I have a picture of a brake lever with a S bend in it. I have no information to go with it. It appears that it would make room for your left thigh. Has anybody here done this? Pointers? Advise?
Pretty amazing that some one would design a car for a person with 3 feet and 1 leg!
Mike;
I did that to my '27 Touring. Makes more room for my long legs.
Don't know if this was a factory thing but it sure helps clear the left shift pedal. had a '23 with a '26 engine in it and the lever hit the pedal when fully forward. I'd have liked one of those handles.
I'm not very big, just 5' 8 1/2" (at least I once was ). But I know you bigger guys have some difficulty driving your T's because there's just not enough room. Makes me wonder what ol' Henry (the other one) used as his standard for creating the dimensions of our the Ts. Maybe himself or is it possible he used some actual data on the average size of folks at the time? Was there even such data available then?
My question is how easy it it to remove the floor boards when there is a Ruckstell shifter lever there as shown in the last photo?
Bill
Your pedals look like the 26-27 style with the left pedal spaced farther to the left than the right pedal. I think the 27's came with the brake pedal offset like the one in the picture.
Norm
That's a good question Henry. I always had the impression that, even into the 1940's, car makers made room for hats but not waists. The Touring seats 4 (OK thin) people in relative comfort. some of these old pics showing 3 (sometimes 4) in the back, all sitting I just don't get. How small were these people? LOL.
I have done that on my wagon. It took less than 5 minutes, and makes the car driveable.
Ed did you have to heat the metal red to bend or did you do it cold? ...Thank u Lorenzo
I used a oxy/acetylene torch. Made the top bend first, then the bottom. I pulled it into the shop I worked at at the time, and drove it home minutes later.
I made a single bend in the lever on my '27 Tudor.......got it away from my leg and makes it easiER getting in and out.......
Relocation works well on a speedster with lowered steering wheel and set back seats. Gets it out of the way of the pedals and you don't have to hug the steering wheel to put it in high.
This is how I moved the brake out on my speedster. It involved lengthening the shaft and using tubing for stand-offs and carriage bolts.
It interfered with the dash board when mounted in-board.
Rich
This is such a good idea I wonder if someone isn't offering these ready to install commercially. For those of us who do not have torches or know how to use them a ready to go setup would be attractive.
Vintage Paul, always looking for more room . . . .
Paul.....you don't need a torch.
Brace the lever well near the floor and just bend it.
Likewise on bending it cold, I didn't want to burn the paint or catch the car on fire.