Sitting in a 818c

[osbornecox]

I haven't had much luck on finding any pics. But I was wondering if people would care to share some pics of them sitting in there completed 818c. I'm kind of curious of how much interior room there is. Thanks

[flynntuna]

Here's a pic of my son at Huntington Beach. He's like 5'10" I think. Lol I haven't measured him since high school. I sat in it too, I'm 6ft tall and had plenty of headroom under the roll bar.

[Canadian818]

I'm curious how high above the roll bar the roof is?

[mikeb75]

What exactly do you want to know? I've got a nearly complete 'C' in the garage and a tape measurer.

[AZPete]

If mikeb75 doesn't do it first, I'll measure the roll bar-to-top in my 818C this evening. You should understand that these are really custom cars because you can build it to fit by going with a different fuel tank (Boyd), selecting seats that give you the most room, and even mounting the pedals further forward (tough). Most of us tall guys mount the driver seat directly to the floor because sliders raise the seat. Plus, all of us have different proportions between legs and torso so what fits one 6'2" guy may not fit another 6'2" guy. The best way to know might be to sit in an 818C but there aren't many yet so post where you live and cross your fingers that there is an 818C near you. Most builders are willing to show off their car and invite you to sit in it. I'm 6'3" with 32" inseam and I fit in my 818C with the Boyd tank and the relatively high donor seats.

[mikeb75]

I measured:
1.5" from the center of the rollbar to the hard top.
27.5" from the floor to the hard top at the cross-brace in front of the seats.
41.5" from the floor to the hard top at the door latch

[Canadian818]

I measured:
1.5" from the center of the rollbar to the hard top.
27.5" from the floor to the hard top at the cross-brace in front of the seats.
41.5" from the floor to the hard top at the door latch

Thanks Mike! So one could fab a new roll bar to sit flush to the roof and gain 1.5" of protection, good news. Not sure a full cage would fit inside the hardtop though, without requiring a helmet all the time because the tubes are too close.

[mikeb75]

No problem Adam. I don't know if you'd gain a full 1.5", I measured at the center where the roof is highest, pretty sure the sides of the roll bar are closer. Full cage is going to be tough because of how the air passages from the front 'scoop' are located - they follow the door openings and add some depth to the hard top. here is a picture of the underside of the HT roof:
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m595/MikeB75/cars/818%20build/WP_20160503_17_36_00_Pro.jpg

If you look at the front of the HT at the front window opening the air passage starts here and splits. I think this is going to make location of the front part of a cage a little more difficult, will possibly obstruct part of the front glass. Then working out how that front hoop will anchor to the rest of the frame, I think some complex tube bends might be needed, which will then require additional supports being dropped into the front part of the door opening.

Caging the HT is something I'm strongly considering. Not promising anything (because my timing always gets screwed up), but I want to get my car to it's general inspection in the next few weeks and the shop I have chosen also does cage fab, so I'd get some input from them at that time. Of course I'll post the info here.

[Canadian818]

I think you might have to consider cutting out the air channels to make room for the cage. I'm not sure how effective that scoop is, but surely some scoops in place of the rear quarter glass would work just as well for someone using a TMIC.

[osbornecox]

I know that customizing the pedals and getting a Boyd tank will help. I was just wanting to see if people would give there opinions and possibly a pic on how they feel sitting in one. Along with that height and weight. How is there line of vision, Is it real close to the roof line? Thanks for all the responses.

[Blwalker105]

I too was very concerned. I am just fitting the body of my 818C this week and have gone to great lengths to make a more comfortable seating area. Happily, I fit!! Quite easily, I might add. Getting in and out is a different story, but I can work around that. I am 6' with a 33" inseam and I measured over 3 1/4" above my head. 57992 This pic has the tape measure where it is even tighter back and to the rear side so there is more directly above. My 6'4" neighbor also fits fine with about 2" above his head.

[STiPWRD]

MikeB was kind enough to show me his 818C this past weekend and let me sit in it. I'm 6'2" and there was plenty of head room. Getting in and out was a bit tricky but nothing a little practice won't cure. Mike mentioned something about visibility of the side mirrors so I'm not sure if they're partially obstructed by the A pillars. I noticed the FFR 818C is running the APR gt3 CF mirrors, which are the same ones I'm using on my 818S.

[aquillen]

While at FFR last month getting my 818S kit, I sat in the showroom's C. I'm 6-1 210#. Snug but happy. Getting in out is indeed an exercise. For the S, I'm worried about people (me, etc.) using the windshield's pillars as helpers. A good pull on that might crack something. I'm noodling on ways to reinforce the pillars internally - want them no-bend stiff. I didn't examine the C roof/pillar area to see if it appeared strong enough for in/out grab handle service - but I recall not wanting to test their car with my weight.

Wondering if anyone has tackled this concern...

[Hindsight]

For those who have sat in the 818, have you considered added height for a helmet?