Concerned about seating and footwell space

[jmsrx]

I'm in the process of selling my current fun car so that I can start work on a FFR 65 coupe but I now have some concerns. I attended a local coffee and cars meet in Oklahoma City yesterday. A started talking with a gentleman who had a Cobra Roadster Kit (not a Factory Five) and found out that he had built a Factory Five Roadster before he bought the one he had at the show. He had nothing but good things to say about the Factory Five kit but said that he found it difficult to fit in the Factory Five which is why he bought this other car which had aout 4" additional leg room. This gentleman was about my same height (6 foot) but had a more slender build than I do. He also complained about the foot space in these cars. It looked like he wore about the same shoe size as i do (12). I asked if I could sit in his current car and he said go for it. I had to go legs in first and then get my rear in the seat. I have to say that my right leg was bent inwards toward the clutch pedal and was very cramped by the right panel of the foot well. This put my feet almost on top of eachother. The seat distance seemed OK but remember that he said this model had an additional 4" over the Facotry Five. Now I know that we are talking about a roadster but I can't imaging that the coupe would be much different. As much as I love the thought of building one of these kits, I'm not sure that I could put up with being cramped in the drivers seat for any length of time. I would really have a hard time with my feet being crowded together. I need some input from people who own a coupe and are about the same size as myself. Once again, I'm 6' 0", about 250lbs (stocky build) and wear a size 12 shoe. I would appreciate any comments.

Thanks
James

[Jeff Kleiner]

You need to actually sit a FFR Coupe to try it on for yourself otherwise you're comparing apples to oranges. The Coupe has 5" more wheelbase than a FFR roadster with the bulk of that in the footbox area.

Good luck,
Jeff

[jmsrx]

You need to actually sit a FFR Coupe to try it on for yourself otherwise you're comparing apples to oranges. The Coupe has 5" more wheelbase than a FFR roadster with the bulk of that in the footbox area.

Good luck,
Jeff

Thanks for the reply. I keep hoping to see one at one of these meets. I haven't seen one in the Oklahoma City Metro area yet but I've heard that there is at least one around. I'm going to try contacting the local Cobra club and see if I can find the whereabouts of a coupe through them. Thaks again.

James

[Jeff Kleiner]

Post here as well as on http://www.ffcars.com/ and chances are good that you'll find a Coupe owner not too far away that you can meet up with to get a good look at one. Don't know where you are in OK but I know of at least one in Tulsa.

Cheers,
Jeff

[AC Bill]

No doubt for the taller drivers it is a bit of a squeeze, and the larger shoe size could be awkward as well. There are mods that can be done to help improve the comforts. If the coupe has even larger foot boxes than the roadster, then at 6', you should be able to fit OK.
I'm 6"2" @220lbs and am able to drive my Roadster pretty comfortably. My legs are splayed slightly, left knee rests by upper door hinge, left knee rests on tranny tunnel. I'm good for a couple hours driving before I need to get out and stretch for a few minutes. I gained more foot room by doing the dead pedal extension modification, and tweaking the pedals, with a pedal bender..Seat mounted directly on floor, and back as far as possible, helps as well.

[xlr8or]

I'm 6 foot an 220. I can barely reach bottom on the pedals and should gotten a narrower seat. That would have allowed for the seat to go even farther back. I can drive my coupe on the track wearing a helmet not have any interference with the roof.

[jmsrx]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm sure I'll find someone in the area that has one and the posts here are giving me some hope that the leg/foot room will be much better in the coupe.
Thanks again

James

[riptide motorsport]

youll fit fine with room to spare, your issue will be ingress and egress with that weighht. i was 6' 245, it was a pain, now at 205 its easy.

[tcoon]

Check out the blog by vnmsss on new spec coupes. We are doing the "Salvaggio seat mod" which gives an additional 2" head room. Looks a little extreme but actually strengthens the area while adding minimal weight. Tested thoroughly with two years of enduro racing including two 25 hour races and a rollover accident without sign of damage to the area. Makes the car suitable for drivers with helmet up to 6'4".

[jmsrx]

Check out the blog by vnmsss on new spec coupes. We are doing the "Salvaggio seat mod" which gives an additional 2" head room. Looks a little extreme but actually strengthens the area while adding minimal weight. Tested thoroughly with two years of enduro racing including two 25 hour races and a rollover accident without sign of damage to the area. Makes the car suitable for drivers with helmet up to 6'4".

