Need more arm and leg room

7173Mustangs.com

Help Support 7173Mustangs.com:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Rmach1

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 7, 2019
Messages
98
Reaction score
2
Location
Ky
My Car
1971 Mach 1 351c H code
[url=https://ibb.co/xFgFn66][img]https://i.ibb.co/PDWD2gg/BB339-FB4-2-E55-42-B6-A6-AB-490-B03-BEDC84.jpg[/img][/url]
Hi all

I’m finally done with my 1971 and we’re updating the carb and ignition but now I’m able to drive it, I feel cramped and sitting too upright.

Do any of you have a suggestion on this? I can’t find a tilt column and I am willing to fab something... All input is appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance



 
Nice job - lookin' good!

I've not heard of any track extenders, as of yet, specific to our cars.  I've seen them offered for other cars, but still not ours so far.

I'm 6'5" and wanted a little more legroom as well.  While I was replacing the floor pans, I moved the seat platforms back from stock about 2", which helped, but created other issues (such as, the molded carpet didn't quite fit right when I was installing... but it settled in and is fine now), and even with the 6'4" wingspan, it feels a little weird having to reach so far to the steering wheel, compared to my other cars.

One other thing I did was to remove the hard plastic 'bumpers' from the seat cushions and seat backs.  Doing that has the seat backs leaned back an extra 5-6 degrees or so - that's helped immensely with headroom as well... I don't feel my head rubbing the headliner material.  

I'm also contemplating one of the TIM Products one-piece headliners.  https://www.cjponyparts.com/tmi-headliner-molded-one-piece-vinyl-black-fastback-1971-1973/p/HL92B/?year=1971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZaHtY-O5wIVB9bACh2f5gQoEAQYAyABEgK6DfD_BwE  They're kind of pricey at $350+s&h, but really the only thing I'm not looking forward to is replacing the sail panels, since they actually do need to be installed with the rear glass out.  They're supposed to offer about another 1" of head room.  I know when I installed my factory style headliner, I messed up and used the lower holes for the ribs, which cost me probably a half inch of head room I could've had.  Oh well, live and learn, right?

Hope this helps!

 
Nice job - lookin' good!

I've not heard of any track extenders, as of yet, specific to our cars.  I've seen them offered for other cars, but still not ours so far.

I'm 6'5" and wanted a little more legroom as well.  While I was replacing the floor pans, I moved the seat platforms back from stock about 2", which helped, but created other issues (such as, the molded carpet didn't quite fit right when I was installing... but it settled in and is fine now), and even with the 6'4" wingspan, it feels a little weird having to reach so far to the steering wheel, compared to my other cars.

One other thing I did was to remove the hard plastic 'bumpers' from the seat cushions and seat backs.  Doing that has the seat backs leaned back an extra 5-6 degrees or so - that's helped immensely with headroom as well... I don't feel my head rubbing the headliner material.  

I'm also contemplating one of the TIM Products one-piece headliners.  https://www.cjponyparts.com/tmi-headliner-molded-one-piece-vinyl-black-fastback-1971-1973/p/HL92B/?year=1971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZaHtY-O5wIVB9bACh2f5gQoEAQYAyABEgK6DfD_BwE  They're kind of pricey at $350+s&h, but really the only thing I'm not looking forward to is replacing the sail panels, since they actually do need to be installed with the rear glass out.  They're supposed to offer about another 1" of head room.  I know when I installed my factory style headliner, I messed up and used the lower holes for the ribs, which cost me probably a half inch of head room I could've had.  Oh well, live and learn, right?

Hope this helps!
Ahh you have it bad!! Ha ha ....

yeah I think the stops will definitely help sit back a tad!!great suggestion. Thanks!!

 
Here's a pic of how far back my seats lean now... not horrible, and not like how some of the kids like the seats these days, but it's working out so far.

attachment.php


 
.....

I'm also contemplating one of the TIM Products one-piece headliners.  https://www.cjponyparts.com/tmi-headliner-molded-one-piece-vinyl-black-fastback-1971-1973/p/HL92B/?year=1971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZaHtY-O5wIVB9bACh2f5gQoEAQYAyABEgK6DfD_BwE  They're kind of pricey at $350+s&h, but really the only thing I'm not looking forward to is replacing the sail panels, since they actually do need to be installed with the rear glass out.  They're supposed to offer about another 1" of head room. 

....
This winter, I pulled my interior to better insulate my interior ahed of doing a Class Ait install. Since i had it all out, and needed  to insulate the rood/headliner area, i took the dive on the TMI one-piece. I like it, it does hug the roof line and offer added headroom. It also looks good (not stock obviously) but I have no regrets.

