Max driver height???

[HSVREDSLED]

Just wondering what would be the maximum drivers height to comfortably fit into various forms of cobras. Are any of the builds larger than others? I do know some have got stretched out versions, but I am interested in standard version.

How do 6 foot plus drivers go?

[twobjshelbys]

You really need to "try on" the one's you're interested in. Go to car shows and strike up conversations with Cobra owners. Most will let you sit in the driver's seat. Pay attention to how the steering wheel clears your lap when driving with right foot on the accelerator and when shifting, and also how your left leg clears the bottom of the instrument panel when depressing the clutch to shift, and "at rest" (I like to pull my foot back closer to the seat to relieve the muscle cramps). Unlike most cars there is very little foot room to be able to switch feet on the accelerator when on a long cruise. And there ain't no cruise control

I found the Shelby CSX wheel was the only one that gave me the clearance due to the higher angle on the steering column. A SPF hit me on the thighs - the dealer's solution was to hard mount the seat to the floor removing the adjustment tracks. All of them are tight, just some tighter than others.

[Zedn]

Im 6ft and the way i have built mine i cant comfortably reach the pedals with the seat slid the whole way back.

I guess it comes down to whether the kit has the foot boxes already glassed in and what it uses for the subframe the pedals mount to.

Im sure there is a limit, but if a car is built from the start for a tall person, there are lots of ways to make more room, you just have to sacrifice it somewhere else, eg, room for exhaust, space above steering column for dash, padding in seats etc.

[azfordman]

I am 6' 5" tall and close to 300 lbs. My Contemporary has an original size 90" wheel base. The only modification I had to make was to remove the drivers seat. The foot box is tight with my size 15 shoes. Sneakers and cowboy boots are no problem, but I have one larger pair of motorcycle boots that I cannot wear when driving the car. I am very comfortable driving my car. With the top off, my head does stick up above the top of the windshield, although my eye line is just below the top of the frame. I bought my car without ever sitting in a cobra, but I was determined to have one no matter what. I would suggest sitting in some cars to be sure you can not only fit, but operate the pedals easily and safely. With the drivers seat in I could not even close the door because my knee was up too high and against the steering wheel. Hope this helps, Mark

[azfordman]

Big man and a little car......and yes, the top of the windshield is at my waist line.

[tin-man]

Originally Posted by azfordman

Big man and a little car......and yes, the top of the windshield is at my waist line.

Mark, so what in the hell do you sit on? Man, you musta wanted a Cobra badly to sacrifice so much comfort.

Cheers, John AKA, tin-man

[razerwire]

I have csx car with dropped foot box. Made big diff. Steering wheel has quick release to make it easy to get in and out. Have a Ken Miles signature alum. comp seat set on floor so I look threw windshield. Also have Bennett car Which has the engine set back 6" and 2" offset to pass. side. Have more room in that car than csx car. I look threw the windshield on that car also. It has a true space frame with the large main tube 1 1/2".in size. That makes the seat lower. There is diff. in the seats. Shelby seats are thicker than some others. Seats in Bennett car have original style rubber support, which sets you lower. I'm 6' 2" 275 lbs.

[T.L.]

I am 6ft 4ins, 194cms, and I have a stretched Harrison, by 4", and I fit fine.

I have also put the seat runners onto the bottom side of the chassis rails and I look through the centre of the screen. I tried on a Robnell, Kirkham and found myself looking at the bar on the top of the screen and also the steering wheel was on my legs.

I had to to one like this so I could fit in the things. I'm also getting my mustang's seat raisers lowered and moved back as well so I can drive that comfortably.

[Mdman352]

I'm 6'3" 290# and own a highly modified Contemporary. I could not even think about driving it when I first got it as evidenced here:



By removing the seats you can get 6" lower and 6" further back. I had my seats built and installed onto the floor and rear bulkhead. I have a FE and by moving the drivers side rear header forward, gained 2" in the foot box which is HUGE. Also cut the transmission tunnel by about 4" getting much more room at the knee/thigh area. Moved the steering wheel over to the right 2" so knuckles wouldn't hit the door. Nick Acton did a lot of the structural modifications and did a great job. Seat construction was done here, in Maryland.
Modification progress pictures here:
My Cobra pictures by mdman352 - Photobucket

[mickmate]

Some have a dropped footbox to accomodate decent size flippers. The rear inner fender can be indented close to the tire some to straighten the leg out a precious inch more. One other trick is pulling the wheel towards you some to get the knees out from under it and raising it up out of your lap. Original style dash has an oval steering wheel hole to raise it. No seat tracks and or a Comp seat can get you lower and further back or in Marks case no seat. Davids came out really nice with what looks like a Cobra seat but it's effectively a cushion against the bottom and back of the cockpit. These are all tricks to get a little more if you can fit to start with, like Tony says try em on.

[azfordman]

I currently sit on a piece of foam cut from a yoga mat, just enough to add a little cushioning. The only time it gets uncomfortable is after a couple of hours behind the wheel, but I think that is true for most of us in these cars. Yes John, I wanted a cobra badly and have zero regrets in my decision!

[rms427]

I'm 6' 6" 220#'s and fit OK in my original 427. I did bolt the seat directly to the floor. It didn't add any leg room but allowed me to use the top without it fluttering on my head. My car does not have a rollbar and that allows the seat to go back a little further than on an SC cobra with a rollbar. I had my seats redone and they added padding so I actually have less room than I had with the stock seats. I wish I would have told them to remove some padding rather than adding it. My right knee has broke off the light switch while slaloming the car and my left knee will turn off the ignition if I put the key on a key ring with anything hanging down. So I use a bare key. The car is actually quite comfortable for me to drive as far as the seating. The noise, wind and especially the heat is another story. When I was in my 20's no problem but now that me and my wife are in our 60's the wind and heat are tough to handle. The last long trip we took in the summer my wife almost had a heat stroke after 350 miles driving in mid 90 degree weather. She informed me that it was the last long trip in the car. In 1970 we did 1,400 miles on our honey moon and she thought that was fun. Oh well we all get older. By the way there was a fellow over 7' that had a really nice cobra replica, so the cars can be made to fit.

