tall guys in panteras

River,
Welcome to the board! I'm 6'3" 240lbs. I make myself fit into the car. Wait tell you buy one of these cars you'll find a way to get comfortable so you can drive it. I met a guy a few years ago at a car show he must have been all of 6'7" and he fit....some how!

River:

Welcome to the club! I've been passionate about owning a Pantera since I first rode in one (my cousin's Grabber Blue 1972) in 1974 at the age of 12. Finally bought a '74 in '03. I'm 6'-2", 200 lbs. Assuming the car has stock seats and stock floor pans, you can JUST fit. Forget about wearing a helmet though (if you plan on doing track events). The stock seats are very low but not comfortable for anything longer than a 30 minute ride. But don't worry about any of this. There are alternatives for seats and for about $400, you can buy a set of prefabricated dropped floor pans (rear sections) that will increase your headroom by 2". You've come to the right forum. There's NOTHING quite like a Pantera! Check out our website http://www.jerseypanteras.com


Swen

The stock 71 cars have good space for tall people because of the thin seats http://www.panteraplace.com/page48.htm

...I am 6' 6", and the Only person that will ever drive this Pantera; for the time being, anyway. Get rid of the Seat Tracks! Also the stick shift is too long, cut it down 1.0". While your having a great time, remove the spring spacers too. To Quote one 'Car Building Expert', "A lowered center of gravity is a joy Forever!"...

RF,

Matt Merritt is also about Marlin's size. First time I met Matt I asked how the hell do you fit in a Pantera? He told me he dropped the floor pans and moved the foot box forward (long legs).

The point is, all of these things can be done as your body dictates. Tall people do drive Panteras.

I was 6'2" when I was younger, I'm now about 6'1", so you fit better as you get older

George

Why is it that the tallest Pantera drive does not have dropped pans, but the shortest has a 4" drop? Weird.

Riverflyer -- You should have no problems. There are a number of simple changes you can make to get plenty of room. With more extensive changes, someone as tall as 6'7" should be able to comfortably drive a Pantera. I am 6'5" and can drive with a helment on the track.

See the article that I wrote on the subject.
http://www.PanteraAdventure.com/tall_man_conversions.htm

I installed c5 vette seats..they sit very well. I used the Pantera tracks and only had to modify one hole on each side..pass and driver. only problem is pass side not going bak all the way. This can be solved for about $1500 from Kirk Evans...hump removal VIA alternator relocation. Not to many people get in the car with me anyway so I let them sit close.

LPB,

how much headroom was lost when you installed the C5 seats? I've narrowed my choices down to either rebuilding the stock seats, installing the the C5 seats or installing the Momo Speed 2 seats. (of course the C6 seats are even better than the C5 seats).

George

Plenty of tall guys - up to about 6'6" - drive Panteras.

One thing I noticed while looking for my first Pantera was that some cars fit me fine and others couldn't even get into. Mostly the earlier cars were more comfortable for me.

I also took some fiberglass racing seats and cut out the bottom so the only thing between my butt and the floor pans was a little seat padding. That enabled me to avoid dropping the floor pans and worked fine so long as I wasn't wearing a helmet.

My current car is race prepared and has dropped floor pans and a highly modified, floor-mounted pedal system. Having removed the center console helps a lot too (but I wouldn't recommend doing that to a street Pantera).

Matt Merritt
#2171

I am 6.1 and 200lbs The c5 seats ...or should I say my the driver seat, is a blessing. They have a lever that lets them lean back at the rear. I must admit that neither one will slide for or back because both are jammed to the floor. The tracks are there and could be adjusted for another driver. If they could pry my hands of the wheel!