Options for 6' 4" Buyer?

[2012 Indiana]

I want a Shelby Cobra. I'm 6'4" tall. I sat in an older model kit car earlier today. My knees hit the dash. What options to help me in selecting one that would be a fit for my height? Appreciate your help.

[PDUB]

No prob... Unique Motorcars built one for a guy around a foot taller than you. I think it has been posted both here and over on the Unique owners site... do a search.

[crASH]

I'm 6' 3" and fit in SPF without adjustments. Unique will build to suit. I just talked with them about deeper, dropped, driver footbox with altered dash.

Backdraft and Lonestar have longer wheelbase and will accomodate the "larger" driver very comfortably. I am sure ERA and Kirkham can accomodate. And there are others.

It has been discussed MUCH on this forum and if you search you will find lots of detailed discussion. One thing I will mention is if you look at used, which can save a ton of dough, some of the cockpit dimensions have changed with some of the builders over time.

[crASH]

Dennis Olthoff has spacers you can put under the front of the driver seat to effectively recline the driver seat a little. That, and bolting the driver seat right to the floor positioned all the way back will add room.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by 2012 Indiana

I want a Shelby Cobra. I'm 6'4" tall. I sat in an older model kit car earlier today. My knees hit the dash. What options to help me in selecting one that would be a fit for my height? Appreciate your help.

I'm 6'4" and the poster boy for ERA Cobras for tall drivers. My car fits me like a glove. BUT, it's important to know where your height is (ground to top of knee when bent, lower knee to base of the tail bone when bent and sitting, butt cheek to the top of the head when sitting, etc.) It all makes a difference but 76 inches is certainly doable unless there's something wrong with you.... But, don't buy an ERA just because you're tall. Cheaper Cobras can also fit you; only buy an ERA if you know what you're buying and that's what you want.

[Mdman352]

Alot of space can be gained by removing the seat and track and making cushions that attach to the bulkhead and floor.

[Wbulk]

I have researching this subject for months and have been evaluating the measurements companies have given me. I found that one key area not dicussed is the various brands height of their bodies. I don't like setting high in the car and looking close to or through the top windshield bar. The mesurement for comparison I have been using is from the center top rear cowl deck down to the main floor. I finally caught on to this by riding in a friends Kirkham at the track and I had plenty of room at 6'2" and 240 lbs. I was setting far lower in his car than mine. Mine measured 24" and the Kirkham is 26 1/4". The Kirkham body was a copy of their original Shelby Cobra that I have seen several times.

I also had a conversation with one of the old time cobra builders a couple of weeks ago and was told there are low, medium and high bodies. Many manufacturers don't know this. The Kirkham body is higher and you can see it through the nose and down the sides. I think it's the best looking body.

I am looking for my next project and was discussing this with a friend that has a new FFR Mark IV. He is 6' 4" and fits fine in his car. I asked how could this be, I tired setting in one in 2009 and couldn't get my knee under the dash. It seems they have made a lot of changes to the car. I asked my friend to take the cowl height measurement and it was 26 1/2" with carpet and pad, so figure about 27".

There are a few other critical measurements to check. One is from the floor to the bottom of the dash, another is from the front footbox firewall to the rear wall where the floor meets it. The width of the footbox at the pedal is important and the width for the seat, from tunnel to door. It sure would be nice if these were posted on the manufacturers websites.

Confirm measurements given to you as one manufacturer claimed two inches more in a critical area than a friend measured for me on his car that was just purchased from that company. The measurements don't lie and beware of gimmics to make you fit. Remember the car may fit you fine but if you ever sell it, it may not fit the taller market.

This being said it is one element of what makes up a good car. You may have one car that has all the room you need but the quality may not as good as one that has a little less room.

I am looking at FFR again.

Good Luck.

Wayne

[tkb289]

2012 Indiana,

Welcome to the Club !

I faced the same issue when looking for a Cobra and I too am also 6'-4" tall. There are some good suggestions here, but you might want to step back and take a look at the problem from a different perspective.

For the moment, forget the your height and ask yourself a few questions?

- What kind of Cobra do you like … 427 or 289 ?

- Is having a 90" wheel base car important, or would longer wheel base Cobra be acceptable. Keep in mind the original cars have a 90" wheel base as do a number of replicas.

So let's say you want a 90" wheel base 427, next step would be to look on Cobra Country and see what's there, then home in on say two manufacturers. Once you have narrowed it down to that then dig deeper on those Cobras you really want.

Most likely the brand of Cobra you prefer can be modified to fit with some degree of comfort. Between the manufacturer, installers and members here on Club Cobra, they would have tips on how to modify the car. It also may depend on how much wiggling in and out you what to put up with. The modifications may not make things completely comfortable, just less miserable ...

That being said, once you are in your car and reasonably comfortable, driving it is the best part !

For me the answer was an ERA 289 FIA with raised dash, slightly taller roll bar and pedals as far forward as possible.

Good luck in your search.

[Dirty Harry]

Hello, Mr. H.
That didn't take long! Good to see you on the forum. The guys here will be remarkably helpful for you. Glad to see that you are getting some answers to your questions. Call me anytime and we'll take a ride.

[BAsque1]

West Coast Cobras hands down 6" longer 4" wider nice line email Dealer in NY
perrya77@hotmail.com I will send you a private message with his phone, nice guy to deal with.
Lou

[mreid]

You can modify them to fit you, but your dimensions, as mentioned above, are important. I'm 6'4" and fit in my Kirkham just fine. Yes, it's like puting on a cheap suit, but once in and adjusted, it's comfortable. Most of my height is in my legs (36" inseam), but with the seat moved all the way back and bolted to the floor (no sliders), a dropped foot box and floor mounted pedals, I'm good. I stretch my left leg out to depress the clutch and my line of site is about 3" below the top of the windshield frame. My brother is also 6'4", but his height is more in his torso. His line of site is right at the windshielld frame and he has to stretch to fully depress the clutch. Us tall guys have to fine tune the car to fit us, but that means it is hard for others to drive. That works just fine for me!

[Lew Ledyard]

Kirkham

[CNGreen]

I'm close to 6'6" and 320 lbs with a size 16 shoe. I made some basic mods to my FFR MKIII and I fit fine. As Mark mentioned, like a glove, but it's comfortable. Basic mods are:

Kirkey Vintage seats. Mine are in a u-shaped bracket that tilts it ever so slightly forward, bolted to the floor. This adds 2" to both verticle and horizontal legroom. I also have Wilwood adjustable pedals, which add 2" more. EDIT: I called FFR and confirmed that adjustable Wilwood pedals are part of the MKIV kit now, not an aftermarket item as in my car. /EDIT I have a 350 HP BOSS 302 in my car and that allows me to use a inner footbox wall that is straight instead of bent. Also, for my big feet, I cut out the crash bar on the left side of the footbox. The FFR MKIV has a different radious on the bar now and If I had a MKIV I wouldn't have had to cut it out.

With these mods I can fit just fine, and didn't have to resort to a stretched wheelbase. As a matter of fact i fit better in my car than I did in a 96" wheelbase car I tried on at a get together once...


HTH,