Pedal and seat position for tall guys.

[69SCSS]

Hey guys I'm finally driving my truck as my daily, and unfortunately one thing still gets me - my calf hurts after about 30 minutes of driving. With the seat all the way back, my leg is still knee up and my foot at and angle to hit the gas pedal right. At 6'2.5" I don't normally have a problem, but I've got long legs... hence the awkward leg position.
What ideas have you guys thought of? I am considering removing the stock pad and making a small pad that moves the pedal back a couple inches toward the firewall... but I'll have to adjust my brake pedal down to match too. Any seat ideas? I saw on Iron Resurrection they built a C10 for a football player and recessed the seat into the back of the cab a bit - but I like the bench seat.

Any thoughts?

[Astro-Balls]

What seat or seats do you have in your truck?

[69SCSS]

Originally Posted by Astro-Balls

What seat or seats do you have in your truck?

Stock bench seat, stock 71-72 gas pedal assembly. Seat rolled all the way back, no gas tank in the cab so it hits the back wall!!! Still not enough room!

[FirstOwner69]

I'm only 5'7" and have wondered for the last 50 years how you tall guys can get comfortable in these trucks. It's perfect for me with my seat all the way back which gives me great thigh support. Also, good steering wheel placement.

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by FirstOwner69

I'm only 5'7" and have wondered for the last 50 years how you tall guys can get comfortable in these trucks. It's perfect for me with my seat all the way back which gives me great thigh support. Also, good steering wheel placement.

Same here. I'm 5' 7 and have always wondered the same thing. I'm ok with the seat all the way back and would probably move it back a bit further if I could.

[dmjlambert]

I am 5'10" and have to fold myself up to drive the truck. Stock interior with original foam on the bench seat. My elbows and knees do get tired of being at these angles. And I look out the top of the windshield where it has the tinted band. I do wish I could move the seat back another 5 inches beyond the all-the-way-back position.

I removed the seat so I can work on the electrical and A/C stuff under the dash, and when I drive it in and out of the garage I sit on a bag of charcoal and use the gas tank as a back rest, and it is just about perfect.

I've also wondered how tall people fit into cars since I'm cramped. On every car I drive I put the seat all the way back and wish it would go back more. I do get used to it after a while.

[69SCSS]

Originally Posted by Richard2112

Same here. I'm 5' 7 and have always wondered the same thing. I'm ok with the seat all the way back and would probably move it back a bit further if I could.

Yea, there's plenty of head room, but leg room is tough. Always had a problem, but I want to enjoy driving it! The pedals might be my only option that isn't expensive.

[Astro-Balls]

You can probably remove about an inch of foam from your backrest, I put buddy buckets in my truck and cut the foam off the back of the seat as much as possible but leave enough cushion to be comfortable.

[saxart]

I'm 6'2" as well and had the same situation. Putting a set of these seat brackets in helped tremendously.

https://full-custom-fabrication.squa...ets/10?cs=true

I also happened to have the steering column out, so I moved it forward (through the firewall) a bit, and put on a smaller diameter steering wheel. It's still not perfect, but TONS better than it was. The seat brackets aren't cheap, but did make a huge difference.

[drewbert41]

One of the motortrend shows made a C10 for an NFL lineman. Removed the tank and cut a groove on the back wall for the bucket seats to slide back even further. It was one of like 5 results when you search c10 on youtubetv

[69SCSS]

Originally Posted by drewbert41

One of the motortrend shows made a C10 for an NFL lineman. Removed the tank and cut a groove on the back wall for the bucket seats to slide back even further.

Yea Iron Resurrection. Was just scanning thru to find where I saw it. Thinking about it, but it means new seats. Something I'm considering.

[TruDom]

i havent done it yet but i plan to cut about 2" out of the brake pedal; moving the pad forward. should help some.

[AZBuckHunter]

I'm 6'6" and with the seat all the way back I just slide down as low as I can and for lack of a better term, spread my legs.
Luckily mine is just a cruiser so I'm not usually going very far.

[69SCSS]

Originally Posted by AZBuckHunter

I'm 6'6" and with the seat all the way back I just slide down as low as I can and for lack of a better term, spread my legs.
Luckily mine is just a cruiser so I'm not usually going very far.

I did Power Tour 2017 in it and to say my calf was killing me each day was an understatement.

I'm going to start with modifying the gas pedal, dropping the brake pedal to match, then see how it feels. I might slot the seat brackets to get a little room (I think I have 1/2" gap between the seat back and the cab wall, maybe). I don't want to cut up the truck just yet....

[Corts60]

I'm 6' 2" and have all the same issues as you guys. When I'm on a long haul, I'll hold down the gas pedal with my left foot and kick out my right leg over the trans hump. I alternate both feet on the gas pedal to keep comfortable. Gotta do whatever it takes.