Definitely have a helper - it was a bitch wrangling that thing into place by myself. The pre-cut holes for the visors and the overhead cabin light were well placed. In fact, I found that the easiest way to align the headliner was to use the screw holes for the light. I also kept my existing sail panels, I did not need to entirely remove the old ones. Just a tip in case you take the plunge.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
.....

I'm also contemplating one of the TIM Products one-piece headliners.  https://www.cjponyparts.com/tmi-headliner-molded-one-piece-vinyl-black-fastback-1971-1973/p/HL92B/?year=1971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZaHtY-O5wIVB9bACh2f5gQoEAQYAyABEgK6DfD_BwE  They're kind of pricey at $350+s&h, but really the only thing I'm not looking forward to is replacing the sail panels, since they actually do need to be installed with the rear glass out.  They're supposed to offer about another 1" of head room. 

....
This winter, I pulled my interior to better insulate my interior ahed of doing a Class Ait install. Since i had it all out, and needed  to insulate the rood/headliner area, i took the dive on the TMI one-piece. I like it, it does hug the roof line and offer added headroom. It also looks good (not stock obviously) but I have no regrets.

Definitely have a helper - it was a bitch wrangling that thing into place by myself. The pre-cut holes for the visors and the overhead cabin light were well placed. In fact, I found that the easiest way to align the headliner was to use the screw holes for the light. I also kept my existing sail panels, I did not need to entirely remove the old ones.  Just a tip in case you take the plunge.
Very nice! Yeah we have to try everything we can to make it comfortable so I’m going to remove those stops tomorrow! So good luck with that headliner..

 
My seats are still out at the upholstery shop but I also installed the TMI one-piece headliner. It does add headroom and looks great but was a pain to install just by myself. I haven't had the chance to install the sail panels yet but that will be soon. I am only 5'10" but weighing in at about 230lbs now, so I definitely need a little bit of room to be comfortable as well, will be watching this thread for other suggestions.

Tom

 
Nice job - lookin' good!

I've not heard of any track extenders, as of yet, specific to our cars.  I've seen them offered for other cars, but still not ours so far.

I'm 6'5" and wanted a little more legroom as well.  While I was replacing the floor pans, I moved the seat platforms back from stock about 2", which helped, but created other issues (such as, the molded carpet didn't quite fit right when I was installing... but it settled in and is fine now), and even with the 6'4" wingspan, it feels a little weird having to reach so far to the steering wheel, compared to my other cars.

One other thing I did was to remove the hard plastic 'bumpers' from the seat cushions and seat backs.  Doing that has the seat backs leaned back an extra 5-6 degrees or so - that's helped immensely with headroom as well... I don't feel my head rubbing the headliner material.  

I'm also contemplating one of the TIM Products one-piece headliners.  https://www.cjponyparts.com/tmi-headliner-molded-one-piece-vinyl-black-fastback-1971-1973/p/HL92B/?year=1971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZaHtY-O5wIVB9bACh2f5gQoEAQYAyABEgK6DfD_BwE  They're kind of pricey at $350+s&h, but really the only thing I'm not looking forward to is replacing the sail panels, since they actually do need to be installed with the rear glass out.  They're supposed to offer about another 1" of head room.  I know when I installed my factory style headliner, I messed up and used the lower holes for the ribs, which cost me probably a half inch of head room I could've had.  Oh well, live and learn, right?

Hope this helps!
Hi

i removed the bottom stops and it’s already made a difference!!! Thanks for that great solution!!! Those 5-6 degrees makes a big diff.!!!

now for the tracks.. the way it feels now I may not need to do anything there... we’ll see!



 
You "tall guys" have it made, minor problems. Try being 5'4" in a car made for 6 footers! For my 'comfortable driving position', I have to have the seat far more forward than I'd like just to be able to get the clutch in as needed. Then I feel like I'm hugging the damn steering wheel. I like my arms almost straight or at least minimally bent. This is not possible for me. I hate being so close to the wheel as I'm going to be kissing it if I ever hit anything. 

If I were ever to drop in a T5 or similar, I think I'd look seriously at constructing a new pedal support to bring the pedals forward 2". This is not possible with the factory rod style clutch linkage, but with either hydraulic or cable, may be doable. Chance of me changing the gearbox is slight to zero. Then there's the side mirrors. I have to tilt my head backward slightly just to see in the drivers side mirror. Bet you don't have that problem!

