1929 Special Coupe leg room

mcorrell

mcorrell

Senior Member
Is there a relatively easy way to get more leg room in my 1929 Model A Special Coupe? There is about a 6" wide shelf behind the seat back. I would love to use about 1/2 of that to get about 3" more leg room.

I would also like to make the space between the seat riser and the front of the door opening wider to get my big feet in easier.
 
When I am home or where nobody sees me I enter on the passenger side and slide over. I am sure men of the 20 and 30 era were smaller than today ( lol ).
Wayne
 
Yes they were. My grandfather used to swear that he and two of his brothers could sit inside a Model A Coupe.

I go about 300# and am 6 feet tall on a good day :) Oddly enough though the hardest thing for me is getting my feet tangled up in the brake and accelerator pedals while driving, even when wearing sneakers.
 
Yes, Sarah's previous owner I was told was over six feet and when I got in her, I couldn't push the clutch in. I'm 5'10". The seat was removed and the rails were moved forward and then rebolted in place and the seat reset.

You'll have to remove the package shelf.
 
What I did on my 28 special coupe (BTW all 28/29 coupe are the same inside as far as legroom is concerned) was move the wood support in front of the package tray shelf to behind the front flange of the tray. There is a page in the Ford Service Bulletins, page 257 that shows how to move the lower part of the seatback cushion back about 1 1/2" by making a longer set of brackets. In addition, I had Snyder's make a 2" thinner seatback spring. Even though I did both things to increase the leg room, at 6' 4" I still don't really have enough room to operate the brake safely (I hit the steering wheel or gear shift lever (in low gear).
Rusty Nelson
 
I moved the seatback on my special coupe as per the service bulletins and it helped a good deal, but leg room is still tight for me. As for the deal with the seat bottom and the door opening, I know of no solution short of cutting down the size of the springs and seat riser.
 
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mcorrell said:
Yes they were. My grandfather used to swear that he and two of his brothers could sit inside a Model A Coupe.

I go about 300# and am 6 feet tall on a good day :) Oddly enough though the hardest thing for me is getting my feet tangled up in the brake and accelerator pedals while driving, even when wearing sneakers.
Click to expand...

My dad told me that when he was young, he and 2 of his buddies would get in his Model A, then all 3 would take a deep breath and listen to the Model A body creak& groan.
 
If the Special Coupe is anything like the Roadster, you can get about 2-1/2 inches on top of the back seat just by removing the package shelf. More importantly would be to get more room on the bottom (of the seat back) -- as your legs are attached to the hip, not the shoulders -- and I got about 4 inches by modifying the seat back mounts. I'm 6'6" and sit very comfortably in my car.
 
I must be the smallest Special Coupe guy around. I am 5'8" and have no problem with mine. Fits fine. John
 
I removed that piece of wood to move the seat back but the foot room is still tight in my 29 Special coupe. I have learned to live with it and I use extra care braking by allowing plenty of room to stop. The only real solution would be to make the backrest thinner.
 
It's interesting to have a question in your mind, and the answer (or solutions)
appear in the FB Forum.!! I have wondered about the wood (package shelf) on our '29 Special, if moving it would give more room to driver/passenger.
Thanks..! I need to study the service bulletins as another information resource also.
 
I tried the factory package shelf modification, it only moves your shoulders back a little. That mod is a JOKE! I think the seating in a '28-'29 Coupe was "designed"??? for a 10 Year Old Kid.
Bill W.
 
I altered the package tray as per the bulletins, and I am quite comfy in the 28' special coupe. Compared to the 31' AA cab the coupe is huge!
By the by, I am 6'2" W/ 34" inseam.
 
I've got a Sport Coupe and I'm 6' 4" and I feel your pain! The biggest issue I have is the clutch because I also have a dropped left foot which means I have to lift my leg to operate the pedal. I'm working on a thinner backrest and a pedal mod. I'll post them if they work. :)
 
Not an easy fix but I moved my seat riser and the floor pans back 6" and took the same out of the package tray. I had to remove the floor pan and cut one side and add to the other in order to get it to fit properly. I also had to put in a brace across the sub rails to support the front of the riser and make another piece of floor board. I know this car is a little Off topic but it would be the same on a stock car. Sorry I don't have any better pics of the floor pan or the package tray.
 

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I made (4) extension plates w/ hdwr & moved my front seats back 4" ---originals can be re-installed w/ no problem . Should have taken pics
 
I believe Snyder's can make you thinner seat springs. I've heard of them mostly being used on pick ups and roadsters but I can't see any reason they wouldn't work for a coupe
 
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