MTFCA Forum

I am looking for my first T. I have experience with Model Ts, and have decided to purchase my own. Many of you on this forum have answered my questions when you post an ad, and I really appreciate it. Since the area where I live does not have a lot of Model Ts to try out, I thought I would as the Forum for advice for the best option for a Fat Old Man. Any advice is appreciated.

I find that I can enter my '27 roadster from the drivers' side.... with difficulty... I can just squeeze between the door jamb and the steering wheel, but then my big feet are difficult to work past the hand lever and the seat riser. I usually enter from the passenger side. A "fatman" wheel was a popular option, and I can see why. If you are a full-size guy, you do not need to be anywhere near obese to have to contort and squeeze to enter from the driver side of the open cars. I think the closed cars are much easier to enter and offer more room once inside.

At least avoid a Coupe. To me they're chlostraphobic. You may want a Torpedo or a '13 or '14, they have lots of legroom

'15 or earlier touring, delivery vehicle (T , not TT), or early station wagon, such as this:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17284

26-27 coupe, big doors, seat can be moved back, bigger pedals, lower running boards.

It seems unlikely, but my centerdoor sedan has more room than any other car I've had; it's the hardest to get into, but once you're finally in the seat it has a lot of room behind the wheel. I've never found an excess of space in pre-1922 open cars. The redesigned, mid-'20s open car bodies (not the "Improved Cars") are roomier. I didn't find my (or any other) 1926 cars to be very roomy at all; the low seats make me feel like I'm sitting in a hole and, with the low seats, my knees are jackknifed too far.

It would probably be worth the time to try as many as possible out, visit local members and talk it out with them.

A lot can be gained with a smaller steering wheel, too.

Steve Jelf will help explain how you can fit into any car you purchase. He has done it.

My '25 coupe is cramped and my '26 Roadster is worse, especially for leg room. The best T for seating comfort is the early suicide door Coupes as they have no package tray so the seat is around 4" further back. Maybe that's why Henry drove one personally till 1928. The '26-'27 coupes are similar as the cab is longer than the '24-25 Coupes and as well, the doors are a bit wider. For a quick reference compare the front of the seat edge location to the starter switch (same location an all Model T's) and you'll see the differences right away.

Remember that people were a bit shorter and thinner back then.
Girth is a limiting factor for getting in and out and driver position (steering wheel, emergency brake, pedal reach etc)
Weight considerations on frame ('26-'27 frames stronger than earlier), running board braces.
Flexibility - Model T's, TT's and most Speedsters require stepping up into them - not many handholds to assist in that endeavor.
If you have trouble stepping up into a new heavy duty pickup, a Model T would be much harder.

I'm a big guy with big feet (14's). I fit comfortably in my 1917 Touring. In my opinion, open cars are a little easier to get into.

In my car, the springs in the back of the front seat were removed by a previous owner which gives a little more room without damaging appearance or comfort. I added extenders to all pedals to accommodate my big feet and an extender on the "brake" lever to accommodate my shortening arms.

FWIW - the 1911 & '12 Torpedoes are reputed to have the most leg room but they are rare and pricey. The cars up to 1920 had 15 inch or smaller steering wheels - after which they were 16 inches for a few years and 17 inches in the last couple of years of production. I've heard the later cars have less room but have no personal experience to bear that out.

To echo the advice of others, don't buy a car without first sitting in it or a car like it.

I have a '26 roadster and I'm fairly comfortable, once in it, so far. I have not made any long excursions yet. I'm 6'1, and there's not much room for my left leg, and it looks like 2 people of about any size would be short of room riding in it. Just looking at my car, it appears to me that modifying the seat back cushion as others have done would make a considerable improvement by adding more useful leg room and moving shoulders and derriers further back from the dash where the car body is wider. It might make carrying a passenger a lot more comfortable. I may give it a try, since it's easy enough to remove the stock cushion and a trial modified cushion could be made up inexpensively. I can raise my self off the seat bottom cushion andf push back into the back cushion and get my legs in to a near normal driving position. It looks like I could raise the bottom cushion about 1 to 11/2" and still have enough head room with the top up and enough knee clearance under the steering wheel. The car body is a little wider toward the top, so raising the cushion would also give a little more hip room. it looks like a simple spacer would do to raise the bottom cushion, and the modified back cushion could be made to allow for the higher bottom cushion.

Speedsters (specifically those similar to the Rootlieb kit or the earlier Syverson kits etc.) built in the last 30 years or so often have the seats a little further back because the person who built them wanted a little more room. And depending on how the front seat assembly was attached to the speedster body, they can sometimes (but not always) easily be removed and set back a little further if needed.

See:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/17 ... 1302663195 as well as

http://www.rootlieb.com/speedster-kits.html

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l915 cut off

Thanks to all for the great advice. I have had several generous owners let me try out their cars as I continue my search.

The older you get the more room in my experience. 27 roadster - worst for leg room. Added extra padding to the seat base. better, but still tough un the legs. 23 touring. ok. 20 touring - quite comfortable Higher seat frame?? 14 roadster - endless leg room. Cant reach the firewall. If you get an early t with the small steering wheel or put a smaller wheel on a later T, I highly recommend a 5:1 gear set for much better steering control.

Oldav8tor wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 11:52 am

I'm a big guy with big feet (14's). I fit comfortably in my 1917 Touring. In my opinion, open cars are a little easier to get into.

In my car, the springs in the back of the front seat were removed by a previous owner which gives a little more room without damaging appearance or comfort.
IMG_1434.jpg
I added extenders to all pedals to accommodate my big feet and an extender on the "brake" lever to accommodate my shortening arms.
IMG_1241.jpg
IMG_1480.jpg

FWIW - the 1911 & '12 Torpedoes are reputed to have the most leg room but they are rare and pricey. The cars up to 1920 had 15 inch or smaller steering wheels - after which they were 16 inches for a few years and 17 inches in the last couple of years of production. I've heard the later cars have less room but have no personal experience to bear that out.

To echo the advice of others, don't buy a car without first sitting in it or a car like it.

This may be an option for me as I love a Touring car but its a bit tight. For reference what length pants do you have? I have 34 to 36 and a lot of my height is in my legs.

Thanks
Ron

I wear a 30 inch pant leg - my length is in my torso. Another option is to build a depot hack or piewagon and move the seat back as far as you want for leg room.