Leg room

Tom Wesenberg said:
I plan to move my 29 Tudor seats back a couple inches, and I wouldn't bend my shift lever. I'm actually OK with the seats as is, but a couple inches back would be more comfortable and make getting in easier.

I would never just push the shift lever to the side to bend it, but would make a tool like Y-Blockhead shows to bend the lever.
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I used those longer seat brackets turned rearward The picture below shows how much space I gained.

As far as bending the shift lever. . . I was looking at it and thought, "This is no Bugatti, or Rolls Royce, plus I had a couple of extra transmissions, so said to myself," What the h*ll, and pulled. The lever bent VERY easily. Which is probably how it wound up leaning toward the drivers side in the first place. But your milage may vary. Do so at your own risk.
 

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Being 6'2" also I have the same problem. What I do it try to get out of low gear ASAP so I can apply the brake when needed.
 
Another 6 foot 2 guy here, It's spooky pulling out from a blind corner up-hill, since I can't get to the brake while in 1st, I keep my hand ready at the emergency!
 
I sure would like the spacing dimensions of that tool that Y-Blockhead came up with, so that I might make myself one. The only problem that some people my have is, what about interference with the Hi-Low shifter on vehicles equipped with Mitchell Overdrives ? I too have had the knees replaced, but still have to do something.
 
Glenn C. said:
I sure would like the spacing dimensions of that tool that Y-Blockhead came up with, so that I might make myself one. The only problem that some people my have is, what about interference with the Hi-Low shifter on vehicles equipped with Mitchell Overdrives ? I too have had the knees replaced, but still have to do something.
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Hi Glen. It is really nothing special. I made it from parts I had. I figured it would be better than just pulling the shifter to one side to bend it.

I used two 5/16" eyebolts that are spaced ~7" apart on the 2x4. The center bolt is a 5/8" stud I had laying around. Probably doesn't need to be that large Basically slide the shifter thru the eyebolts. I slide it down until it hit the floor board. Then tighten the large nut on the center stud. Works like a small press with no stress on the internal parts of the shifter/transmission. I bent it 1-2" to the right. Some may need to bend it a little further but it works fine where it is now for me. It does bend pretty easily.
 
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Leg room threads get about as long as motor oil threads!
Were folks shorter/smaller, way back then??? "Maybe" they didn't EAT good???---BUT, the men on both sides of my family were 6'4" to 6'8"--My Son, Gregg, (RIP) was 6' 6 1/2"--He changed light bulbs for EVERYONE !
Had a friend that was 6' 12"------
Bill W.
 
I used a torch to heat lower section of shift leveraging. This is the 2nd A that I have done with no problems. Dwayne
 
I tried the 5/16 eye-bolt method and straightened the eyes out without bending the shifter!! Will a regular propane torch be hot enough or is acetylene required?
 
Making additional cabin room.

Yes, I do like the practicality of chopping out a couple inches from my legs when I get my knees replaced.
But in the interim, in my ute, I have replaced the thick seat back with biscuit thin dense foam rubber and pushed the seat squab back to the rear as far as it would go. That's under the seat back. This allowed me to cut about 3 inches from the seat squab frame. I still need to be somewhat of a contortionist but never the less it’s much easier to enter and exit and the thin seat back provides me with more leg room.
On my tourer I cut off the rear row of springs from the seat squab, which I find too long anyway, and again about 3 inches from the seat frame. Likewise, easier. But I still need to replace the seat back with a thin piece of sponge rubber which will give me likewise about 3 extra inches of leg room. Fairly simple mods.
 
Dennisfly said:
I tried the 5/16 eye-bolt method and straightened the eyes out without bending the shifter!! Will a regular propane torch be hot enough or is acetylene required?
Click to expand...

Haha, you must have an exceptionally strong shifter or some really weak 5/16" eye bolts. People have claimed to bend them by hand.

Now if you are trying to bend a Mitchell shifter, that is a different story. They are solid S/S.
 
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I'm 6'2" 250lbs and find the leg room quite adequate in my '31 fordor. My issue is getting my feet between the door post and seat getting in and out. What a royal PITA. Once I'm in I'm good. Of course it's VERY roomy compared to the truck in my avatar. SBC so the firewall is recessed 4" and being a truck there is no where for the seat to go back. THAT is short on legroom.
 
On my tudor I went to a junk yard and got the drivers seat out of a late 90s Saturn
and with a little modifing IE making it narrower and some welding of brackets it fit
nicely with no modification to the original seat. It did raise the seat a couple of in.and
raised the passenger seat to match. You just reach down between your legs and pull
the handle up and you have about 6 in fore-aft motion. It works great.
 
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