Driver seat position

[DanEC]

I'm in about the same place that I was last spring on my car due to several things. One thing I've been trying to figure out is the seat - pedals positioning. Being 6'2" and figuring leg room was at a premium in these little cars - I set the seats about 1 in. from the rear bulkhead. It still required drawing my left leg up pretty tight to get it past the front of the door opening but it's OK. With the pedals roughly where ERA recommends (7 to 7-1/2 inches) I have about 42-1/2 inches from the clutch pedal face to the back of the seat and it's a real stretch to disengage the clutch.

Well, today I took my 66 Corvette out for a drive for the first time in about 8 or 9 months (which I'm kind of ashamed to admit) and I climbed in and holy cow, I have to pull my left leg all the way up to the steering wheel to get it on top of the clutch pedal. And I do have the clutch pedal rubber snubber installed. Also the clutch feels like it has about half the overall travel of the ERA's clutch. I felt like I had climbed into some clown car in the Corvette - I had forgotten how small these things are what they are like to drive. So I get out and measure from clutch pedal to seat back - 37-1/2 inches - with the seat in the rearmost position - a 5 inch difference with a longer clutch throw in the ERA also.

For comparison, I measured my late model Mustang GT which is my daily driver and it measures 40 inches to the clutch with the seat not quite all the way back. It has a fairly long clutch throw too. This distance is what I've become comfortable with and most used to, for seat back to clutch.

So, I'm faced with either moving the ERA seat up about 3 inches and strugging to get my leg past the door opening - moving the pedals rearward about 3 inches (if possible) - or some combination of the two. I figure I need to be about 3 inches closer due to the relatively long clutch throw.

ERA recommends adjusting the pedals for 7 inches +/- 3/4 from the firewall. Assuming there is enough adjustment in the rods, is there any problem with setting them about 9 inches from the firewall (Bob?)? Then I could move the seat up about an inch and maybe still be able to climb in without too much contortion.

Those of you in the approximately 6' to 6'3" tall category - is about 40 inches from the top of the clutch to the seat back just above the bottom cushion about what you have set up?

Thanks

Dan

[mickmate]

Hey Dan, you need to try a different method for getting in and out. I don't bend and pull my leg in after. I step across and in from a standing position and lower myself into the seat. Extrication is a reversal of install, get up, then out. What do I do with a top on you ask, I crawl across to the other side and reverse myself in.

[Kramer]

FWIW.... At 6'2"" I gave my seat all the back and pedals all the way toward the front and I'm good....PS I HARDLT EVER OPEN MY DOOR- I just climb over with a hand on the roll bar

[DonC]

X2 for the "standing" start. I'm 6' and my seat is 2+ inches forward with standard pedal set up. By using the semi-standing up method of getting in and out I can step over the pipes without worrying about getting bitten.
Had my wife practice the same procedure for about half an hour when we first got the car and, in nine years, neither of us have been bitten.
DonC

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by mickmate

Hey Dan, you need to try a different method for getting in and out. I don't bend and pull my leg in after. I step across and in from a standing position and lower myself into the seat. Extrication is a reversal of install, get up, then out. What do I do with a top on you ask, I crawl across to the other side and reverse myself in.

Nick - what I really need is a removable steering wheel. Right now I think I have the steering wheel too far back also, which interfers with your approach. I've left it alone for now until I get the rest of it figured out.

I have kind of practiced an entry form. I lean over and brace my right arm on the transmission tunnel and left and bend my right leg and drag it under the wheel and put it down as I swing my butt in and try to keep from literally falling the last few inches into the seat. Then I draw up my left leg and pull it in. The exit is not as well coordinated however. I may have to work towards your approach.

[ERA2076]

Originally Posted by mickmate

I step across and in from a standing position and lower myself into the seat. Extrication is a reversal of install, get up, then out.

+1

Originally Posted by mickmate

What do I do with a top on you ask, I crawl across to the other side and reverse myself in.

blow the top

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Kramer

FWIW.... At 6'2"" I gave my seat all the back and pedals all the way toward the front and I'm good....

OK - well, you're a lot more than 40 inches from the clutch then.

[Grubby]

It is possible to change the clutch travel. There are two holes on the bottom end of the pedal. You can move the slave cylinder rod to the lower one to lessen the travel. It will increase the clutch pedal effort.

John

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Grubby

It is possible to change the clutch travel. There are two holes on the bottom end of the pedal. You can move the slave cylinder rod to the lower one to lessen the travel. It will increase the clutch pedal effort.

John

John - I remember seeing that. Mine was in the short-throw position. I also changed to a 7/8 inch master cylinder which shortened the throw a little.

[Kramer]

Something else I forgot about till now.... Just after I finished my Cobra I traded my steering in for a 14" model ...I think it was one inch less than standard..... Anyway no one knows but that extra inch of room helped ALOT

[cscobra]

Dan, I went for the seat adjusters on both sides--simple matter to move the seats back for entry/exit, move forward to whatever is comfortable. My wife (5'3", weight unknown but appears just right!) also likes to drive the Cobra, and she does so better than most other people (male or female) with whom I have ridden.

