Tall guys and bucket seats

[Rickysnickers]

Could I trouble you tall guys for some photos? I am wondering how well you fit in these trucks, '57 in my case. I'd be interested in seeing and hearing what you have done. Also, in the case of seat risers, how you made/bought them and how tall they are. By tall guys, I mean anybody over 6'. I'm 6'3" and want to make this a daily driver. Is that possible?

Thank you!

[Apachemike]

Hope you fair better than me. I'm looking at replacing my steering column with a 28" model and moving the fuel tank

[_Ogre]

nice to see 6'3'' mentioned as tall i'm 6'4'' and the short one in my family

in my 58 truk my seats are 2'' higher than stock bench to give me more legroom
the seats are out of an 07 ford fusion with headrest removed and chopped 6'' out of the high back
obviously custom upholster was required, but they are very comfy for long drives
i do have a headrest; hard foam upholstered to match the seats and stuck above the back window
my seat pedestals are just angle iron frames with fiberglass 'artwork' covering them

a smaller steering and tilt wheel helps to keep the knee knocking down
i have a column from a astro/safari van, same as s10 from what i can see
it is mounted up high, so high that i had to grind a bit of the cluster bezel off

also have an 03 mustang hydroboost power brakes, this gave me rock hard brakes within 2 of full pedal
so... i cut 3.5'' off the stock brake pedal to give more legroom, i also have gimpy legs so leg movement is a concern

i did move the gas tank out of the cab, but it doesn't help on legroom
all seats with hit the back of the cab before they hit the gas tank
it does make for a nice battery, subwoofer and amp enclosure spot though

now the pics

fabrication comparison: both seat bottoms at the same height.
the green tape and mark identify where i cut the drivers seat, the pass seat is cut and reshaped



same setup thru the back window



finished seats



seat pedestals







steering column; stock gmc safari minivan
real close to the dash, column drops are for short people



and you can see where my brake pedal is here

[Rickysnickers]

Wow, that's great! Thank you!

[56 3100]

I am 6'. 88-95/96 chev/gmc buckets with matching center console .

[robozride]

Originally Posted by 56 3100

I am 6'. 88-95/96 chev/gmc buckets with matching center console .

What exactly are these seats out of?

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by robozride

What exactly are these seats out of?

Early 90's Silverado is my guess. But here is what is said to be an 89 GMC Sierra

You might take a look at early 90's Dodge Grand Caravans or other Mopar top end mini vans from that period. The captains chairs bolt down with 4 bolts that come up though the floor and the metal seat bases can easily be modified but you might loose the under seat drawer. The lean backs go reasonably straight up so they should fit in pickups pretty decently.

[Hover]

Procar Pro 90 low back buckets, DIY angle iron brackets.

[bowt1ed]

Hate to hi-jack - but what about the same issue/resolutions for tall guys in a bench seat? I'm only a mere 6'1", but the leg room shortage is killing these aging knees. Anyone using a different bench seat that helps?

Thanks, Jim

[capnduane]

I'm 6'2" and 220lbs. I have a set of 65/66 Chevelle buckets in my '55. They are blocked up 1" from the stock truck mounting rails. I have the original 18" steering wheel. My beer belly just fits with maybe an inch to spare. I'm thinking of removing the 1" blocking, and try the drivers seat first. I don't think it will give me anymore belly clearance, however! These seats are very comfortable, I had my upholstery guy rebuild them and recover close to original, he beefed up the padding for me also.

[mr48chev]

Those later model Truck seats that 56 3100 showed look like they belong in the truck to begin with. One thing that you see with all three seat sets shown is the thin leanbacks that don't take up a lot of room that could be used to move the seat back further like a lot of car seats and the later truck seats like in my son's 2K GMC extended cab have.

[58CameoAZ]

there was an article in one of the Classic Truck OR Custom Classic Trucks that showed were they took a seat and modified the back to were it had a little less padding in it
and it was to accommodate us Taller guys! they were thinning the back of the seat for a 55-59 truck seat. i know ihave the magazine and if i can find the article i will let you know
what mag it is in. I stand 6'4" and was thinking of doing the same after i had seen the article FWIW
Allen

[Rickysnickers]

Originally Posted by 58CameoAZ

there was an article in one of the Classic Truck OR Custom Classic Trucks that showed were they took a seat and modified the back to were it had a little less padding in it
and it was to accommodate us Taller guys! they were thinning the back of the seat for a 55-59 truck seat. i know ihave the magazine and if i can find the article i will let you know
what mag it is in. I stand 6'4" and was thinking of doing the same after i had seen the article FWIW
Allen

That would be really great if you could find it Allen.

Rick

[mr48chev]

I'm thinking that lowering the seat is adverse to what the tall guys need. The minute you lower a seat in an AD or TF your knees get higher in comparison to your seat and you have a more awkward process of working the pedals I've lost count of how many seats I had in and out of my 48 since I chopped, The most comfortable a 66 Olds Toronado bench that the foam ended up deteriorating so bad it It was pretty low but I had a firewall mounted master cylinder then.

[mobileortho]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

I'm thinking that lowering the seat is adverse to what the tall guys need. The minute you lower a seat in an AD or TF your knees get higher in comparison to your seat and you have a more awkward process of working the pedals

Agreed. Take it from a tall guy (6'5") who knows 1st hand!