Hello! New member with a key question...

289, FIA & Daytona topics
Post Reply
mnicholson
T289R Member
T289R Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:18 am

Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by mnicholson »

Hello all

Firstly wanted to introduce myself as I’ve only recently joined but have already been treated very kindly by those in the club I’ve met! Particular thanks to fellow Yorkshire resident ‘Cottonmouth’ for allowing me to visit today (with full entourage!) to see a car ‘in the flesh’.

This brings me to my key question - sitting in the Hawk (289 ‘Slab side’) today did confirm I, at 6’2”, need to be very clear on the art of the possible with regards to how low/far back you can get the seats before I invest physically, financially and emotionally (although I fear the latter is a done deal already!). The car today was in IVA-able condition rather than finished and I believe there’s more space with the ‘correct’ seats fitted so I just wanted to ask if anyone else is a similar size to me with a finished car and, if so, how you find seating position, what ‘traditional’ fixes/variables there are (removing runners, going for non-authentic seats) or even more drastic options?! The perfect answer would be being able to sit in one to prove it can be made to accommodate someone my size but this may be too much to ask! Appreciate not a new topic so apologies, but it’s an important one for me personally so would love to hear from you all.

Providing I can get comfortable (no pun intended) on the above, I can’t wait to get started and will no doubt be asking all sorts on here before long!

Thanks
Matt

(I’m learning, please forgive all rookie terminology mistakes ad infinitum :) ....)
kenv
Posts: 100
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2016 7:34 pm
Location: hampshire

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by kenv »

Hi Matt and welcome. I haven't fitted the seat yet, but am 6' 2" and many years ago sat in Gerry's then demo car and was able to see through the screen quite happily and many years later started on an Ace build and proceeded on that basis. I hope I'm about 9 months from completion, so can't help with my own and certainly will have issues with the Mazda seats and will probably remove some of the padding. I used to have a Frogeye and but bolting to the floor and removing padding got down far enough. Frankly if there is eventually an issue I'll modify the floor slightly to get in, although some parts of the chassis are in the way, but I decided to put my money ...etc. Good luck with your decision and sorry I can't help directly. And don't worry, I've proved the worlds greatest rookie. If you do start and use an MGB as a base, you need to have photo evidence of having the car you've removed the parts from. I didn't and did all this work but didn't take the photos as I hadn't then joined this forum and didn't know this was needed, so not sure whether I'll be able to get and age related plate!
Regards
Ken
User avatar
Phil Riley
Posts: 550
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:33 pm
Location: Peak District

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by Phil Riley »

Hi Matt,

Welcome to the club!

Former member, Bill Telford, has recently sold his Hawk 289, after 17 wonderful years of ownership. As far as I know, with Hawk seats, he didn't have an issue, but I'm not sure what set up he was using. Bill is a good 6' 3" (ish) tall. You can contact Bill at bill.telford@classic-car-tours.com I'm sure he'd be happy to have a chat. Tell him Phil sent you.

Phil (Newsletter Editor)
User avatar
kaiserbilly1
Posts: 1386
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:07 am
Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by kaiserbilly1 »

Hello Matt

As Phil mentioned, I'm 6ft 4in and had plenty of space in the 289.
My seat was bolted directly to the floor which meant that my head was well below the screen line.

You'll have no issue at 6ft 2in, good luck with your build.

Bill
mnicholson
T289R Member
T289R Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:18 am

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by mnicholson »

Thanks all, very helpful indeed.

Bill - just confirming it was the standard Hawk seat bolted directly to the floor? Or did you have to go with a less padded seat?

Either way, seems like it's a solvable issue!

(*immediately gets back on with the search for a short-block Ford V8...*)
Colin Newbold
Posts: 1282
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:41 am
Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Contact:

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by Colin Newbold »

If you think a Hawk will be tight Matt, you should try a Kirkham! Original cars were way smaller in the cockpit than the Hawk - you will have no trouble at all. I've removed a lot of the padding in my Kirkham seat but I wanted to stay on runners. In my previous Hawk I mounted the seat directly to the floor and never touched the seat padding. BTW I was about 6ft when I started my Hawk build, about 5' 10" now! Puts years on you Matt! Don't worry about fitting in the car, you'll be fine.
Good luck
Colin
"How you see yourself is all very well, but it's how others see you that will determine the results you get as a leader!"
User avatar
StewbieC
T289R Committee
T289R Committee
Posts: 1356
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:50 pm
Location: out in the sticks, Shropshire

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by StewbieC »

Hi Matt
Welcome to the club and to the forum!
As already highlighted there are plenty of things that can be done to accommodate your height!
Its easy for me to say, I'm a mere midget at 5'9".
Getting in and out of a Hawk is a technique that you learn very quickly. This is proven seeing some tall members who easily fold themselves into a Hawk with a Hardtop and sit very comfortably too!
All the best with the project and don't be shy with any questions you may have. We all started at the beginning at some point so no questions are deemed as daft especially if they can save you time and money!
________________________________________________
Stu
Hawk 289, 66 Mustang Fastback with a 289 maximum smiles per mile..
Frank289
T289R Member
T289R Member
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 8:12 pm

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by Frank289 »

Hello, and welkom. It might always be an option to put the foam wich used in the F1 in the seats. U sit in the seat and a plastic bag will be foamed full. that way u have a perfect sit and max space. thought they cost about 80 euro
grtz Frank. My seats are also mounted direct on the floor
Jerryedmans
T289R Member
T289R Member
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:56 am

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by Jerryedmans »

Hi Matthew,
I'm based in Litton, Derbyshire so not too far from Leeds. You'd be welcome to come by and try sitting in my Hawk. It's recently registered and I've just replaced the Mazda seats with a pair of Gerry's reproduction seats. I'm 6 foot exactly and whilst I'd have liked another inch of headroom I am reasonably happy (now the proper seats are in I am no longer head above the windscreen!). I've mounted my seats direct to the floor. If you found that you needed a bit more head room you could easily choose slightly lower profile seats. Gerry's are superb leather seats with metal frame and a sort of rubber hammock as springing/support. That said I think you could get seats that are an inch or 2 lower - perhaps fiberglass shells upholstered with a slightly thinner layer of foam. In terms of leg room, I do have my seats about as far back as they can go - it gives a more comfortable driving position (there's not much room in the footwell) but requires a slight stretch for the clutch pedal, but I think is probably the right balance for driving comfort. Let me know if you want to drop by. Cheers Jerry
mnicholson
T289R Member
T289R Member
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:18 am

Re: Hello! New member with a key question...

Post by mnicholson »

Brilliant, thank you. I will almost certainly take you up on that offer! Let me know generally which days work and hopefully we can coordinate something soon! Presuming it’s possible to private message on the forum?

Thanks again
Matt
Post Reply