The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk How do you fit inside a AD style cab???

Hi Fellow Stovebolters

We are to the point of starting my Howard Knapp truck up for the first time(charging the battery as we speak)...I set up the cab for the first time and man oh man...there is like no room....that steering wheel is right in your face....I am 5' 6" / 150 lbs on a good day and that cab is tight...I have more leg room and head room in my 1998 S10 pickup...and it is half the physical size of the 1953 Chevy Howard Knapp truck....

Is it me or is there no room inside these cabs??? I was getting claustrophobia just sitting behind the steering wheel...if I was fat...I would never fit behind the wheel...

How do you guys fit in these trucks??? How do you guys really drive them any distance and actually be able to stand-up and walk around when the trip is done???

Just wondering out loud...I am hoping I am missing something here...

MikeC

I'll admit the BIG steering wheel could be a problem. Not making fun at you here but try getting in a 37 Art Deco style cab.

I'd suggest a smaller steering wheel. I had a 50 back sometime ago and it was ok for me, wife and one kid. But I was "small" then.
Some guys are using seats from cars like the Buick LeSabre's 60/40 for comfort but not sure about leg room.
No one has previously changed the seat have they?

Lets see what others say...and by the way. Congrats and good luck on the start up. There is an end to the journey...isn't there?

big reason I got rid of my 41 Ford COE cabs. I was going to make a crew cab but still, way small in front. I settled on a 55 2-ton instead. We are planning on traveling all around the country and I want to be able to get out and walk around the same day we get somewhere! LOL

In my '54 630, which has a large steering wheel, I raised the whole seat track assembly, 1.5" which helps. If you need more room, I put an S-10 seat in my 1st. '47, they have thin backs.

Ed

With the seat pushed all the way back in my mostly still stock 49 3100, my well fed mid section clears the large stock steering wheel by about 1 1/2". I think my previously measured height of 6' has compressed by a 1/2" or so and I find the leg room to be fine. I'm running 225-75R-16's and I find the steering hard enough on the stock steering wheel, I wouldn't consider a smaller steering wheel unless I added power steering, skinnier tires or pumped the guns up more.

I take it out just about every Saturday for what ends up being a 60 to 70 mile back road cruise (around 2 hrs).
I've never had any physical or emotional problems afterwards. Matter of fact I tell the Mrs and all who'll listen that it's actually a therapy session for me.
No radio, no convo, just a thermos of Joe, a couple Little Debbie honey buns and my deep thoughts of the day enjoying the feel and sounds of 67 yr old machinery still doing it's thing

Dave

5'8" 199.8 pounds of burliness here. (One biscuit shy of 200 pounds for those of you scoring at home.) No issues with the steering wheel yet.
Carl

Well Dave, that's an automatic top ten post. Well said!

I've gone over 100k miles on my '49 1/2 ton. I am 5' 11" and north of 200.

Mike C:
Option 1-live with it.
Option 2-ditch the the in cab tank, the original bench seat and pedestal, the original steering column and steering wheel. Then install a tilt column, a smaller wheel of your choice, get a bench or bucket seat with a narrow backrest and make it power adjustable up and down and fore and aft. Only took me time and money, and 37 years later I have a 48 Chevy with all the room and comfort a 6' guy needs. And I'm still using the original steering wheel.
https://flic.kr/p/Aue3Xa

6'3" here and just north of 200 lbs. I feel right at home in mine.

I'm with the other guys Mike. I'm 5'8", 160 lb. and have been
comfy in my stock '50, 3600 which I've been driving a lot for
a decade now, weather permitting. I have the original seat
and coir pad, just replaced the cotton and cover back in
'05 and find it quite comfortable. A friend of mine and I
drove his stock '52 from Chicago to Kansas City several
years ago and I didn't find it uncomfortable at all
spending the while day in it.
As the other guys mentioned, just be glad you don't have
one of the earlier Art Deco's, those were really tiny.

Oh I almost forgot...you can't use the term 'fat' when
referring to ones shape, it's politically in correct
now a days. Jack Benny was the last one to use the term
when speaking of Don Wilson. Before the supreme court ruling,
my "big old wife" enforced the ban with her frying pan.


DG

I find that with stock seats I can live with it. If someone has put in a seat with a thicker back my lap room goes away and my legs cramp. The best feeling seat I found was a Chevy LUV bench. My '48 has the adjustable split bench from a Tahoe and a tilt wheel. My 6'1" 270lbs fit nicely.

