Soon to be new cobra owner.

[4warned]

Well today i went and looked at a shell valley cobra, it was beautiful, only problem was i could barely fit in the driver seat. Im 6'3.5 and my knees his the steering wheel. Now the owner mentioned getting a tilt steering , what are my other options. Can i lower the seat and maybe tilt it up in the front? I love the car, but cant drive it in the current state the steering wheel is in, any help is greatly appriecated, thank you

[Ron61]

There are several ways that you can gain leg space. Emerson Motorsports had made cars for guys that are 6'7" and weigh 300 pounds and they have good leg room. Lowered the floor pans, reworked the door openings to gain around 6/8" of space and also did some work on the cowl bar and transmission tunnel. So it can be done depending on how much you want to put into changing the original setup. Seats can be lowered and also put on sliders to allow you to adjust them forward or back. I had no problem with hitting the steering wheel on mine that I raced but did use the sliders as I am a little long legged and With the seat forward it made it hard for me to get my feet comfortable, but with it back everything was just right.


Ron

[Tommy]

4warned,
I interpret your question to be, how can I better fit in this one particular car I'm looking to buy. I'd start by looking at the seat and mount in the full aft position. If there is space between the seat and the floor and/or the aft bulkhead, you can gain that space by changing the mounting system. For the most room, you may be able to bolt the seat directly to the floor with spacers under the front mounts to get the seat rake you want. Of course it would not be adjustable with that mod. You could test that mod without too much effort by removing the seat/rail from the car and just sitting the seat alone back in the car. .... If that doesn't give enough room, you're looking at significantly larger mods, or possibly a different car.

[Clois Harlan]

Is the SV such a great deal you don't want to consider anything else? If so, remove the seat cushion and see how you fit. Raise the front of the seat with washers or a modified base, effecting a higher degree of lean back. If that still doesnt' do it contact my friend Mat Twiehaus who is selling his 427 FE Lone Star that I can assure you will fit. Mat is 6'4" and fits very well. Plus it is a beautiful blue with white stripes in LN cond for around $38K.

[vector1]

Originally Posted by Clois Harlan

Is the SV such a great deal you don't want to consider anything else? If so, remove the seat cushion and see how you fit. Raise the front of the seat with washers or a modified base, effecting a higher degree of lean back. If that still doesnt' do it contact my friend Mat Twiehaus who is selling his 427 FE Lone Star that I can assure you will fit. Mat is 6'4" and fits very well. Plus it is a beautiful blue with white stripes in LN cond for around $38K.

I've ridden in this, Mat is a big guy so you shouldn't have problems fitting. He's also done track time with it and guess all the bugs should be gone, they were gone when I rode in it!

[Mastiff107]

I have a Shell Valley in stock trim. I'm 6'2' and 260 and have a world of room. I had a close friend who was 6'7" and all legs drive mine fine, only thing was his head stuck completely above the windshield. Call Shell Valley, they're real good folks. Check seat and steering column angle.

[4warned]

Thanks for all the responses , yea the car is a pretty good deal. I would be interested in that lone star cobra Clois harlan mentioned, any link to the car? That is right in my ballpark price wise. Yea i think i need to try to see if i can look at the car again,a nd take the seat off the rails and bolt to floor. I was looking at the "ididit" tilt steering , just not sure which one to order? I was thinking maybe its possible to get a smaller steering wheel instead of the ac wood wheel. Thanks again for the respones

[Bernica]

Or install a removable steering wheel such as in race cars. Not hard to do.
Kind of like this...

Quick Release Hub

[4warned]

anyone?

[vref120]

No link to the car, but I've seen this car (Matt's)in person and was the first Cobra I ever sat in. It's very nice.

[Danr55]

Not sure what the issue is but would recommend mounting the seat on the floor rather than on a pedestal or track.

[Clois Harlan]

I sent an email to my frined Mat and he will send you some pictures of his Cobra. It is very well done and sports a real 427 with a TKO 600, Brand new Cobra style wheels and it is Blue and White.

[951mat]

Yes, I have a lonestar for sale. Lots of room in it. I'm 6'3"+ and still look thru the windshield like a normal person. My car is listed in the for sale ads here. Take a look there first and contact me.

Mat

[951mat]

Its on page 5 of the for sale ads. It looks different now than it did when I took pics that are in my gallery.