I often joke with some of my taller friends that if I had legs that long, I'd cut 6" off them!!

Geoff.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice job - lookin' good!

I've not heard of any track extenders, as of yet, specific to our cars.  I've seen them offered for other cars, but still not ours so far.

I'm 6'5" and wanted a little more legroom as well.  While I was replacing the floor pans, I moved the seat platforms back from stock about 2", which helped, but created other issues (such as, the molded carpet didn't quite fit right when I was installing... but it settled in and is fine now), and even with the 6'4" wingspan, it feels a little weird having to reach so far to the steering wheel, compared to my other cars.

One other thing I did was to remove the hard plastic 'bumpers' from the seat cushions and seat backs.  Doing that has the seat backs leaned back an extra 5-6 degrees or so - that's helped immensely with headroom as well... I don't feel my head rubbing the headliner material.  

I'm also contemplating one of the TIM Products one-piece headliners.  https://www.cjponyparts.com/tmi-headliner-molded-one-piece-vinyl-black-fastback-1971-1973/p/HL92B/?year=1971&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZaHtY-O5wIVB9bACh2f5gQoEAQYAyABEgK6DfD_BwE  They're kind of pricey at $350+s&h, but really the only thing I'm not looking forward to is replacing the sail panels, since they actually do need to be installed with the rear glass out.  They're supposed to offer about another 1" of head room.  I know when I installed my factory style headliner, I messed up and used the lower holes for the ribs, which cost me probably a half inch of head room I could've had.  Oh well, live and learn, right?

Hope this helps!
Hi

i removed the bottom stops and it’s already made a difference!!! Thanks for that great solution!!! Those 5-6 degrees makes a big diff.!!!

now for the tracks.. the way it feels now I may not need to do anything there... we’ll see!

Glad to hear it worked for ya!   ::thumb::

 
You "tall guys" have it made, minor problems. Try being 5'4" in a car made for 6 footers! For my 'comfortable driving position', I have to have the seat far more forward than I'd like just to be able to get the clutch in as needed. Then I feel like I'm hugging the damn steering wheel. I like my arms almost straight or at least minimally bent. This is not possible for me. I hate being so close to the wheel as I'm going to be kissing it if I ever hit anything. 

If I were ever to drop in a T5 or similar, I think I'd look seriously at constructing a new pedal support to bring the pedals forward 2". This is not possible with the factory rod style clutch linkage, but with either hydraulic or cable, may be doable. Chance of me changing the gearbox is slight to zero. Then there's the side mirrors. I have to tilt my head backward slightly just to see in the drivers side mirror. Bet you don't have that problem!

I often joke with some of my taller friends that if I had legs that long, I'd cut 6" off them!!

Geoff.
Ha ha that’s a good one Geof! Yeah today’s cars have so many adjustments we take it for granted. I’m six feet and really feel for the really tall guys like Eric.

I'm going to modify his suggestion to shaving down both stops to equal the position the seat leans to now so that I have plastic stops on both so it doesn’t dig into the seat base or seat back... thanks for your perspective because all the differentiations opinions help me affect a solution!!!

 
You "tall guys" have it made, minor problems. Try being 5'4" in a car made for 6 footers! For my 'comfortable driving position', I have to have the seat far more forward than I'd like just to be able to get the clutch in as needed. Then I feel like I'm hugging the damn steering wheel. I like my arms almost straight or at least minimally bent. This is not possible for me. I hate being so close to the wheel as I'm going to be kissing it if I ever hit anything. 

If I were ever to drop in a T5 or similar, I think I'd look seriously at constructing a new pedal support to bring the pedals forward 2". This is not possible with the factory rod style clutch linkage, but with either hydraulic or cable, may be doable. Chance of me changing the gearbox is slight to zero. Then there's the side mirrors. I have to tilt my head backward slightly just to see in the drivers side mirror. Bet you don't have that problem!

I often joke with some of my taller friends that if I had legs that long, I'd cut 6" off them!!

Geoff.
Ha ha that’s a good one Geof! Yeah today’s cars have so many adjustments we take it for granted. I’m six feet and really feel for the really tall guys like Eric.

I'm going to modify his suggestion to shaving down both stops to equal the position the seat leans to now so that I have plastic stops on both so it doesn’t dig into the seat base or seat back... thanks for your perspective because all the differentiations opinions help me affect a solution!!!
 Yeah, it seems like no-one considered us "regular sized" people when these cars were designed. Another mod I would do if I were building a non totally correct 71-73 with sport mirrors would be to move them forward by 2" or so. In fact I did consider doing that, but then I'd have to blend paint the doors and the Light Pewter with metallic in it would be tough, so I dropped the idea...... 'til next time I have to repaint the car!! Should have thought about that last time.