[firedemon]

ya im 6'1 350 big boy all around these cabs are tight . the older style 67-70 that have the rod style carb linkage I think is easier to set up I put the pedal all the way to the floor then pulled the throttle all the way open , then adjusted the rod so it fit . it seems to keep the pedal closer to the floor than the cable style and I still get full throttle out of it . much better angle . I drove it with the brake pedal adjusted all the way to where when it was at rest it was at the rubber stop , made it a pain to lift my foot that far up off the gas to brake , but I found that there is quite a bit of adjustment in the stock rod for the pedal to be adjusted down closer to the gas pedal and the brake light switch . I haven't had an opportunity to drive it like this yet but just sitting in the driveway it feels much better . I think this is about all I can do before I have to start cutting things and im not going that far ill live with it the way it is now

[jayoldschool]

I'm 6'7" and I can relate to your problem. My right leg was squished in a Z shape when driving. I added the factory throttle knob, and use it carefully on flat cruising roads. Huge help.

[HO455]

I'm 6'2" and my 67 Burban is the most comfortable rig to drive that I own. It has a 69-70 bench seat in it. I can drive 4 hours in it with no problems, but 30 to 45 minutes in just about anything else and I'm ready for back surgery again.
I have been measuring bench seats lately and have found that the 71-72 seat sits lower in the cab and the back is taller than the 69-70 seat. I have not gotten my hands on a 67-68 seat to measure but it has the tallest seat mounts and as a result may have an even shorter back. All of this may not mean anything but I can see how these small changes could make one more or less comfortable.

[Hatzman]

You guys got me all worried! I am 6'3, 240 and in the process of rebuilding my 1970 C10, with LS conversion, and I don't recall being too uncomfortable driving in it. It had stock everything before. Now I have the vette gas pedal, stock brake pedal and a 1990 Bench seat.

I'm hoping it will be okay.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know any seats that fit in our trucks that DO make it more comfortable for big/tall guys?

[firedemon]

Originally Posted by HO455

I'm 6'2" and my 67 Burban is the most comfortable rig to drive that I own. It has a 69-70 bench seat in it. I can drive 4 hours in it with no problems, but 30 to 45 minutes in just about anything else and I'm ready for back surgery again.
I have been measuring bench seats lately and have found that the 71-72 seat sits lower in the cab and the back is taller than the 69-70 seat. I have not gotten my hands on a 67-68 seat to measure but it has the tallest seat mounts and as a result may have an even shorter back. All of this may not mean anything but I can see how these small changes could make one more or less comfortable.

https://full-custom-fabrication.squa...ets/10?cs=true
I was looking at a set of these lowering brackets to gain some leg room seems there is something to your thoughts and research . I was worried they might make my knees higher but now I think im going to have to try them

[68Stepbed]

I'll throw in some input as I'm in a similar situation at 6' 4" and 290lbs.

The simple fact is the 67-72 trucks just have small cabs, but there is hope.

I drove my truck(daily) for several years with a 92 bench seat. It had a slim back, and it sat a bit lower. When I had the truck painted, and new interior done, I installed a 72 Cheyenne bench. The upholsterer used dense foam to build the seat. The seat looked great, and it was super comfy, but the driving position was terrible!!! I sat too high and too far forward. I just dealt with it the best I could, and eventually grew accustomed to it.

Here's how it looked when first finished.





Here's how I looked driving it!





A few years ago, I finally ordered a set of the Full Custom Fab brackets that lower the seat 2". But, the issue there is the seat sits lower, but due to the angle of the rear of the seat and cab, it actually slides it forward a bit also. So, even though the steering wheel positioning is better, the leg angle is worse. However, it's still easier to drive.

Here's some photos with the FCF brackets installed.




I don't have any photos of driving with the FCF brackets.

Now, I know you wish to keep a bench, so this is only for reference on the route to go with seats. I autocross my truck quite a bit, and a bench seat just wasn't doing anything for driving position, or keeping me planted to be able to control the truck, so racing buckets were a must. These Corbeaus have a very thin back, and sit lower. I have great positioning, and though my long legs are still wadded up, it's very easy and comfortable to drive.






I'm only mentioning the buckets to let you know there is hope, but it's not cheap. My suggestion is to look into a Snowden custom seat. They have formed cutouts and better slider brackets to position the seat better.
Here's a Facebook link. https://www.facebook.com/snowdencustomseats/
Here's the AZ ProPerformance link. https://azproperformance.com/product...at-upholstered

Another option is the TMI seats. The prices are similar. However, I've seen and heard mixed reviews about their products, so do your own research. I've sat in a couple trucks with TMI seats, and they felt great and had good positioning.
https://www.tmiproducts.com/chevy/tr...complete-seats

Jason Vannatta is a dealer for them. https://www.vannattafabrication.com/


As for the calf strain and cramp, that's actually lack of muscle memory and conditioning. Eventually, the muscles will get used to it and go away. I've noticed if I don't drive my truck much more than short drives to town or work, then jump in and take a long drive, it wears my ankles and calves out!!

[cleanfreak]

6'3" , 210 , 90 bench lowered , 68 gas pedal as low as I can... best I could do , legs bent but it works...good luck!