I'm delighted that my '55 t-bird is finally drivable, and have been putting some miles on her. As a result, I'm getting familiar with some of the quirks of the car, including the limited legroom.



I'm not a tall guy (5'10"), but I would be more comfortable with the seat further back. My '55 has the stock power seat, and all the way back it still falls short. Everyone else in my family is taller and longer legged than I am. I'd really like to remount the seat a little farther back, even if I have to forgo the power option and simply bolt the seat to the floor.



So I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has ever done this? Any issues encountered?

I'm about your height, and 170#, and I've been through the same issue. When I had the whole interior out, including the dash, to rewire and reupholster the car, I lowered the clutch pedal, and shortend the length. I got away with that with a center force clutch (less travel and less foot pressure). Same with the brake, but the whole brake system out to the discs was modified, and I used a hydro boost and master that don't require much travel. Throttle is firewall mounted and a cable. That bought almost 2" effective leg room to run the pedals. But it was a lot of work. And a smaller steering wheel.



I've looked at all street rod seats I can find, looking for some more backrest adjustment, but haven't found any that will fit and still allow access to the soft top. And then there's the space taken by the top itself.



If you find an answer elsewhere, let us know.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

If legs are a small problem then pulling the telescopic steering wheel out a few inches can help getting the wheel off the longer legged guys, and like you said remounting the seat an inch or two can go a long way.

-Gary Burnette-

I own 56 - and just a little shorter than you and I find the room adequate. However, I have heard of others relocating the seat backwards. Because of the way the power seats operates, most likely you will have to disconnect it unless you are good at engineering.



It may pay to get a non power seat so you can get rid of all the extra parts that go along with a power seat.

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Wow, moving the pedals like that is a huge amount of work! I've got an auto, so I only really need to do the brake pedal, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of alteration. The disc brake upgrade is working well, and I don't want to mess it up.



I'd like to keep the bench seat... I spent a lot of effort making it comfortable, and I don't care about easy adjustment once it has been set up for me. I don't really want a soft top, so that isn't an issue. If I build some brackets to bolt the seat directly to the floor, I can probably move it further back about 2 inches. At that point and the seat back adjusted for maximum back tilt, the top of the seat will go under the rear garnish rail, and things will get uncomfortable. That's probably the real limit on how far back the seat can go.

[quote][b]skygazer (11/12/2012)

I don't really want a soft top



I assume then you don't currently have a swing arm behind the seat? I'm 5'11", and had to adjust the seatback father forward than I would like in order to keep the soft top clamps from tearing it up. I'm used to that driving position now, and find that I actually prefer it. If you have no swing arm/soft top to stop the seat from full power travel, you have more legroom than I. Just getting used to it will turn out to be a whole lot simpler than modifying the seat mount. I also appreciate the ability to move the seat forward for cleaning, even if no one else ever has to drive the car.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

I have not done it, but I think it would be possible to move the front studs on the track back say and inch or so and then put a 1 to 2" extension on the rear bolts. This would put the seat back in relation to tracks and the base that bolts to the floor. Moving the base back would raise the rear part of the seat because of the curve of the floor. The problem would then be the power seat motor under the driver which also limits travel. However it shouldn't be too much of a problem to make a new bracket where the drive screw connects to the floor. Eyeball it first because the stationary part of the track would end up in front of the seat a little. Jerry C has said he has removed the seat tracks and bolted the seat to the floor in his street bird, I assume there is some kind of bracketry involved.



But I agree with Gary try adjusting the steering wheel in or out some to see where you like it. I am 6' and could use a little more space but don't really need it.

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

On my 58 ranchero, stock bench seat I welded a washer on the front of the track, and re-drilled the rear mount. I'm 6' 3" and the extra inch helps. But this is not a comfortable car for a big guy. Long term on this car might be a different column, and buckets. I have a 57 ranchero under construction, I mocked up some buckets that recess slightly under the package shelf, and a different column, which feels much better.





thanks, Mark

The raise/lower mechanism is a hard stop to moving the seat back any farther on the stock tracks.

seat forward:



seat back:





I need to take the seat out again and see if the slider rails can be removed from the raise/lower mechanism. If they can, I can build brackets for the sliders, move them back a bit, make a new bracket for the motor, and maybe retain front/back power adjustment.



BTW, I find myself adjusting the steering column in and out all the time when I'm driving. I alternate between having my knees comfortable or my arms comfortable.



With the steering wheel all the way back, I feel like a pirate... "Yar, ye be drivin' me nuts"!