I've been following that blog. Modifications so far look good. Once I can get mine and get it built, I hope to take it out to Hallett race track and put it through its paces. It should be a blast. Still trying to sell my GT500 though. Wife says it has to go before I start any project. :(

[Garry Bopp]

James,

I am 6'1", 205 lbs with 34" inseam, size 11 shoe. I've got the Kirkey intermediate seats from FFR, mounted flat on the floor all the way back and I have plenty of leg room and can wear a helmet with an inch or so of clearance with the roof.

Garry

[jmsrx]

James,

I am 6'1", 205 lbs with 34" inseam, size 11 shoe. I've got the Kirkey intermediate seats from FFR, mounted flat on the floor all the way back and I have plenty of leg room and can wear a helmet with an inch or so of clearance with the roof.

Garry

It's good to hear that so many 6 footers seem to have ample room. Still trying to find a local owner to who can let me sit in the seat for a minute or two. But I guess that's one of the things that makes this car so special. There aren't a whole lot of them out there.
:D

[loeffler1]

Hey ACBill
What happened to your right knee?? LOL

Bill

[jortman1957]

Hi, Does anybody have a link or pictures of the tall driver seat mod? I typed the names given above into google and it let me right back here. Also, I keep hearing about the "other" forum. Is there a link?

Thanks,
jeff

[jkrueger]

Hopefully Karen will pop in. It is her car that they did the mod too, and Jacob was suppose to be working on a spec coupe manual that I'm sure will include it in. They are on this forum quite a bit so I sure they will chime in. Check out their blog posting here:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?346-Coupe-Challenge-Building-a-Legend

JC

[Jacob McCrea]

Jeff,

The link posted by JC is the best explanation of Karen's seat mod that you'll find on this forum. I believe that she chronicled the same mod on her old coupe in a thread on the ffcars.com website, in the Coupe subsection, under the thread title "2010 Coupe for the 25 Hours." It is a very long thread, and is full of good information.

And yes, I am working, slowly but surely, on a build manual for making the coupes into an SCCA and NASA-legal race car. I am basically assembling all of the information that Karen, Hank and others have posted here and putting it in a single location, so that new builders have a single, comprehensive document to guide their work. Finishing it has now risen back to the top of my personal to do list. In the meantime, post any questions you have and someone will steer you in the right direction.

[PW'sCoupe]

James, I'm 6'3" and about 240 with a 14 shoe. I fit in my coupe with no problems. Getting in and out is another story but once you're in there' plenty of room.
I can't even sit in the Roadster...
PW

[turbonut48]

PM TerryGandy , who started another blog here.
He "tried on" my coupe a couple weeks ago.

The Nut

[tirod]

Gosh, links to stuff on TOS, and not this one. http://www.ffcars.com/forums/21-ffr-type-65-coupe/213335-map-coupe-owners.html

Moot point for me, I'm 5'6". If you want to talk crowded foot box, try a Cherokee with drivers side drop transfer case, the gas pedal is forced 6" to the left to clear the driveshaft.

Looking forward to a roomy footbox.

[willy]

I would not worry about fitting I am 6' and 255lbs and it is not a problem for me just the getting in and out needs some practice but is no problem

[rocket]

For those interested in the "Salvaggio Mod", send me an email and I can help you on the details. I developed the mod for Karen's #28 after driving one 25 hr without (I am 6'-4"). It made a huge difference with a seat slider. I have since done 3 more chassis with the seat mod, door bars, tank cage, and front bars. Hank Lopez is the mastermind behind those awsome door bars. I can be reached at: rocket@sonic.net
Rick

[Dust Devil]

For those interested in the "Salvaggio Mod", send me an email and I can help you on the details. I developed the mod for Karen's #28 after driving one 25 hr without (I am 6'-4"). It made a huge difference with a seat slider. I have since done 3 more chassis with the seat mod, door bars, tank cage, and front bars. Hank Lopez is the mastermind behind those awsome door bars. I can be reached at: rocket@sonic.net
Rick

Hi, have tried emailing rocket a couple times without luck. Anyone have the details for this mod by chance from rocket? Seems fairly straight forward, but more details are always welcome.

Karen's build thread has some great pictures.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?346-Coupe-Challenge-Building-a-Legend