View Full Version : HOW DO I SHOEHORN A 6'5" Person into one of these
BenjaminL
03-14-2021, 08:40 PM
So I have a Build Idea roughly; What do I have to do Shoe-Horn a 6'5" Dude into this vehicle???
Here are my idea's: extend the Roll Bar's by 4"-6" inches / per on my build and I am thinking dual roll bars. My other idea is to cut the Frame and re-spline (and I mean really Re-Spline the Frame by 12" (I like leg room) and therefore Respline and I mean really Re-Spline the Body by 12" (the body's got to fit)....
I am just bouncing Ideas off you guys because I am merely doing research on a Roadster Build, I don't even know if I it is feasible to lengthen the frame and Body and Heighten the Roll Bars....
In Re-Splining I am talking Framewise , Main Tube I.D. Insert and weld and Main Tube O.D. Over-lay and Weld (the Frame is actually Stronger Hypothetically, plus all the sub-primary frame tubes the same way... But that begs the clearance difference between the sub-frame and the body.... The Body re-work would be sub-body panels extended by 12" and an inter body panel extended by 12" (fiberglass) and rebuild...
Which means I would have to do the doors as well...
My Experience says that lengthening the frame even with re-enforcements will probably cause the frame to crack on either end of the weldments??? But...
Again I am just bouncing Ideas off you guys for research, what do you guys think??
nucjd19
03-14-2021, 08:44 PM
I am 6'3" and 188lbs and so far my setup has plenty of room. I am in the middle of my build and have not bolted down the seat rails. That being said I am used to pretzeling myself into tight rigs. my 78 fj40 land cruiser rock crawler has way less leg room than my roadster.
Bob 5.0
03-14-2021, 08:52 PM
Why don't you just find the Excalibur version of the cobra and be done with it !! It's already been lengthened !
BenjaminL
03-14-2021, 09:10 PM
Thanks, that is helpful, I am totally worried. About Sitting Low Enough and having enough Leg Room, safety etc... I have a totally cool build in mind, but if I can't drive the thing what the hell is the point.. Torso Height, Waist to tip of head height, Waist to tip of heel height....
BenjaminL
03-14-2021, 09:12 PM
I looked at that, and I just kinda like the "Vibration's" Factory 5 Racing is giving me.... It's just something about Factory 5 that is ... "If your Diggin a Chick, might as well she what she got!!!"..
Gordon Levy
03-14-2021, 09:15 PM
6'5 will fit fine, use a modified donor pedal assy- The pedals can be closer to the wall and the can be spread farther apart. Kirkey seat mounted to the floor all the way back. There is no need to raise the roll bars.
BenjaminL
03-14-2021, 09:20 PM
Alright then I live in SoCal, Will anyone let me sit in there F5R Roadster to check everything out.. Clearances... So anyone in SoCal that is getting Gas that can let me sit in their drivers seat to check clearances... PM... BLumen0001@outlook.com...
BenjaminL
03-14-2021, 09:22 PM
6'5 will fit fine, use a modified donor pedal assy- The pedals can be closer to the wall and the can be spread farther apart. Kirkey seat mounted to the floor all the way back. There is no need to raise the roll bars.
Interesting, I was kinda thinking of Using Boom Mat all over my body interior plus the carpet. I will have to research the short throw pedals.. Okay thanks..Hmmmm.... <Figuring>... Do I want a Kirkey Seat??? Hmmmm....
TMartinLVNV
03-14-2021, 09:47 PM
This is what I did.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?33080-Terry-in-Las-Vegas-Build-Pigfarm-cover-and-Scott-s-Hotrods&p=432826&viewfull=1#post432826
hineas
03-14-2021, 10:39 PM
There are plenty of tall owners on the forum. Their advice will be invaluable.
One thing you can do is to find a club near you and see if they will let you sit in the car to check fit. It would be ideal to find an owner who is a similar height so you can see the mods they did to fit better. If you can't find an owner who is a similar height, remember that you can do quite a bit to add more room. Also remember that many owners are the only driver of their vehicle, so their seat is bolted to the floor and is not adjustable, so take that into account too.
Seeing one in person will help you decided what modifications you would need before you pull the trigger and spend tens of thousands of dollars on a kit.
CraigS
03-15-2021, 06:47 AM
I think lengthening by 12 inches is way too much. 4-6 inches would be reasonable. Lengthening the frame would be the easy part and I see no problem w/ your idea. I would lengthen the body mostly in the doors and possibly an inch or two right behind the doors.
Jeff Kleiner
03-15-2021, 09:47 AM
Classic Roadsters had a 6" wheelbase stretch and looked like the wiener dogs of the Cobra world:
https://fortpittclassiccars.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_2278-762x456.jpg
I can't imagine how out of whack a 12" stretch would look. :(
Jeff
Straversi
03-15-2021, 11:14 AM
You will fit fine with a few simple modifications. I'm 6'6" 240. Modified my Wilwood pedals, mounted Kirkeys on the floor and shimmed the steering column up a 1/2". I have all the legroom I need. The top of my head is under the top of the stock roll bar and I look through the top 1/3rd of the windscreen. I've done some other sheet metal mods to get a little more shin room but I wouldn't consider stretching the car. That being said, I wear this car like a glove. It's not for everyone. You have to figure out how much comfort you really want or need. If you find yourself in Southern California send me a DM and you can sit in mine.
-Steve
David Hodgkins
03-15-2021, 11:28 AM
Benjamin,
I sent you a PM (& email). I have a MKIII and my brother has a MKIV that you can try on for size. I'm in Orange County and would be happy to have you over to talk shop. I guarantee you will fit!
:)
Benjamin,
I sent you a PM (& email). I have a MKIII and my brother has a MKIV that you can try on for size. I'm in Orange County and would be happy to have you over to talk shop. I guarantee you will fit!
:)
Benjamin, David is the master at getting large people into these cars. He has answers to all the questions you could have!
Chris @ Forma
03-15-2021, 11:37 PM
Benjamin,
We have been building Mark IV's for about 5 years now and exhibited at a lot of shows and I can tell you that not all 6'5" guys are built the same as I'm sure you are aware. I'm pretty average 5'9" with a typical inseam. A few years ago, we had a perspective client that was 10" taller than me and had a 9" longer inseam....all leg. He definitely couldn't fit no matter the seat selection. Anyway at shows, we observed that roughly half the guys that were interested in our builds didn't fit well. This started us on a project to build a stretch Mark IV. We got the chassis mod made, but, got stalled on the body as other projects keep jumping in front of it. Our current plan is to have it at Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale next January.
Other than lengthening the car we have also lowered the seat by 1-1/2". It took a bit of engineering to preserve the chassis rigidity but we believe and our initial test show it to be just as stiff and strong as the original.
We haven't yet decided how we are going to sell this concept. We may sell the chassis and body mods to builders or just as complete builds. We just don't know what makes sense just yet. Anyway if you are interested, I'd love to discuss this with you further.
CraigS
03-17-2021, 07:03 AM
Classic Roadsters had a 6" wheelbase stretch and looked like the wiener dogs of the Cobra world:
https://fortpittclassiccars.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_2278-762x456.jpg
I can't imagine how out of whack a 12" stretch would look. :(
Jeff
Jeff is correct but....it's mostly correct for those of us who have been around these cars for a while. I bet that car in his pic could be parked at a cobra event and, if it wasn't right next to a standard length car, 95% of the non-cobra owning people would never notice the extra length.