Hi there. I'm not very tall but the driving position of my '65 notch feels quite cramped. I've moved the seat back as far as possible and it seems ok, but the problem I'm having is with my knees hitting the steering wheel. If I have to hit the brakes in an emergency there's a very good chance I won't get my foot there in time.
Has anyone had to deal with this before and found a solution? I think if my steering wheel was smaller or higher then things would be improved. Don't want to put a modern looking wheel on there though.
Any suggestions?
Cheers

Surgery?

i also have found this problem with my 71 square, im quiet tall and i cant even use the breaks with my right foot while still being comfy so i use my left foot, took a bit to get used to but i got the hang of it

did you have to post in both forums?

Quote:

Originally posted by dubnbass i also have found this problem with my 71 square, im quiet tall and i cant even use the breaks with my right foot while still being comfy so i use my left foot, took a bit to get used to but i got the hang of it

this is a safety issue Vlad in case u r not sure here so one tries to find an answer for lifesaving!
not only for the driver and passenger(s) but other road users AND a rare vw!!! lol

In my Type 3 I tended to poke my right knee outwards towards the door trim I think. The pedal box in Type 3s is weird anyway because everything is so far into the centre of the car compared to the seat.

Get a smaller steering wheel. (i'm guessing you have a stock steering wheel?)

Cheers
D

yeah thats a possibility. Grant steering wheel?

http://www.grantproducts.com/products/browse/steering-wheels/automotive/ 

Cheers. I like one of those Grant wheels actually.
Does anyone know off the top of their head what the diameter and dish size of a standard steering wheel is?
Cheers

gee, there's not much to choose from

Cheers
D

yeah I know, thats why I in the end decided to stay stock. All of them are NQR in a type 3 imho.

Hi

Put some different seats in it and you can choose your driving position. My son is 6' 7" and I had to fit different seats and steering wheel to his bug.

Steve

Yeah. Changing seats is a bit drastic and never look correct afterwards, but I can understand why people would do it. If I was a little taller I'd probably have to resort to that.

There's a couple of wheel designs on that site which suit the period and style of the car. One in particular I like though only comes in 15" though. I think stock wheel size is 16" is it? The aftermarket one might be small enough if the dish is a little bigger than stock, making the wheel stick out further and giving more room for knees. Could be worth a try I guess.
Wish the bloody brake and accelerator were further to the right!!

stock is 14.96"

Quote:

Originally posted by vlad01 stock is 14.96"

Hi

Are your seats going all the way back, the runners are pretty crappy on VWs.

Steve

Quote:

Originally posted by azzatron Quote: Originally posted by vlad01 stock is 14.96" Ahh! Where were you when I asked that question 6 posts ago? I measures the wheel quickly yesterday and it seemed bigger than 15". Must of got it wrong. Are the early wheels the same size as the fat chicks? Cheers

Quote:

Originally posted by vlad01 Quote: Originally posted by azzatron Quote: Originally posted by vlad01 stock is 14.96" Ahh! Where were you when I asked that question 6 posts ago? I measures the wheel quickly yesterday and it seemed bigger than 15". Must of got it wrong. Are the early wheels the same size as the fat chicks? Cheers fat chick as in? you probably have a steering cover? VW didn't do inches and the measurement is 380mm which = 14.96"

;-)

Hopefully I don't have to resort to that... But you never know :P

Flat4 make original spec steering wheels here: http://www.flat4.co.jp/english/dtail-in.html#IN-213 
It's lists their diameter as 15-1/2" unless I'm mistaken?

It says they're made exactly the same as stock. Where did you get your information from Vlad?
I'm just trying to figure out what the sizes of these things are and am finding conflicting info. It's confusing.
Cheers

?? that's odd? I swear it was 380mm.

maybe that was another car I got that from? maybe late model? I also recall the same 380mm dimension from flat4.

hmmm

Yeah, 400mm seems to be a measurement used quite often also. Who knows.
I'll get a tape measure and find out for sure tomorrow.

Take the front seat out and sit in the back

milk crate, just like Ben, the Ben that had the fasty auto from Werribee.