I'm 6'1", 220 lbs--no problems getting in or out in the usual manner. Best part--like you, no outside exhausts to cause further problems. No problems with windshield height, either, unlike what you might expect from having the adjusters.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by cscobra

Dan, I went for the seat adjusters on both sides--simple matter to move the seats back for entry/exit, move forward to whatever is comfortable. My wife (5'3", weight unknown but appears just right!) also likes to drive the Cobra, and she does so better than most other people (male or female) with whom I have ridden.

I'm 6'1", 220 lbs--no problems getting in or out in the usual manner. Best part--like you, no outside exhausts to cause further problems. No problems with windshield height, either, unlike what you might expect from having the adjusters.

I don't have the windshield in yet but I do seem to be sitting pretty low. My wife will never touch anything with a clutch which was another reason I skipped the adjusters for now. With the possible exception of width, I'm beginning to realize this thing is real roomy compared to my old 66 Corvette. I guess I just need to get the thing a little more together in order to figure some of the ergonomics out.

Thanks

[MRGEORGE077]

I am 6 2 and just like Mikemate, I shoehorn myself in and out, just like they did in the 60ties.

[CHANMADD]

If the clutch is adjusted right ...it should begin disengaging right near the top...I dont
think that I ever have to push the pedal to the floor.....make sure the fork at the bellhousing
is pushing the slave piston all the way back and that it starts moving as soon as you touch the pedal.....not of course forgetting that there is a "small" amount of freeplay required....

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by CHANMADD

If the clutch is adjusted right ...it should begin disengaging right near the top...I dont
think that I ever have to push the pedal to the floor.....make sure the fork at the bellhousing
is pushing the slave piston all the way back and that it starts moving as soon as you touch the pedal.....not of course forgetting that there is a "small" amount of freeplay required....

I've got the slave piston pushed all the way back, probably deadheaded in the cylinder. It's a little difficult to precisely establish how much play I have because of the rock of the pedal on the arm - but it's probably about an inch or a little more. Since I changed from the 3/4 inch to the 7/8 inch master cylinder the point of beginning engagement is well above the floor now.

[bobbybeige]

How successful were you at placing the seat in a position that your could drive it comfortably?
I don't own an ERA (yet) but I am 6'5" and have 13EE feet. 220 lbs.
Without being able to test fit myself in one, there aren't any near me as far as I know.
I've tried sitting in some Factory Five cars & the way they've been set up there is not much chance.
The last thing I want is to able to finally find my dream car & then not be able to fit in it.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by bobbybeige

How successful were you at placing the seat in a position that your could drive it comfortably?
I don't own an ERA (yet) but I am 6'5" and have 13EE feet. 220 lbs.
Without being able to test fit myself in one, there aren't any near me as far as I know.
I've tried sitting in some Factory Five cars & the way they've been set up there is not much chance.
The last thing I want is to able to finally find my dream car & then not be able to fit in it.

I'm 6' 4" 190 and fit fine. The key is where your height is (from your feet to your knees, from your knees to your belt, from your belt to your head). Not to make a joke of it, but how "padded" your butt is will make a difference too.

EDIT -- and I have 12EEE feet. I had the pedals spaced a little wider for me; no problemos.

[bobbybeige]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I'm 6' 4" 190 and fit fine. The key is where your height is (from your feet to your knees, from your knees to your belt, from your belt to your head). Not to make a joke of it, but how "padded" your butt is will make a difference too.

EDIT -- and I have 12EEE feet. I had the pedals spaced a little wider for me; no problemos.

Most of my height is in my torso. For as tall as I am, my inseam is 34"
So maybe the leg room might be manageable but my head will be above the windshield?
I have read something about removing the seat tracks to drop the seat lower?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by bobbybeige

Most of my height is in my torso. For as tall as I am, my inseam is 34"
So maybe the leg room might be manageable but my head will be above the windshield?

That could actually work to your advantage. By moving the seat forward, you can then tilt the chair backwards. That will then drop your head down lower. A couple of techniques that ERA uses to fit tall guys is to remove the seat tracks and to reduce the padding in the seat itself. You can not judge whether you will fit in a car by sitting in a car that is set up for a normal sized (or small) man. As an example, when I flew up to ERA to be "fitted" by Doug, I sat in one particular ERA that was there. Not only did my knees hit the steering wheel, but my eyes were actually above the top of the windshield. The only way you're going to know for sure is to go there and sit in one of the cars that is being built and have the guys experiment on you a bit.

[DanEC]

Leg room will not be a problem with a 34 inch inseam but you will almost certainly have to omit the adjustable seat tracks, have the seat cushion foam trimmed and as Patrick said, shim the front of the seat for a fair amount of rake. I left off the seat tracks, had the seat foam trimmed and shimmed the front of the sear about 3/4 inch. I have a 34 inch inseam also but I'm 3 inches shorter than you - my view through the windshield is fine. Yours may not be so good - hard to tell.

ERA spaced my pedals out (at my request) even more than Patrick's.



You will probably want to wear some sort of driving shoe with a narrow sole. My pedals are spaced pretty much the same as in my 2012 Mustang GT but they feel closer. I think that has something more to do with the slightly skewed seating/pedal alignment than the pedal spacing.