Phaeton Fit

jim galli

jim galli

Senior Member
I'm getting a little rotund in my old age, but I fit perfectly in my '29 roadster (drove it 1860 miles in May) and have tons of elbow room in my late '31 Coupe.

I've been a '28 - '29 guy since I was 13 (60 now) but the coupe has lured me into the 1931 world.

My dream would be to replace the '29 roadster some day with a black on black phaeton like the one from Canada (sold in Washington) but I'm hoping someone that has a correct one will do me a favor and measure the nearest distance from steering wheel to seat back.

I had a '29 phaeton briefly but gave up on the project because my elbows were like butterfly wings and the steering wheel was rubbing my . . . 'spare tire'. It had a 30 steering column, so maybe that was part of it. Or maybe if you're bigger than 5' 7" 185 pounds, you're simply not going to fit?

Hoping someone will take a minute and get that measurement for me. Thanks!
 
Thanks. I'd lost those links. That will probably suffice until I get somewhere where I can borrow someone else's car and sit in it for a minute.

According to those images the Coupe and Phaeton are almost identical, although I think it's with the coupe's adjustable seat forward. There is a real gain of about 1 3/8 inches from the '29 car to the '30 - '31 car though.

What a nuisance that I can't just go down to the Ford Dealer and try a few out! I'm hopeful now.
 
Thanks for that. Still hoping some of you will take a ruler and measure nearest from edge of steering wheel to seat. Got one report back so far and it was quite different from the "salesman's book drawings".
 
Ok, on my 28 Pheaton: from steering wheel to back seat 11 1/2 inches. From the bottom of the wheel to the seat bottom 7 in. From the door post across to the edge of the seat bottom 7 in. I will take a pic with the door open tomorrow.
 
I may have shrunk an inch, but the last time I measured, I was 6 foot and weighed 230 and find getting in and out is snug but not bad once you do it a couple times. Once seated I'm comfortable with the pedals, steering, and gear shift. My car is the standard 1928 Phaeton.
 
I just went out and measured the space behind the wheel on my 1930 Standard Phaeton and it's 7 inches from the bottom of steering wheel to the seat (uncompressed with no siting behind the wheel). The distance straight back from the steering wheel the back seat cushion is 12 inches. The diagram at the link offered above shows 13+ inches, but that's measured on a slight angle.

I'll join the ranks of the big guys and say that driving it is not as bad as getting into it. I make life easier by entering from the passenger side and sliding across that seat. The few times you have the top down it's much easier to get in. It's tight and anyone weighing north of 230 pounds and of average height can't be driving a stock Phaeton if they say it's not snug behind the wheel. But there are lots of models that are tight behind the wheel, not just the Phaeton. However, it is still very drivable and a fun car to own. I don't hesitate to take it on club drives of 100 miles or more. Not that it does the driver any good, but there is plenty of room in the back seat! :rolleyes:

One of the members of our club had an upholstery guy modify his back seat and it made a world of difference, I plan to do so as well. The upholstery guy simply cinched the springs down, making the back much thinner which added a few more inches of comfort!
george
 
Forker said:
I just went out and measured the space behind the wheel on my 1930 Standard Phaeton and it's 7 inches from the bottom of steering wheel to the seat (uncompressed with no siting behind the wheel). The distance straight back from the steering wheel the back seat cushion is 12 inches. The diagram at the link offered above shows 13+ inches, but that's measured on a slight angle.

I'll join the ranks of the big guys and say that driving it is not as bad as getting into it. I make life easier by entering from the passenger side and sliding across that seat. The few times you have the top down it's much easier to get in. It's tight and anyone weighing north of 230 pounds and of average height can't be driving a stock Phaeton if they say it's not snug behind the wheel. But there are lots of models that are tight behind the wheel, not just the Phaeton. However, it is still very drivable and a fun car to own. I don't hesitate to take it on club drives of 100 miles or more. Not that it does the driver any good, but there is plenty of room in the back seat! :rolleyes:

One of the members of our club had an upholstery guy modify his back seat and it made a world of difference, I plan to do so as well. The upholstery guy simply cinched the springs down, making the back much thinner which added a few more inches of comfort!
george
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone!

What a great idea too. Cinching down the springs is easily done. Might have never thought of that.
 
Not much cushioning is necessary at your back. I removed the springs and put several inches of foam on a plywood back under the pleated vinyl. The plywood form doesn't need to be flat, either.
 
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