Increase driving Leg room?

[1frMe_IR]

Sent: 4/18/2003 10:40 AM

I hope to buy one of these vehicles at some point, so I'd better ask the important questions in advance. I was offered a classic Commer camper once that was in my price range, but a friend who has a similar model told me that it's driver seat leg room might be too small for me. It was, it was cramped in the driving seat and there was no way to have the seat moved back. I have noted also that some busses have what may be a cramped driving seat area. This is mainly on vehicles that have no bonnet, where the front goes straight down more or less from the bottom of the windscreen. I think Winnies have a foot or so of a bonnet, so I might be in luck here. So my question is, at 6'2" tall will the driving seat leg room be alright, I mean, can you put your legs out, or at least drive comfortably. Same for the passenger seat. If not, do you think it would be possible to have the seat put bak further than is normally possible? That might make seeing out the left window a bit problematic but I deal with that.

[Colin]

Sent: 4/18/2003 11:52 AM

It's nice to hear from another possible member. As to the legroom, I am also 6'2" and I do have some trouble with the legroom of the driver's seat in my '72 D22 Indian. The passenger seat is fine, but that doesn't do me any good because my wife won't drive the thing. One of my seats does have a lever to slide it back but it is slightly higher than the other seat. This brings in another problem. My height also make it difficult to see out of the front windshield, because the windshield itself is fairly low. So, the adjustable seat has to go on the passenger side, leaving me with even less legroom on the driver's side.
What I've done recently is to remove the carpeted board that covers the back of the footwell. I've never liked it anyway because it is very difficult to get it out when you want to work on the electrical underneath. That cured the legroom problem. I still have to pour myself into the front seat, and getting out of it is hard on the knees every time I bang them into something. I tell myself that it's just part of the price to pay for owning such a fine classic vehicle. (LoL) I'm sure it's a common problem, I'm surprised that we've never discussed it before.

C. 

[bhart70]

4/18/2003 1:02 PM

Great question that I never even thought about!  At 6'3" and, shall we say, a couple six packs and a pizza over 260, space may very well be a consideration.  Especially because I'd like one of the smaller Winnie's (<20').  Is there any structural or mechanical reason the drivers seat couldn't be shifted back a couple inches to open things up a tad?

If not, I'll just have to work on my flexibility.

[Oz]

Sent: 4/18/2003 1:09 PM

Yes, there is a consideration to moving the seat back.  The stuff behind it.  Either the dining area seat booth or the kitchen counter depending on the model you buy.  You may get 2" judging from mine ('74 Indian). 

  - Sob

[Spudboy]

Sent: 4/18/2003 1:15 PM

While in the process of gutting my winnie, I had to remove the driver's seat to get the carpet out from underneath.  It can be done...lots of rust on the bolts up in the top of the wheelwell requiring lots of penetrating oil and a deep well socket to get at the nuts on the too long bolts.  I am apparently a midget winnie owner at a mere 5'-8" so I will put the seat back in original position, but I don't see why you couldn't move it back farther from the steering wheel. 

My 1972 seat adjusts fore and aft on the slider mounted to bottom of seat.  A good cleaning and oil of the seat post and base socket will also improve the rotation.  I have also cut my bench seat at the dining table down about 6 inches in length, improving access to the drivers seat.  I am planning to replace the dual width passenger seat with a single, as I hate how it conflicts with the doghouse, and makes access to the driver's seat even more of a pain.

[Oz]

Sent: 4/18/2003 1:22 PM

I'm planning on replacing my carpet too.  Is there a concern about rust at the seat base or is it just the bolts?  I will probrobly replace the bolts with new, shorter bolts as I wouldn't want them to break and go tumbling backward during one of my nitrous assited starts at the Winnebago Drag races (Hmmm... now there's a jamboree event I hadn't considered).

- Sob

[Spudboy]

From: spudboy Sent: 4/18/2003 1:42 PM

No concern about rust at seat base, just grodie (sp?) bolts in wheelwell.  I couldn't deal with the little bits of orange carpet sticking out from under the seat base. 

I am also putting a 1/4" wood overlay on top of the original plywood floor in prepartion for my rubber tile flooring and to solve some squeaky/spongy seams - my rig is for rugged outdoor activities - so no wimpy carpet for me!  I've got to be able to hose the place out after a ski trip or muddy mountain bike fest.

As part of my dashboard repairs, I have built a box-like affair to raise the panel and adjust it's angle so it is closer to the steering wheel.  That way I can operate the switches without having to reach so far or take hands of the steering wheel -  I find I need both hands on the wheel most of the time.  My dash wiring was toast, so I had to redo the dash wiring, making possible the extension to the new position.

Needless to say, the inverter talk has me drooling over even more electrical fun!

[Floridabaked57]

Sent: 4/18/2003 9:24 PM


You will have more trouble seeing out the front windshield, as I do. I lowered the seat all the way, it doesn't lock down now which makes for a fun ride...Wheeeee... and still have to slouch forward to see. The other complaint I have as a taller person is the gas pedal. I get a calf cramp driving due to the angle of it, but I'm working on that. Thinking about a driver's door too, where's Jessee when you need him???

                                                The Other James Brother

[denisondc]

Sent: 4/19/2003 8:46 AM

In my 72 winny I have enough leg room for the first 4 hours, after that I like to move my legs around, even putting the right leg up on the engine cover and let the cruise control handle the gas. I am 5-9, about 200#. I think. Like Colin, I removed the carpeted footboard that limited how far my left foot could extend. Now I can fully extend my left leg at least, and there is a spot to put my camera bag too. I can't do this with the right leg, while letting the cruise control keep us cruising, since the brake pedal and accelerator are in the way. Sometime i wish the brake pedal had been hung from above. The leg room in my 87 chev conversion van is worse.

[1frMe_IR]

Sent: 4/19/2003 10:16 AM

Hmmm. Maybe there's a way. Fortunately I like some of the C class Winnies too that have bonnets. I think I've seen a few that have more or less the same eyebrow front and slanted back. 

I wonder if having a seat that slants up would help. There has to be room to the seat right down. C classes just arn't the same.

[melyash]

Sent: 4/30/2003 3:11 AM

At 6' and 240 room is a bit of a problem on my rig, but then I have a bathroom wall behind the seat so I am pretty well locked into the postion I have. You might get some room with new FLEXSTEEL seats, somebody I know on this site has installed them in their rig.

I generally take a break every hour or two anyway so legroom is not a problem really.

Matt