Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

[BigJohn]

Currently, a Mk1 Ford Escort which has some comfort modifications, smaller deep dish steering wheel and a gear lever bent to the left. Without these mods the gear lever was under my knee and I could select 3rd by pushing the clutch in, the downside was when I let the clutch out my knee selected 4th!
I also have a Mk1 Golf Cabriolet automatic, which has more room for me than an E30 3 series BMW Cabrio.
My daily is a Skoda Karoq DSG.
Previously my classic cars have been, Rover P6B auto, (just fit in it), Standard 12 (loads of room), Standard Vanguard Phase 2, (loads of room) Standard Super 10, (wore it like a coat, but still fit in) Morris 1800s, party sized) etc.

[Ray White]

You would happily sit behind the wheel of my 1926 Dodge Brothers tourer but still not miss the hood. I am only 5'7" but when I first got in the car I found my head touching it. The problem was that the windscreen is non original and made the hood come down too low. My solution, until I can source a correct screen, was to make up a 4" wood fillet that is attached to the underside of the hood and meets the top of the screen frame. I covered the outside of the fillet in vinyl to match the hood and painted white on the inside. It looks like an original fitting... but now everyone knows!

[badhuis]

That is a good resolution for your non-original window Ray. I would not think of changing it - only when you should come across an original screen but what is the chance of that?

I had a very long friend who cannot fit into many cars. He had been owning an Hillman Imp since the sixties as there is plenty of room in that, even with the standard (huge) steering wheel. We have a couple of long people in the Imp club.
_________________
a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[alastairq]

My pride 'n joy is a Mk2 Dellow [1951-2]...not renowned for room if over 6 foot tall. [MK1s were better in this respect, not have coil sprung rear axles]....I am well over 6 foot tall, and becoming ever more aged...[stiff of joints]...getting in & out requires great care, and results in a lack of dignity for at least 30 seconds afterwards.
Driving position would do well in a Yoga class.....Cannot wear any shoes, other than plimmies [or similar...Lidl sell posh plimmies]........I have removed the plywood seat backing on my side, as well as all the stuffing.....just to gain an extra inch or two. [A Register member, a skilled engineer, has practically re-shaped the rear chassis to gain a bit more room].
I have retained the seat cover material, however.

The previous [but one] owner...who bought the car in the 1990's, and took it to the USA to race [SCCA?]....was over 6 foot 5 inches tall! Quite what he was thinking, I know not...but it might explain the drastic lowering of the transmission tunnel at the rear?
Butt-room?
Given that the suspension was re-built at the same time, with racing in mind, movement was not really expected to be much. I had to re-position the top shock mounts, as they would bottom/top-out in normal driving. Local roads not being as smooth as race tracks?

The mandatory rollover bar was equally 'tall'....and has been lowered [by me] to just allow the hood [not fitted] to clear.
When driving, the top of my head clears the windscreen top...If I remove the seat base, then I obviously sit lower....but the pain in the butt becomes uncomfortable.

I have not been able to fit the hood [irons half missing]...but suspect driving with it 'up' might result in a crick in the neck to see out..[and an odd lump in the roof?]?

With a passenger, cockpit is cosy. Even the gearlever is on the passenger side! A good job most driving is done in top gear......and it pulls away nicely in 2nd....

The rear wheelarch intrudes into the seat area [occupant's butts well behind rear wheel line! It was designed originally as a trials car, after all! Something like 2/3rds of the all-up weight is located to the rear]

But, once ensconced, it is a delight to drive, being twitchy as 'ell, and rough as a badger's on the backbone. Noisy inside,& gets very warm by the feet, soaks the trousers in puddles....corners like wheelbarrow......simply turns.....I don't have any idea what G forces are applied...best to tuck the front wheels tight into the turn, step on the gas, and hold on! Difficult to drive slowly, as a result.
[Dellows are excellent at Autotests....especially when the external handbrake is properly wired up....forwards to lock the front wheels, backwards to lock the rears......just over a turn, lock-to-lock....]

sorry, thread drift....

I do notice, however, that when regularly using the Dellow...many of my aching back problems eventually disappear......