New to Model A - seat question

F

FullAuto

Junior Member
I just bought my first Model A on Monday. It's a 1930 Tudor. I have a problem though. I can't actually drive it.

I had the former owner deliver it to my shop. I'm 6'7" and don't physically fit in it well enough to drive it safely. I'm only ~200lbs, so it's a leg problem, not a waist problem.

When my right foot is on the gas pedal, my knee hits the back of the steering wheel when attempting to put it on the brake. If I pull my knee out wide to try and get my foot on it, I hit the gear shifter. It's quite an effort to get my foot on there and I don't feel comfortable in pulling it off while driving.

The seats are in the stock locations. The previous owner did have a set of offset brackets for 1 seat that I believe gives it about 2" more leg room. He never installed them because he's roughly 1' shorter and didn't need them.

I've also found some adjustable brackets online for these cars. I've read they give about 6" of room. Does anyone know if that is 6 inches of adjustability; 3" forward, 3" back, or 6 inches of additional leg room.

If it's 6" additional, I'm in. If it's only 3" forward, 3" back, I'll probably have a welder buddy just modify the offsets posts and add a few more inches to them.

And if anyone is from central Oklahoma, I'm looking to join a Model A club too. Thanks.
 
Welcome. I never owned a Tudor, but rode in quite a few as a youngster.

You may want to hit "Search" above until a few can offer suggestions.
 
Welcome to the site and good luck. I don't think any of the models were made for a person of your stature ( six foot seven ). Having said that you likely will have much better luck with the Tudor than lets say a Roadster. I am sure some of the members that have similar height will soon respond. Wayne
 
If you are from Oklahoma City, then there is the Model A Ford Club of America's chapter the "Sooner Model A Club" PO Box 83192 in OKC.

They have a website but do not know the web address.

Great people...Great club.

Pluck
 
I have a 28/29 so not sure if this applies but.... check the front legs of the seat that bolt through the floor. They can be installed backwards for short people to reach the pedals.
 
Welcome to the forum. I also have a 30 Tudor. I am only 6'1" but found it uncomfortable to drive being so close to the steering wheel. I am a hobby welder/blacksmith and I made my seat brackets 3 1/2 inches longer than stock. Just unpin the seat and move it back a few inches, then sit in it and see if you fit. I made my mounts to appear stock and did both seats mounts to match. Simple job to do.
Mal
 
Always try to think positively.

If the front seat cannot be moved far enough rearward ............. how about temporarily moving the rear seat forward.

Just don't give up on your "new" Model A.

The usual condemning Forum Police who think they command & own the opinions on this site may not like it; & the so called purist & political judges will not like it either; but you bought it, just make it work to fit the dimensions what God gave you.

Just supporting your most wonderful Model A dreams 100%.
 
I knew it would be an issue when I bought it. I looked at 2 Roadsters for sale (that were owned by a member of the Sooner Model A Club) and decided I wanted the Tudor so I could have the extra room to play with. I'm sure not giving up on the car.

I did search and found a good thread talking about the adjustable brackets. I think it was a 2010 thread. But I couldn't figure out if it was 6 inches total adjustment or 6 inches of additional length. Most of the comments were just saying they were expensive. The money doesn't bother me. But if someone were to say it's 6 inches of total adjustment and only 3 inches additional, I'll probably look at modifying the offset brackets instead.

Here are some pics of the car:







 
At 6'6" and 250 lbs, I can feel your pain. But the knee/shifter/steering wheel problem has an easy fix -- especially if your copilot is a bit smaller than you. Just heat the shifter about 6" above the trans top. Use your propane torch to get it to glow and then "lean" the shaft toward the passenger seat. It won't take too much bend to get the space you need between the wheel and the gear shift when it is in first gear.
When the shaft cools, slather on some chrome paint for rust control and go for a ride!
 
I have a 1930 Tudor and the previous owner had added the seat adjuster that is available through the National Dealers. It does move the seat back several inches and also cants the seat slightly. While there are times that I do hit my knee into the dash. most of the time it is quite acceptable. These are adjustable from essentially zero, no change, to about 4 inches rearward and none to about 2 inches in height. The first thing you should try right now is to turn the seat hold down bracket 180 degrees and gain some small increase. perhaps that will give enough to at least get out and drive it some.
 
As Gus suggests, the seat pivots on the sedan can be reversed in order to gain some leg room. If that's not enough, Brattons, 800-255-1929 offers a set of seat brackets PN37281 that will allow for a 2" offset. Might be enough.
 
6'8 250 pounds here and I fit great in my coupe ONCE I carefully heated the shifter at the very bottom an carefully bent it to the side a bit.

I was able to do it without damaging the chrome!!!

You can't tell it was bent by looking at it but that made all the difference for me.
 
I believe the stock seat posts have already been flipped. It appears if I turned them the other direction, I'd lose legroom. I do have 1 set of the extended offset brackets. I think I'm going to order the adjustable brackets and see if I can get the extra 4 inches. I like the adjustability because my wife is 5'9" and I'll want her to be able to drive it too. Thanks guys.
 
We have a club member who has modified his front seats to accommodate his 6'4' frame. Visit our website and send us an email or you can send me a private message via this site or an email. We have over 100 members here in the city.
 
My 31 tudor has angle iron brkt on the floor with about 7 holes in it for the seat to attach to, I've added a verticle brkt to increase seat height and it works out well. I had left hip revision surgery last year and I can get in and out OK. This arrangement does intrude into the rear seat leg room but no one rides with me. Driver's seat is about 5" back from the passengers seat. I'm 5'10" and 230+/- (haha). The angle iron is unobtrusive and rug covers most of it. I'm quite comfortable driving.
FWIW
Paul in CT
 
fordf1trucknut said:
6'8 250 pounds here and I fit great in my coupe ONCE I carefully heated the shifter at the very bottom an carefully bent it to the side a bit.

I was able to do it without damaging the chrome!!!

You can't tell it was bent by looking at it but that made all the difference for me.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem in my 29 roadster. I bent the shifter cold in my hydraulic press without damaging anything, and it made all the difference. But I'm only 6'1". Unfortunately, the weight is similar!
 
Hoogah said:
I see that your Tudor came with an after-market anti-hijacking device on the front seat? :D
Click to expand...
Yes, I staged some pics to post on my local forums and for my facebook friends. The Thompson is the real deal and costs more than the car. So that makes the car the accessory. At least, that's what I told my wife when she saw it. :D
 
FullAuto said:
Yes, I staged some pics to post on my local forums and for my facebook friends. The Thompson is the real deal and costs more than the car. So that makes the car the accessory. At least, that's what I told my wife when she saw it. :D
Click to expand...

Very cool! i was wondering if it was real, owning a class 3 is on my bucket list.
 
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