Modifying Cars for Tall People-
TallWeb
From TallWeb- http://www.bluplanet.com/tallweb/cars.html
Modifying a vehicle for tall people
When tall people plan to buy a car, eventually the idea of "just moving the
seat back" or some similar operation comes up. Often the dealer suggests
this as a way to make the sale, sometimes a friend or even the owner will
come up with the idea.
For reasons I will state later on this page, if there is any way to avoid
modifying the seating assembly on your vehicle, DO IT, even if this means
trading it in on a larger vehicle. In the end, you'll find it's a better
solution. But if for some reason you decide this is the only way to go,
here are some points to consider:
o Have you considered other options? You may find that aftermarket
seats are available that will do the job inexpensively, or you
may be able to purchase upgrade seating from a junkyard that was
designed to fit a different version of your car. Either is better
than cutting the car up. Some manufacturers make extended seating
rails that are available through their parts departments for
retrofit.
o Have you thoroughly planned this out? Seating in modern cars is
not the simple thing it once was. The seats in your car are part
of a sophisticated collision survival system, and any change you
make affects the whole system. You should consider the seat, the
seatbelt assembly, the airbag system, the wiring harness that
attaches to the seat, and the surrounding parts of the interior.
o Will it accomplish what you want to achieve? In many modern cars,
the roof slopes down at the rear for aerodynamics. This means
that moving the seat back may mean more legroom, but less
headroom. It also means that controls like the gearshift and
radio may now be out of reach.
Another consideration is rear seat legroom. You may unknowingly
be turning your sedan into a two-seater. consider the seatbelt
and airbag, If you move the seat, you may need to move the
seatbelt attachments as well. If the seatbelt does not fit
properly, you could break your collarbone or worse in a
collision. If the airbag does not expand far enough to reach you,
it won't do you much good will it?
o What will this do to your warrantee? In many cases, modifying the
seating will void the warrantee for that part of the car, or
possibly the whole car, and even if the dealer does the work. It
can also affect your ability to sue if you are injured in a
collision.
o Have you talked to your insurance company? Most policies don't
cover modified vehicles unless a rider is attached to the policy
stating the modifications in detail. Check with your insurance
company BEFORE you do any modifications. If you don't, they can
always claim that you modified the vehicle without their
knowlege, and cancel your policy RETROACTIVE to the time of the
modifications.
o How long are you going to keep this car? A modified car will be
hard to sell, so you had better plan to keep it a while.
o Have you talked to the DOT? Make sure what you're doing is legal in
your state/region/country BEFORE you start cutting.
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Once you have decided that this is really what you want to do and are ready
to accept the consequences, consider if you want to have a professional do
the work or do it yourself. Unless you are skilled in metalworking and auto
mechanics, I suggest you have a professional do the work. This part of the
car takes a lot of stress, so it's best done right.
The first thing to do is remove the seat. Study the way the seat is
attached and decide how you intend to modify it. Don't try this with the
seat in place. You really can't understand fully how the seat works until
you have removed the seat and all the attachments.
There are three common ways to modify the seating:
* Cut the seat brackets and re-weld them to position the seat lower and
create headroom. This works best on Mini-vans and trucks. It doesn't
work as well in cars because there is less room under the seat to work
with. But I understand it is popular with Corvettes and other sports
cars where the seat doesn't need to slide.
* Drill new bolt holes and re-bolt the seat farther back to create
legroom. This works best on flat floored vehicles like VW Bugs. The
big problem here is that now the seat won't slide as far forward, so
short friends or spouses may be unable to drive the car.
* Extend the seat rails for more legroom. This is by far the most
difficult. It involves getting an additional set of seat rails from
the junkyard and welding it to your existing rails, making them
longer. This preserves the sliding mechanism, but it requires a
top-notch welding job with no seams so the mechanism works smoothly.
Don't forget to check the restraint system (seatbelts, airbags) for proper
fit and secure attachment before driving the car, and remember to save any
parts so that you can restore the car to original if you sell it.