At 6ft4 250 lbs how tight or impossible would it be to fit in a Pantera or a Mangusta??
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quote:Originally posted by DeLoreans and DeTomasos:
At 6ft4 250 lbs how tight or impossible would it be to fit in a Pantera or a Mangusta??
Before or after surgical alteration?
quote:Originally posted by Mark:
I am 6ft 230lbs and when I drop the floorpans I fit with no problems.
A Pantera isn't nearly the same as a 'goose unfortunately.
If you are mostly leg, it should be ok. If your height is in your body then headroom will be an issue. Dropped floor pans would be a must. I am 6.0 and my head is about 1/2 inch from the roof.
You will fit but you might have to take the seat out and have most all the padding on the bottom and back taken out. The hard part is when you want to go racing and need a helmet.
The dropped floor pans would be great but I can't bring myself to cut my car even on the bottom.
The dropped floor pans would be great but I can't bring myself to cut my car even on the bottom.
At 6'3" with dropped floor pans, I have enough head room, but not much to spare. At 6'4" I'm pretty sure you can make it work. And by the way, it is worth it! I think Matt Merrit is 6'5" and has owned at least two Panteras.
Art
Art
You can install dropped floor pans and that will really help, but the seats will be the final factor. Matt Merritt was around 6'6" and he had installed a very low racing seat without the brackets (I believe). And on his race car he even moved the Pedals forward to gain an extra inch or two.
quote:Originally posted by DeLoreans and DeTomasos:
At 6ft4 250 lbs how tight or impossible would it be to fit in a Pantera or a Mangusta??
Those are my exact same dimensions and I fit in the Pantera OK. Althgough Doug says I look like I am a gorilla, because my knee pokes up between the dash and the steering wheel. He claims to have a top secret fix but he won't show no pictures on how to do it.
I never said you were a gorilla DT. I said I thought I saw a gorilla driving a black Pantera and you said that it was you.
Also, I thought that this thread was about making a Mangusta more habitable?
A 2" drop in the floorpans in that car is much more effective then the Pantera becasuse of the drivers normal location of head room against the windshield, or very, very close to it.
I am 6'2". My floorpans are droped 2".
I am using Halls rebuilt/recovered stock seats.
With the stock seat tracks, the seating position was to low.
It doesn't help with the lack of leg room under the steering wheel much if at all.
I found that shimming out the foot pedal plate 2" increased my leg room very nicely.
More importantly it changes the angle of your legs and gives me about 1" clearance under the steering wheel AND a COMFORTABLE leg position!
If ANYONE is actually listening, I would recommend doing the pedal plate shimming BEFORE you do the dropped floor pans. Who listens to me?
The shim plates are available from the Pantera vendors. I would say on this modification, it is worth it's weight in gold.
Also, I thought that this thread was about making a Mangusta more habitable?
A 2" drop in the floorpans in that car is much more effective then the Pantera becasuse of the drivers normal location of head room against the windshield, or very, very close to it.
I am 6'2". My floorpans are droped 2".
I am using Halls rebuilt/recovered stock seats.
With the stock seat tracks, the seating position was to low.
It doesn't help with the lack of leg room under the steering wheel much if at all.
I found that shimming out the foot pedal plate 2" increased my leg room very nicely.
More importantly it changes the angle of your legs and gives me about 1" clearance under the steering wheel AND a COMFORTABLE leg position!
If ANYONE is actually listening, I would recommend doing the pedal plate shimming BEFORE you do the dropped floor pans. Who listens to me?
The shim plates are available from the Pantera vendors. I would say on this modification, it is worth it's weight in gold.
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Doug,
Moving the pedal box forward seems like the right way to go. With 2" is your spacer angled to lower the top of the booster/master cylinder so it doesn't touch the inside of the hood? I was also wondering how you overcome the fact that some of the pedal box mounting is via studs. Did you lengthen the existing ones, use barrel bolts or sleeves?
I bought some 10mm OD 7mm ID tube, and was thinking to run a metric tap down it to make some stud couplings.
Thanks,
Julian
Moving the pedal box forward seems like the right way to go. With 2" is your spacer angled to lower the top of the booster/master cylinder so it doesn't touch the inside of the hood? I was also wondering how you overcome the fact that some of the pedal box mounting is via studs. Did you lengthen the existing ones, use barrel bolts or sleeves?
I bought some 10mm OD 7mm ID tube, and was thinking to run a metric tap down it to make some stud couplings.
Thanks,
Julian
Yes the plate needs to be angle milled and even at that there is only space for a hares breath of clearance.
I used long bolts.
The studs are there to mount the pedal stop brackets.
In order to use the stops you need to extend the studs, yes. However if you convert to US SAE bolts and threads, coupling nuts are available.
You need to find a new mounting for the throttle.
I used a long bolt and drilled a hole through the side of the foot box.
It wasn't difficult.
