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 Post subject: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 8:46 am 
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Joined: July 17, 2015, 1:56 am
Posts: 156
Location: Morrisville, PA
Getting a little concerned I will not have enough leg room in my little 442+ chassis. What length from foot well firewall to rear panel behind the seat ate you guys getting.

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 11:12 am 
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Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
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Location: Livermore, Calif.
The distance from firewall to back panel (behind the seat) is 53.5 inches on the 442e. How tall are you?

Cheers,
Roy

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 11:23 am 
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Joined: July 17, 2015, 1:56 am
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Location: Morrisville, PA
RoyzMG wrote:
The distance from firewall to back panel (behind the seat) is 53.5 inches on the 442e. How tall are you?

Cheers,
Roy


6,2 on a good day. :D

I want to gauge or get an idea of what any one is doing to get a little extra leg room. I am dropping the pan 2 inche's like some of the caterhams to squeeze a little more room.

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 11:48 am 
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Joined: January 27, 2010, 1:11 pm
Posts: 540
Location: Jefferson City, MO
My frame is a +221 Haynes and my seat is an aluminum kirkey seat. I wear a 36" inseam and my pedals are almost too far away. It works well for me, but I am used to the style of seating from driving a Fiero for so many years. With the pedal depressed my legs are not quite straight with only a slight bend in the knee. looking at the Haynes plans, it looks like from the foot well to the rear panel it is approximately 52". I can measure mine at home tonight. How you build the pedal box can also dramatically affect how much room you have. FYI, I wear a size 14 shoe and did not need to drop the floor pan in my frame, but I also have floor mounted pedals. Left to right spacing between the pedals is the tightest and even shifted the engine to the passenger side by 1". I haven't driven the car much but the little driving I have done, I have been catching the gas pedal when braking. Now I built adjustment in the gas pedal mount so I can fine tune it for heel toe braking and I haven't played with that adjustment any.

The great thing about these cars is you can build them to suit you so a lot of things can be moved around to make clearance. Just determine what is most important to you and what can and cannot be moved then build around that. For me, once I had the basic frame laid out, I located the controls of the car, ie steering wheel, seat and pedals. Then located the drivetrain and more importantly the shifter on the tranny to where I wanted, then built the rest of the frame around that. Don't let the +442 plans control you too much.

Another example of this is I moved the scuttle back 6 inches on my build as compared to the Haynes, and I actually started with the Voodoo version of the Haynes frame since I was using a Miata as the donor.

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 12:23 pm 
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Joined: April 22, 2010, 4:43 pm
Posts: 432
Location: Livermore, Calif.
Chris has got some good points. I'm 6 ft. 0 in. and have no problem with leg room. The location and style of the pedal box controls a lot. On my first Locost I made the pedal assembly adjustable (similar to a Birkin) and fixed the seat position. On my current project I've fixed the pedal position and made the seat adjustable. The front of the foot well is rather tight and I can adjust the brake and clutch pedal faces slightly form side to side to give more space. Also the gas pedal is adjustable side to side. I also moved the side panel next to the right foot outward slightly towards the transmission. As Chris said you can redesign or refit as appropriate.

Good luck,
Roy

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 1:28 pm 
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Joined: October 19, 2012, 9:25 pm
Posts: 3365
Location: Summerville, SC
My 442 is the first Locost I've fit comfortably in. I'm 6'1 with a 35 inch inseam. I actually put sliders on my seat for this build and move forward about 3 inches from the full back position.

I was shoehorned in my book chassis R1 car.

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 3:35 pm 
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Joined: July 4, 2006, 5:40 pm
Posts: 1994
Location: Novato, CA
I'm 6'0" and a book frame stretches me out. It's really about where you put the seat and pedals.


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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 3:52 pm 
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Joined: August 27, 2005, 1:04 am
Posts: 1414
Location: Kamloops, BC, Canada
nick47 wrote:
I'm 6'0" and a book frame stretches me out. It's really about where you put the seat and pedals.

