Devin and had to split Fiat seats and narrow them to have room in the cockpit. Two 200 lb guys almost touched shoulders, it was so tight. The MKIII is much better than that. I have plenty of room (more than I need) on the left side. I did a small mod to the sheet metal to let my foot lay out for comfort and moved the crash bar out about 3 inches. So now I will have to add a dead pedal to give me something to press against. You would definitely have plenty of room with those mods. On the right leg, it's a different story. I'm 6ft with 32 inseam and my right knee cap sits just over the edge of the trans tunnel. It's OK but I think by changing the throttle pedal will make that a little more roomy. You would be tight there with the stock seats. If you go with the thin racing seats, you would be OK, I bet. Also, it will give you room for a helmet if you ever decide to track the car. I think our bodies are about the same dimensions (I have long torso), so you would only need minor changes to feel good in the cockpit. An important consideration is that you need to have driving room as well as comfort. My steering wheel with a quick change is very close to the dash which gives me the perfect arm/elbow angle for driving. The only issue is on the left side with the door and wheel spacing. You can move the wheel a little to the right if needed but mine is so close ratio, it is not a problem. Hope you are able to find a good solution.

Good luck,

WEK.

[Oldfart01]

Thanks everyone for the ideas & input. I really appreciate it.