 
You "tall guys" have it made, minor problems. Try being 5'4" in a car made for 6 footers! For my 'comfortable driving position', I have to have the seat far more forward than I'd like just to be able to get the clutch in as needed. Then I feel like I'm hugging the damn steering wheel. I like my arms almost straight or at least minimally bent. This is not possible for me. I hate being so close to the wheel as I'm going to be kissing it if I ever hit anything. 

If I were ever to drop in a T5 or similar, I think I'd look seriously at constructing a new pedal support to bring the pedals forward 2". This is not possible with the factory rod style clutch linkage, but with either hydraulic or cable, may be doable. Chance of me changing the gearbox is slight to zero. Then there's the side mirrors. I have to tilt my head backward slightly just to see in the drivers side mirror. Bet you don't have that problem!

I often joke with some of my taller friends that if I had legs that long, I'd cut 6" off them!!

Geoff.
Ha ha that’s a good one Geof! Yeah today’s cars have so many adjustments we take it for granted. I’m six feet and really feel for the really tall guys like Eric.

I'm going to modify his suggestion to shaving down both stops to equal the position the seat leans to now so that I have plastic stops on both so it doesn’t dig into the seat base or seat back... thanks for your perspective because all the differentiations opinions help me affect a solution!!!
 Yeah, it seems like no-one considered us "regular sized" people when these cars were designed. Another mod I would do if I were building a non totally correct 71-73 with sport mirrors would be to move them forward by 2" or so. In fact I did consider doing that, but then I'd have to blend paint the doors and the Light Pewter with metallic in it would be tough, so I dropped the idea...... 'til next time I have to repaint the car!! Should have thought about that last time.
Totally see that... yeah I know a couple guys who can blend metallics well and I’d still probably hold off on that... so the next project you’ll go all-out. My Mach1 isn’t a totally OEM example intentionally as I had a look in mind when I started so I have that latitude. It’s close but I’m using 1970 Lincoln dark green paint and correct to VIN interior but darker carpet. I’ll post final pics soon I hope.

 
Ha ha that’s a good one Geof! Yeah today’s cars have so many adjustments we take it for granted. I’m six feet and really feel for the really tall guys like Eric.

I'm going to modify his suggestion to shaving down both stops to equal the position the seat leans to now so that I have plastic stops on both so it doesn’t dig into the seat base or seat back... thanks for your perspective because all the differentiations opinions help me affect a solution!!!
 Yeah, it seems like no-one considered us "regular sized" people when these cars were designed. Another mod I would do if I were building a non totally correct 71-73 with sport mirrors would be to move them forward by 2" or so. In fact I did consider doing that, but then I'd have to blend paint the doors and the Light Pewter with metallic in it would be tough, so I dropped the idea...... 'til next time I have to repaint the car!! Should have thought about that last time.
Totally see that... yeah I know a couple guys who can blend metallics well and I’d still probably hold off on that... so the next project you’ll go all-out. My Mach1 isn’t a totally OEM example intentionally as I had a look in mind when I started so I have that latitude. It’s close but I’m using 1970 Lincoln dark green paint and correct to VIN interior but darker carpet. I’ll post final pics soon I hope.
 Sounds great, looking forward to the pics...……… we love pics don't you know!

All the best with it .

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi To All,

Thought i would jump in on this one. When you look at the seats set up for the 1,2,3 Mustangs back in those days, it was very crude and basic. For example, the seat travel forward and backwards did not really cater for tall guys, and as far as going all the way back, still did not provide enough leg room. The seat upright did not have any adjustment to it, which would have made a big difference to overall comfort. Tilt steering helped to some degree, but was not the full answer. Also, the seats did not offer any height or tilt adjustments to them. This would have helped as well to overall driving comfort. Electric/ power seats were available in the Cougar range as options i believe but not for 1,2,3 Mustangs. I don't know if the Cougar power seat tracks offered enough back slide travel, tilt travel, or up and down travel.

In any case, i am not a tall guy, but in my '73 Convertible, i found the back slide travel not enough when fully set back as far as it could go. I got around this problem very successfully by buying a set of seat frame extensions that bolt on easily to my existing seat frame legs. Year one  Company in America sells them for a modest price. I installed them and they solved my leg room problem. These track extenders will solve leg room issues mainly, but if you have height or seat upright, tilting forward or backward issues, you may have to upgrade your front seating to more modern seats that offer all these adjustments.