I'm 6' and between 195 and 220 lb depending on the year.
I've driven hundreds of miles in a day and thousands of miles in a week in my 52 with worn out stock seat. I fit just fine, and only after the first 4-5,000 miles did the seat start to feel a little stiff.
More recently in the 51 I've put at most 100 miles at a stretch so far, I still fit just the same, the stock seat is still comfy enough.

I expect after you get it running and take it for a drive you'll figure it out. You're smaller than about everyone who has commented so far and we don't have trouble fitting.

never had a problem with my 52 stock seat, drove 500 miles in one day coming back,, tired but not because of the seat... just old.. stock seat, drum brakes, no power anything, little sweet 235 and after market radio..
cletis wrote about it.. boy I miss that truck

Fred thanks for posting Cletis' link. Fun read.

ur welcome, I spend a lot of time reflecting on yester yr, some good, some bad, but I try to let today take care of it self and not worry about what tomorrow might bring.. take care my friend

HI Guys...

I rebuilt a 1947 CJ2A Willys Jeep (in 2012 & 2013)and drove it maybe 8 or 10 times to where I work and a couple little side trips...I am thinking now I guess if I can drive that little truck than I should be able to fit into the cab of an AD style truck...I think of the original Howard Knapp that I used to watch drive by my childhood home (in his AD truck)...he didnt know any better...he drove what was available at the time...so we will see how it goes...one of the guys at work told me "it is an old truck"...don't expect it to be anything more than that...I will try to listen to this sage advice...

thanks for all the advice...

MikeC

P.S. I think the american male was smaller back in the 1930's and 1940's than they are today...I think we grow them bigger today than we did then....look at the size of your kids...must be the vitamins...

The bigguns of the ole days had to ride in the back.

Hi Mike
Iam 6'5" 305 lbs. and I fit in mine ok. The secret is to remove as much of the thick padding under the vinyl in the seat back and bottom section as you can get away with.
I also took floor shift off and heated it up and bent it away from my right leg. These changes made a big difference even with stock wheel.
I hope this helps you.
John

well for sure you dont want to put a small wheel on it
and then try to steer it even if you had a suicide knob

6'4" and north of 230lbs,stock seat but admittedly a smaller steering wheel,I cut my teeth on VW Bugs so I guess perhaps I'm just used to a sit up and beg driving position.

My right calf gets a little cramped on long distances on the gas pedal due to my knees being further forward but that's all.

Good for her Denny

Here's a post I placed on the OLDGMCtrucks forum...

Desperate for help!

For the first time in many years, I drove the family 1959 GMC 1/2 to my buddies house so that he can do a frame off restoration.

The problem I had while driving over to his place was the steering wheel was rubbing my shirt just above my belly button!! When I drove this very same truck to high school in the late 70's I didn't have this problem so I am at a loss of what's changed!

Since I only wear the highest quality tee shirts, I don't want to ruin any of them by wearing a crescent shaped hole in the front of any of them.

Any suggestions on a remedy? The seat was pushed back all the way so do I need to remove the "behind the seat" tank and reposition the seat farther back? Perhaps a smaller steering wheel is the answer. Maybe my father put too much padding in the seat upholstery and some needs to be removed? Maybe the steering wheel is not the stock wheel and father put a much bigger wheel than the stock one?

I've searched the forum on this topic and can't find any posts that help. Assuming I am not the first guy to have this problem I am open to any suggestions or advice. All suggestions will appreciated but know that I may refuse to accept or deny action on any of them. I searched eBay for a shirt sheath made of super smooth leather than I could strap on but no one seems to have such a thing.

If you need pictures of the seat, steering wheel or truck, let me know.

I think the solution to your problem Darcy is to push yourself
away from the table a little sooner.
dg

Removing the gas tank will not really help. If you notice with the seat all the way back the top is touching the back of the cab. If you could slide the seat bottom further back that would make the seat back angle change to straighter up and down make a very uncomfortable seat.

You could add power steering with a smaller steering wheel...

Mike B

LOL, must be a tongue in cheek question

The obvious answer is to wear cheaper T shirts

Dave

Footstomper,

I believe the steering wheel on a 55/56 is not dished like the one you have , so probably give more space.The old man probably put extra padding in the seat back.