Yup, I'm 6'2" and have lots of leg room in my book frame. Width is a different story. It would be nice to be able to shift around a bit on longer drives, but that can be corrected with diet and exercise.
Kristian

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 4:11 pm 
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Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
I'm finding I'm a little short on leg room (I, too, am 6'2" with a 36" inseam...and size 14 feet), but the others are right. Pedal & seat position are the critical factors. My pedals can't be moved, realistically (floor-mounted Wilwood setup, position dictated by the firewall), but after pulling out my gen-1 Miata seats, I find there's tons of room...if only I can find seats that aren't as deep. An inch or two in seat position makes a BIG difference, as every inch moved rearward gains a full inch of leg room.

I'm trying to find a decent set of Cobra Roadster seats (they're narrow enough to fit, and they're shallow) without having to spend well over $2000 :shock: to get a pair to me in Canada. I could also use a set of Porsche 914 seats...if I could find a pair that don't need reupholstering (in my area, reupholstering a seat starts around $500 per seat range, plus materials, taxes, etc. :shock: ).

I suspect that any of the common frame designs will easily accommodate the taller folk among us, with judicious seat & pedal placement.

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 6:53 pm 
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Joined: January 31, 2012, 12:49 pm
Posts: 1713
Location: Louisville KY
As Zetec7 pointed out one key is the seat.

First, at 6'1" and 200-ish pounds, I fit into the original Seven. And the Seven is smaller than the Book -- you're gonna be around 7" longer than the original Seven from what I hear? My only issue was that I had to take off my shoes in order to work the pedals. I can envision people driving that thing in driving shoes, or ballet slippers, etc.

HOWEVER, the Seven had "bench seats". As in, you sit on a bench. Go look at the seats in the Book, and you'll see what I mean. There is no sides to these benches -- your tucass is wedged between the side rails and the tunnel, and your back is only a bit of padding off of the rear bulkhead. So as pointed out, consider your seat.

If my Haynes 221 is any indication, depending on the pedals and the seat, you'll have room to stretch out.

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 8:17 pm 
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Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
Posts: 1954
Location: BC, Canada. eh?
That reminds me of the time when I visited a guy who had an original Lotus 7. He invited me to sit in it...unfortunately, I had my cell phone in my pocket, and once I was settled into the seat, I was...stuck. Securely, tightly, irrevocably stuck. :roll:

It took 3 guys to lift me up & out, as the phone in my pocket acted like a barb, and I couldn't move at all, much less dig my cell phone out. :BH: It was hilarious to my buddies...not so much, to me!

At this point, not being able to find seats that will fit in the car, I may have to do the "bench seat" thing!

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 10, 2016, 9:18 pm 
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Joined: August 27, 2005, 1:04 am
Posts: 1414
Location: Kamloops, BC, Canada
I did just basic seats in my car. I think I want to add a bit of padding to the bottoms though, I made them a bit too thin on an effort to be sitting in the car rather than on the car. A set of aluminum bomber seats might be a good way to go too, and probably wouldn't be overly difficult to built. I've also put on a few pounds since I started the project about 13 or 14 years ago, but basic seats were always part of the plan. Being too close to 300lbs certainly wasn't though. I do only have a 34" inseam and size 12 feet though.
Kristian

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 Post subject: Re: Floor pan length
PostPosted: October 11, 2016, 12:56 am 
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Joined: July 30, 2016, 7:53 pm
Posts: 17
Location: Southern Oregon
I have been working on a Diva roadster Kit Car... Looking through these forums the frame is very much based on the Locost 7... Not sure how it compares to the "book" or others based off that... I can tell you from the assembly manual that the cars basic dimensions are 147 inches long by 69 wide by 43 high with a 94.5 inch wheelbase... The car is made for small block V8's... We are running a 350 Chevy in ours...

The seats are fiberglass buckets on slider rails currently with no padding or upholstery... I am 6'1" at 275 and I have to move the seat up slightly for comfort on the pedals, will probably not need too with padding... With the seat all the way back, for me to climb back out I have take the steering wheel off... It does have a quick release wheel...

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