Lastly, a few years ago, i invented and installed a footrest for our 1,2,3 Mustangs. This footrest has provided me with extra driving comfort and control, and has made a world of difference to my overall driving experience. I mentioned it here in this topic, because it may provide help in relation to finding a better seat setup experience. It certainly did for me. Here is a link to my old post on this subject.

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-austin-vert-invents-a-footrest-for-71-73-mustangs?highlight=foot+rest

Here is a link to the extension brackets product for sale.

https://www.yearone.com/Product/PartSearchResult/SB246/

Hope that helps.

Greg. :)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You "tall guys" have it made, minor problems. Try being 5'4" in a car made for 6 footers! For my 'comfortable driving position', I have to have the seat far more forward than I'd like just to be able to get the clutch in as needed. Then I feel like I'm hugging the damn steering wheel. I like my arms almost straight or at least minimally bent. This is not possible for me. I hate being so close to the wheel as I'm going to be kissing it if I ever hit anything. 

If I were ever to drop in a T5 or similar, I think I'd look seriously at constructing a new pedal support to bring the pedals forward 2". This is not possible with the factory rod style clutch linkage, but with either hydraulic or cable, may be doable. Chance of me changing the gearbox is slight to zero. Then there's the side mirrors. I have to tilt my head backward slightly just to see in the drivers side mirror. Bet you don't have that problem!

I often joke with some of my taller friends that if I had legs that long, I'd cut 6" off them!!

Geoff.
You could modify the clutch pedal so the pad sits further out. The pedal may look to far up but it will be practical.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 
You "tall guys" have it made, minor problems. Try being 5'4" in a car made for 6 footers! For my 'comfortable driving position', I have to have the seat far more forward than I'd like just to be able to get the clutch in as needed. Then I feel like I'm hugging the damn steering wheel. I like my arms almost straight or at least minimally bent. This is not possible for me. I hate being so close to the wheel as I'm going to be kissing it if I ever hit anything. 

If I were ever to drop in a T5 or similar, I think I'd look seriously at constructing a new pedal support to bring the pedals forward 2". This is not possible with the factory rod style clutch linkage, but with either hydraulic or cable, may be doable. Chance of me changing the gearbox is slight to zero. Then there's the side mirrors. I have to tilt my head backward slightly just to see in the drivers side mirror. Bet you don't have that problem!

I often joke with some of my taller friends that if I had legs that long, I'd cut 6" off them!!

Geoff.
You could modify the clutch pedal so the pad sits further out. The pedal may look to far up but it will be practical.
  Yeah Tony, that has been mentioned before, someone posted a pic of a wooden block attached to the pedals!!!. Then the problem is the gas pedal, not sure what could be done about that. I get jokes like "put blocks on your pedals" all the time, so it's old hat to me now.

I did modify the clutch pedal stop so it comes up as far as possible, then adjusted the linkage to achieve the highest clutch release position, but......

I know, it sucks to be short!! 

Thanks for your suggestion though my friend.

Geoff.

 
You "tall guys" have it made, minor problems. Try being 5'4" in a car made for 6 footers! For my 'comfortable driving position', I have to have the seat far more forward than I'd like just to be able to get the clutch in as needed. Then I feel like I'm hugging the damn steering wheel. I like my arms almost straight or at least minimally bent. This is not possible for me. I hate being so close to the wheel as I'm going to be kissing it if I ever hit anything. 

If I were ever to drop in a T5 or similar, I think I'd look seriously at constructing a new pedal support to bring the pedals forward 2". This is not possible with the factory rod style clutch linkage, but with either hydraulic or cable, may be doable. Chance of me changing the gearbox is slight to zero. Then there's the side mirrors. I have to tilt my head backward slightly just to see in the drivers side mirror. Bet you don't have that problem!

I often joke with some of my taller friends that if I had legs that long, I'd cut 6" off them!!

Geoff.
You could modify the clutch pedal so the pad sits further out. The pedal may look to far up but it will be practical.
  Yeah Tony, that has been mentioned before, someone posted a pic of a wooden block attached to the pedals!!!. Then the problem is the gas pedal, not sure what could be done about that. I get jokes like "put blocks on your pedals" all the time, so it's old hat to me now.

I did modify the clutch pedal stop so it comes up as far as possible, then adjusted the linkage to achieve the highest clutch release position, but......

I know, it sucks to be short!! 

Thanks for your suggestion though my friend.

Geoff.
Geoff, just get some 70’s style platform shoes and you will be all set, lol

 
Back
Top