Re: 6 foot spider drivers

[RMMLA@domain.elided]

Have you checked to see how far back the seat goes? My veloce seats will go 
all the way back until they are jamb up against the rear package shelf. Maybe 
there is something blocking the travel of your seat.

Otherwise, I suggest that you buy an 87 Spider. I am 6' 2" tall, weigh 210 
pounds and have no problem with room in my 87. In fact I sit with the seat up 
one or two notches from the far back position because, otherwise, I have to 
hunch forward to reach the steering wheel. I have considerably more legroom 
and headroom in my Spider than my friend has in his Mercedes 560SL.

I do have a slight problem with my right thigh coming into contact with the 
shift knob in second gear if I wear thick soled running shoes or boots, but 
that is remedied by wearing driving mocs or taking my shoes off. (Thick soled 
shoes do not cut-it on size 14 feet in a Spider footwell.) I understand that 
the shifter can be rotated to the right so that it will not hit my thigh but 
the problem is not bad enough to force me to spend a weekend adjusting shift 
knobs.
 
In looking, I have noticed some differences in the 91 and later dashes, ie; 
they have a knee guard as part of the driver restraint system. However, that 
should not cause interference with the steering wheel. 

By the way, if you are the gent who posted earlier about purchasing a 
"perfect" 91, I have a comment on the first gear syncronizer problem. While 
all my gears will crunch if I get impatient, first is an enigma. When 
downshifting from second while the car is moving it does not crunch. However, 
if I shift into neutral and take my foot off the clutch at a light then push 
in the clutch and shift into first it will crunch bigtime. Very odd. My cure 
is to either depress the clutch and give the gear about 10 seconds to spin 
down or to tap it into second before sliding it into first.

Oh, and (ooohhh) that smell. If you stay with the digest you will find that 
odor containment is a major recurring theme. Mildew mixed with hot dirty oil 
and decaying organic padding materials. Gas vapors mysteriously wafting into 
the cabin. Two pieces of advice: Drive with the top down. Keep your engine 
and transmission clean, especially between the cam covers and the exhaust 
manifold. Keep your gas cap on tight (believe me). I  have found that the 
vanilla air fresheners work best... 

I think the 91 is a good looking car and I like the clean lines. Certainly my 
old 87 is a blast to drive. Good luck with your purchase. 

Mike Morgan
Atlanta Georgia

> Subject: 6 foot Spider drivers
> 
> Hi
> I'm contemplating the purchase of spider in the near future. I've wanted 
> one
> ever since a Blonde in Spider blew the doors off my V6 German Capri back in
> '74. I finnally went to look at a 1991 that was for sale and I was 
> horrified
> to find that my legs came into contact with the steering wheel every move I
> made to the clutch or brake. I fiddled with the seat and adjusted my 
> seating
> position every which way I could but no luck!
> 
> All you 6 foot plus spider drivers out there, if there are any, how did you
> overcome this problem? I had one person suggest moving the seat rails back 
> two
> inches.
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