Tall man problems in coupe; bend shift lever?

If you decide to heat and bend it make sure you have a "solid" shifter. The newer ones are two piece and you could disturb the contact point at the bottom (I did!) Results are a shifter that is free floating, which is a lot of fun! :)
 
Marco, I do have new seat springs from Snyders. Is the point that any "new" springs are going to have a thicker profile? But will compress a bit with time and therefore give more room in the car? Or, are the Snyders springs thicker than the originals?
 
steve norcal said:
a middle seat from a mini van works good ! i have bent my shifter by using a piece of pipe . cover shifter with a cloth to prevent scares . nickel is softer than chrome . good luck ............ steve
ps: you could trade your coupe for my tudor , lots of room .....
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Steve, did you bend it in the car, without heat, using a pipe? Trying to picture the inside of ******; is there chance of bending (or breaking) something on the INSIDE, while trying to bend the outer lever? Isn't all the load going to be on that little ball-tip on the end, risking snapping that off or bending it out of straight?
 
Sounds like youre not considering redoing the seat if you just got new springs but heres some pics of mine thrown together. Just another option to consider. I decided to cover it in suede to change it up a little but you could obviously do whatever. Only took me about an hour or so. It looks better in person.


 
Barry in St.Paul said:
Marco, I do have new seat springs from Snyders. Is the point that any "new" springs are going to have a thicker profile? But will compress a bit with time and therefore give more room in the car? Or, are the Snyders springs thicker than the originals?
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It seems like their springs were better in the 70's. With Lebaron Bonney being their biggest customer I think they've been changed some (stiffer coils among other things) to adapt to LB's needs. That may not be the case but sure seems like it to me. Snyder springs are the only game in town.
 
I was able to put two bends in the upper part of the lever by putting it in a vice, putting an old piece of hose around it and just bending it by pulling it. There was no disgfigurement of the chrome. The thicker lower part down by the trans I could not bend by hand and had to heat it and that put a blemish on it.
 
Jaguar, your modification looks comfortable! But no, I'm not planning on taking my cushions out (though for a really long drive, worth considering!).
THanks for the photos!
Marco, appreciate the info (on floorboard seal, too). Will get some rubber sheet and get rid of my boots. Never liked the looks of them!
 
Has anyone tried shortening the clutch and brake pedal arms? It appears that they could be shortened at least one inch, maybe more, as long as one is careful to keep the two adjusted correctly. For the bigger guys, every inch of legroom counts. Any opinions? Gar Williams
 
Aerocraft said:
Has anyone tried shortening the clutch and brake pedal arms? It appears that they could be shortened at least one inch, maybe more, as long as one is careful to keep the two adjusted correctly. For the bigger guys, every inch of legroom counts. Any opinions? Gar Williams
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Dont know if that would help my problem was that to step on the brake i have to shift my knee to the right and it wont squeeze between the wheel and the shifter if i was in first or reverse. I would imagine taht this is his problem as well. Shortening the pedal might let you move your foot a little more freely but i dont think much.
 
I have just enough room in my 29 coupe with the package tray spacer removed but I'm ONLY 6-2 but my 30 roadster is a problem getting in and out with my size 12 shoes. About the only way I can do it is to pivot off the seat backing out with my right foot coming out last. I can't imagine being 6-8 and doing it.
 
I am contemplating the purchase of a 29 station wagon. Love the car but at 6'4" have the same issue. Do you have a picture of the bend you made ? Thx. Sb
 
put a two by four from the a pillar to just above the bend-you can bend it no problem-I had the same deal
 
Barry,
I have a suggestion below... and posted in another thread reply some time ago that is in my opinion the best solution for you. I've posted the link below or you can search on "gear shift lever bend Larry Shepard"

In a nutshell you would relocate the pin redrilling the hole for the horizantal pin that is in the shift lever to the gearshift top. You can rotate the shift lever counterclockwise and redrill at the desired rotation which allows the lever to be off to the right out of the way. I would suggest carefully knock the cover up and pull the gearshift up slightly and have someone knock out the pin. I would then rotate the lever around for best fit, mark on both sides of slot on trans top and then drill to match.

Link below from my previous post on this.


http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134717&highlight=shift+lever+bend+larry+shepard&page=2

I honestly would not bend the shift lever to fix your problem.. I think you will find this a better solution. The guy who I did this for was over 6.3... and it did the trick beautifully. Takes a little use to shifting with the lever to the right but he could get it out of the way of his legs and have room.
PM me if you have any questions.
Larry Shepard
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03-23-2014, 07:59 PM #22 larrys40
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 483


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Re: Bend the gear shifter?
fiddlebits,

A couple of years ago I modified one on a coupe I sold to a very tall fellow. He had so much leg that he couldn't use 1st. I took a new repro shift lever and redrilled the pin hole for the slot in the shift tower.. I used another shift tower for a mock up... and dislodged the bell and redrilled the shift lever hole. No need to weld up the old hole, just cross drill at your selected placement. It placed the gear lever far over to the right but it did the trick for him in getting leg clearance. There's only so much in a coupe!

I thought at the time that it was way better than bending, didn't mess up any chrome.. and did the job professionally and without stress to any components. If you want to go back no big deal..just install your old shift lever or whole tower.

Best of luck!
Larry Shepard

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