The Ford Barn

Lefthander1930 · 05-10-2025, 09:49 AM

Looking to move my bench seat back for more leg room, 30 coupe. Best way or method ? I guess I'm the have to cut shorting the package panel. relocating the seat on the adjusters back and drilling new mounting holes. Looking for some in good input. Thanks

Marshall V. Daut · 05-10-2025, 10:40 AM

These cars were designed for the typical American male (who did most of the driving back then) of that era, whose average height was about 5'8". Who could have predicted 100 years ago that the average American male's height would shoot up almost 3 inches a century later? Plus, we seem to be breeding much taller and bigger men that don't stand out in a crowd as much as they would have in 1928. 6'4" is tall today, but would have been considered gigantic back then.
What this translates to is that our beloved Model A isn't really cutout for today's normal human male height and girth, especially if that man happens to have unusually long legs. I can't count the number of times new owners have posted requests here for advice how to adapt their Model A so that they can fit in it and use the pedals. Dozens of times perhaps? So, this is becoming a typical problem in the hobby as we humans increase in size. Even the Fordor sedans with their adjustable bench seats can't be moved back far enough to really make a man of 6'2" and taller comfortable. The angle of the steering column also accommodates the shorter male of 1928-31. The steering wheel and its angle are designed for someone much shorter, too. Had the column been angled higher and the steering wheel made slightly smaller, perhaps the taller than average male in 2025 could fit better. But that's not the way it shakes out.
Even for guys like me at 5'10" with average length legs, certain Model A body styles are challenge to enter and exit easily. The '28-29 roadster, phaeton and roadster pickup come to mind in that category. I guess all that the taller guys in the crowd can do to make their Model A's more comfortable for their size is to work with the package tray (in some body styles), make brackets to move the seats back farther (Tudor Sedan swivels), reduce the amount of padding in the seats, adapt the steering wheel to be deeper, and/or compress the seat springs somehow so that they are not as tall or stick out as much at an angle in front.
Being of average height for my generation does sometimes offset the mental anguish of not being the 6'4" basketball star on my high school basketball team. I know that I can easily get in and out of the Model A that he CAN'T!

Marshall

desotoguy · 05-11-2025, 09:58 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

You may want to explore the idea of having an upholstery shop replace the seat and back springs on the original base with webbing and high density foam and recover with new material. That will preserve the original configuration if it is ever desired to return the seats to original.

05-10-2025, 09:49 AM	#1
Lefthander1930 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Roseville Ca. Posts: 176	Moving bench seat Looking to move my bench seat back for more leg room, 30 coupe. Best way or method ? I guess I'm the have to cut shorting the package panel. relocating the seat on the adjusters back and drilling new mounting holes. Looking for some in good input. Thanks

05-10-2025, 10:40 AM	#2
Marshall V. Daut Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Davenport, Iowa Posts: 2,627	Re: Moving bench seat These cars were designed for the typical American male (who did most of the driving back then) of that era, whose average height was about 5'8". Who could have predicted 100 years ago that the average American male's height would shoot up almost 3 inches a century later? Plus, we seem to be breeding much taller and bigger men that don't stand out in a crowd as much as they would have in 1928. 6'4" is tall today, but would have been considered gigantic back then. What this translates to is that our beloved Model A isn't really cutout for today's normal human male height and girth, especially if that man happens to have unusually long legs. I can't count the number of times new owners have posted requests here for advice how to adapt their Model A so that they can fit in it and use the pedals. Dozens of times perhaps? So, this is becoming a typical problem in the hobby as we humans increase in size. Even the Fordor sedans with their adjustable bench seats can't be moved back far enough to really make a man of 6'2" and taller comfortable. The angle of the steering column also accommodates the shorter male of 1928-31. The steering wheel and its angle are designed for someone much shorter, too. Had the column been angled higher and the steering wheel made slightly smaller, perhaps the taller than average male in 2025 could fit better. But that's not the way it shakes out. Even for guys like me at 5'10" with average length legs, certain Model A body styles are challenge to enter and exit easily. The '28-29 roadster, phaeton and roadster pickup come to mind in that category. I guess all that the taller guys in the crowd can do to make their Model A's more comfortable for their size is to work with the package tray (in some body styles), make brackets to move the seats back farther (Tudor Sedan swivels), reduce the amount of padding in the seats, adapt the steering wheel to be deeper, and/or compress the seat springs somehow so that they are not as tall or stick out as much at an angle in front. Being of average height for my generation does sometimes offset the mental anguish of not being the 6'4" basketball star on my high school basketball team. I know that I can easily get in and out of the Model A that he CAN'T! Marshall Last edited by Marshall V. Daut; 05-10-2025 at 11:45 AM.

05-11-2025, 09:58 AM	#3
desotoguy Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Greenwood SC Posts: 308	Re: Moving bench seat Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) You may want to explore the idea of having an upholstery shop replace the seat and back springs on the original base with webbing and high density foam and recover with new material. That will preserve the original configuration if it is ever desired to return the seats to original.