I love to fabricate items like this so I made all my own components.
I am sure that if you buy a kit from Wilkinson, he supplies everything that you will need.
Most seem surprized to hear that this actually is a Ford Engineering "fix".
The story is that Ford wanted it to be incorporated into the car but Detomaso refused.
I used long bolts.
The studs are there to mount the pedal stop brackets.
In order to use the stops you need to extend the studs, yes. However if you convert to US SAE bolts and threads, coupling nuts are available.
You need to find a new mounting for the throttle.
I used a long bolt and drilled a hole through the side of the foot box.
It wasn't difficult.
I love to fabricate items like this so I made all my own components.
I am sure that if you buy a kit from Wilkinson, he supplies everything that you will need.
Most seem surprized to hear that this actually is a Ford Engineering "fix".
The story is that Ford wanted it to be incorporated into the car but Detomaso refused.
quote:Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
I never said you were a gorilla DT. I said I thought I saw a gorilla driving a black Pantera and you said that it was you.
Also, I thought that this thread was about making a Mangusta more habitable?
A 2" drop in the floorpans in that car is much more effective then the Pantera becasuse of the drivers normal location of head room against the windshield, or very, very close to it.
I am 6'2". My floorpans are droped 2".
I am using Halls rebuilt/recovered stock seats.
With the stock seat tracks, the seating position was to low.
It doesn't help with the lack of leg room under the steering wheel much if at all.
I found that shimming out the foot pedal plate 2" increased my leg room very nicely.
More importantly it changes the angle of your legs and gives me about 1" clearance under the steering wheel AND a COMFORTABLE leg position!
If ANYONE is actually listening, I would recommend doing the pedal plate shimming BEFORE you do the dropped floor pans. Who listens to me?
The shim plates are available from the Pantera vendors. I would say on this modification, it is worth it's weight in gold.
I listen to you Doug. I hang on your every word. Thanks for the pix. I do have a question though, do you have to undo your brake lines and all to add the spacer or can you just unbolt, move and bolt back up without having to bleed your brakes???????
You don't need to bleed anything. Just unbolt the plate and slide the spacer (3 sided) into place.
I'll bet it is easy enough for even a chimpanzee, I mean gorilla to do. I'm living proof.
I'll bet it is easy enough for even a chimpanzee, I mean gorilla to do. I'm living proof.
LOOK guys! Doug actually posted a pic...this is a monumentous moment!quote:Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
I said you were a gorilla DT.
quote:Originally posted by lastpushbutton:LOOK guys! Doug actually posted a pic...this is a monumentous moment!quote:Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
I said you were a gorilla DT.
Hip, hip, horay! Drinks for everyone! LPB, you buyin'?
I dont know ...... now I'm all mixed up ... LOL 9138 has stock floors dropped looks like 3" and I'm only 5-8 .... can I used 4" bricks to raise my seat up to see over the dash board ... and shim the pedals 6" ???????
problem problems ... LOL
problem problems ... LOL
I personally would use magnesium bricks, but that's just me.
...You will Buy the Pantera!! Fitting into it, and comfort is purely secondary. I'am 6'6" with 'stock floor pans' on a '74. I have my seats setting directly on the floor. I lower down and climb into the cockpit as if I were 'Slipping-On' a Jet Fighter. There Is enough headroom...
I should add that the 2" lowered pans were very usefull in finding clearance to put in a power seat system for bothe seats.
What I did was hack up two 92 Taurus power seats and modify them with my trusty Boy Scout welder kit, I got a merit badge for it.
Now it has power lumbar and about a million different positions for driver and passenger.
You can even have races with the passenger to see who's seat is faster.
What I did was hack up two 92 Taurus power seats and modify them with my trusty Boy Scout welder kit, I got a merit badge for it.
Now it has power lumbar and about a million different positions for driver and passenger.
You can even have races with the passenger to see who's seat is faster.
quote:In order to use the stops you need to extend the studs, yes. However if you convert to US SAE bolts and threads, coupling nuts are available.
Metric coupling nuts are available.
I supply them with my GRP 4 tail lights.
Check with your local nut and bolt distributor, not at Home Depot.
Larry
quote:At 6ft4 250 lbs how tight or impossible would it be to fit in a Pantera or a Mangusta??
I'm 6' 2" and drove a Goose this weekend. A Mangusta is MUCH tighter than my Pantera. There may be some foam removed from my Pantera seats and I still have the tracks on my seats. I can just feel the roof with my hair if I don't slowch. If I removed the seat rails I don't think a helmet would be a problem. Spacing the pedal box and a little more rake in the seat would gain a bunch of head room. Dropped pans, still much more.
The Goose is a totally different story. I was able to drive it, but it would be difficult to do it for long in stock trim. The seats are very raked forward and even with that I had to have my head tilted, no matter how I sat. My right knee was jammed into the ebrake. I think a Goose would be very difficult for you.