[Toecutter]

I'm also 6'5" and in the process of re-vamping a cobra. Engine is sorted, I have the paint selected and the right folk to do the job (both mechanical and cosmetic) but the one loose end is the trim.

Sorry for the Hijack but I would really appreciate if anyone could post (or pm me) pictures of the "no seat option" I've been reading about. Specifically the method of building the seat or trimming cussions directly onto the floor and the rear of the cockpit.

My cobra has a raised section which the seat currently bolts to. I can drive it, but not comfortably for extended drives as I have to shuffle forward in the seat so essentialy the only part of my body that comes into contact with the seat is my shoulder blades and my tail bone! Im the only one that drives it and it is fully registered so this trimming option sounds like it could be a good alternative for me.

Thanks.

[Merv and Sharon]

Originally Posted by T.L.

I am 6ft 4ins, 194cms, and I have a stretched Harrison, by 4", and I fit fine.

I have also put the seat runners onto the bottom side of the chassis rails and I look through the centre of the screen. I tried on a Robnell, Kirkham and found myself looking at the bar on the top of the screen and also the steering wheel was on my legs.

I had to to one like this so I could fit in the things. I'm also getting my mustang's seat raisers lowered and moved back as well so I can drive that comfortably.

Same here TL. With the extended Harrison chassis my 6+ft fits in easily with no fouling on the steering wheel and I can stretch my legs fully out. Very comfortable for long runs and my eye line is in the middle of the 'screen.

[windy]

6'6" and 240 lbs. 96" wheelbase and 7" drop in seat height: 4" from placing floorpan on bottom of 4 inch frame rail, 1" body lift, and 2" seat height reduction from custom seat. I can completely straighten both legs while driving without looking over the windshield.

[Treeve]

blimey... I couldn't reach 6' with a ladder - let alone 6'+ like most of you lot...

I reckon I wouldn't see over the dash if I drove some of these!

As with everything, where there's a will there's a way. I'm pretty impressed by someone 6'6" fitting in though, you must have really wanted it!

Cheers,

Treeve (5' 7 1/2")

[xlr8tr]

If you are at the build stage, I've always thought John Chestnuts solution was the best I've seen: he runs the headers up and over the footbox. This gains you probably 5" in available room to extend the footboxes, since you dont have to leave room for the 4 exhaust pipes. I have pics but they are in .pdf's so I cant post them. John is a member on here, he could send to you.

Its of personal interest as I'm 6'7" and mine is a bit tight on legroom.

[windy]

Any Coupe owners out there to chime in on height restrictions? After years with the Cobra, I am considering building a coupe to come out of the wind. What is the max height for those who have been in one?

[Donunder]

I had years of frustration at not being able to test drive any of the local Cobras because I simply could not fit into any of them, even the 94” stretched ones. I would not have felt safe driving any of the cars offered me because of the restriction in the foot well / steering wheel area. I’m close to 6’5” with very long legs and size 13 feet so the problem was a real one.

I was on the verge of taking the plunge anyway, deciding that if I were to ever own a Cobra, my only choice was to order one of the local stretched versions with a view to taking it to Scott Hampson at Venom Custom Fabrications to modify the stock chassis. My thoughts were to alter the frame around the transmission tunnel in the manner that some of the American kits have the tunnel moved to the right to allow extra width for the driver. The frame at the extremity of the footwell would have to be widened to accommodate my size 13s. The dash panel would have to be modified too to allow knee room behind the steering wheel – all extra expense on top of an already expensive purchase. It would be a gamble but with nothing else available locally it seemed I had no other option.

My son Craig and I had for some time been investigating the possibility of buying an older Arntz Cobra from the States. I had been in contact with other Arntz owners over there who stated that I would definitely be able to fit. The Arntz is built on a 91.5” chassis so is indistinguishable from a 90” car. It has several clever features including a very long footwell and more importantly the footwell seems wider at the pedals than in local cars. Additionally the floor mounted pedals are adjustable over three settings to cater to the long-legged. It seems beyond belief that with the big block Chevy engine mounted so far back as to be almost mid-engined, there is still so much foot room. The Arntz cars were not produced in great numbers and because they are prized by their owners, few come onto the market. As luck would have it though, right at this time an Arntz became available in Washington state that met all our criteria.

The car duly arrived and went straight to Scott’s. While attending to compliancing and associated engineering work he adjusted the pedals to their forward-most position and removed the left foot footrest to create even more room down there. The seats mounted directly to the floor were moved as far back as possible. The steering column was moved 2” to the right (remember it’s a LHD car) to make more room inside the car for my left elbow. Because of the amount of leg room there was no need to interfere with the original dash layout to create knee room. I now have a car that, thanks to intelligent original design by Steve Arntz back in the 70s and some clever work by Scott, I now fit in quite comfortably and can drive with plenty of room for my feet knees and left arm. I look through the screen at about three-quarters height.

Sure, it’s not the car I’d choose to do a long non-stop interstate haul in, but for a 300 klm whiz around the great south-east or an autumn evening cruise on a lovely starry night in Brisbane, it’s as close to perfect as I could wish for.

[HSVREDSLED]

Great information all.

Unfortunatley, I am not in a position to do a build (In NSW..yeah right) so it will be an established car.

I was wondering if any of the Aussie models (DRB, CR etc) are any bigger than the other. I actually have never sat in one, so maybe I am worried about nothing?