brvette

I've got a question guys. The only classic corvette I've ever driven is my own 1972 coupe with tilt/telescopic. Last weekend I drove a friends 1966 convertible for about 30 minutes. The car has aftermarket seats that are secured in a fixed position. This is the way the car was when he bought it last year. The legroom was really bad. Just operating the brake and clutch had my knees almost hitting the steering wheel. In my C3 with the seat all the way back my 6'0" frame fits great and my legs are pretty stretched out. Not really knowing what kind of legroom a stock 1966 should have compared to my 1972 I held back on saying much. Should the reach to the pedals of a stock C2 and C3 about the same?

warrenmj

No. I previously owned a '75 and currently own a '66 with stock seats and the '75 definately had more room. I am only 5' 7" and don't have a problem, but anyone 6' driving my car would not be comfortable. Even at my height, my seat is all the way back.

2th farmer

You will probably get a much better response to your thread than I am gonna give but here goes.
I have a 67, 71 and 73 coupe. In my opinion there is more room in the C3's but not a great deal more. My 67 is very comfortable to drive (factory interior)
I too am around 6'1" and have no issues with the 67

Mike67nv

I’m 6’1” and fit into C2’s just fine. They don’t have the leg room of a C6 but it’s adequate. After driving later generation Corvettes and then going back to a ’67, my biggest issue was how close the steering wheel felt – but you get use to it.

Kerrmudgeon

Just under 6' here, and my 66 was great for legroom, if fact, about the same I think as a C3 with the seat all the way back. The C3's tilt back more which gives you the feeling of more room.
Long trips are very comfortable, just ask Jack!

brvette

Thanks for the feedback guys. I need to eyeball the seat position more closely next time I see the car. I think the seat may be mounted too far forward. I'd swear the pedals feels at least 6" closer than in my C3. Maybe more. It really took away from what should have been a great drive. Thanks again.

stingrayl76

Feeling closer in the C3 probably has more to do with the pedal position than the seat mounting. If the seat was mounted too far forward, you would have a hard time trying to get your legs under the steering wheel when entering or exiting the car.

Kerrmudgeon

When I drive a C3 I do have to move the seat a little forward to push the clutch all the way in, whereas in my 66 it was all the way back. It could be just getting used to it, or you might have legs like a giraffe!

If you think that's bad, try a early car!

OldKarz

6'1" here and I have plenty of room with the seat all the way back.

SledgeHammer 2.0

I am 6'3" and the only problem I have is initially getting in, getting my leg past the steering wheel is a finesse move. After that the leg room is fine and actually a better fit than a C3. I feel the C3 has less leg room and definitely less foot room.

Brucets11

6'5" here and no problem in my stock '66.

raypilot65

Your height alone is a little deceiving. I think it's more the length of ones legs. I'm 6' 1" but have long legs (34" inseam). I feel fine in my 65 but I would move the seat back another inch or so if it would move any farther. The only car I do not have the seat all the way back in is my 74 BMW 2002 tii.

Ron MN Blue

I'm 6'1" and have no fit problems in my '67. After driving my '99 FRC I do have a problem with how far away the shifter is, how long the throw is as well as how thin the steering wheel is. HA! With that said I love the '67 and drive it as much as possible.

_Nomad_

I am 6'1" and I have no problems with leg room in my 1966 convertible with stock interior.

It's getting in and out that is a crunch.

Kerrmudgeon

Holy moly, do you look over the windshield to drive?

alexandervdr

I am 6'4", and indeed the steering wheel feels pretty close to my body in my 1964 coupe. I hit the wheel when pressing the clutch unless I spread my knees. I am rebuilding the car and may modify the steering column. A bit higher , a bit deeper, eventually a smaller (are there any?) diameter steering wheel. That is what I did in my cobra replica, much tighter than the corvette. Fits fine now.

Alexander

Kerrmudgeon

If you go with a flat style wheel, you'll gain about 3 inches clearance, and you can go as small as you like, but steering gets a bit heavier the smaller you go. If you have power steering, there's no problem.

Tampa Jerry

I have a 66 and a 68. The 68 has more leg room than the 66. I am 6'1" and my knees would just hit the steering wheel in the 66. Sooo, I used the opportunity or excuse to order a 15" teak steering wheel with a shallow offset from Eric Freeman. I also added power steering. Problem solved. Jerry

BarryK

initially when I was in the market for an older vette back in 2003/2004 I was looking for an early chrome bumper C3 (68-72). I hadn't been in one in a LONG time and one dasy when the wife and I were at a dealer in NJ (Conte's Corvettes) I sat in a '69 and a '71 with my wife. neither of us were in the slightest bit comfortable in the C3 because of serious lack of leg room and foot room. I'm 6'2". The only way I could even sit in the car at all was with the steering column being a tilt/tele unit and it' was positioned UP on the tilt as much as possible than it wasn't comfortable at all to steer. Even my wife complained about lack of room and being uncomfortable in the passenger seat.
Right there and than I had to give up the idea of an early C3 as a car for me even though that's what i really wanted at the time. Before we left the dealership we just happened to sit in a '66 coupe even though a C2 was not at all on our list of possible cars because of it being so much more expensive but the INSTANT we both got in the '66 we looked at each other and smiles because we were both MUCH, MUCH more comfortable.
Being 6'2" a C2 is still tight for me but at least it was a significant enough improvement that I could actually get in easily, sit in it, and operate the pedals and steering.
We decided to re-do our budget when the wife said "if we can afford one of these (meaning a C2) lets get one"!
We bought our '65 a few months later.

Now, it seems the later year C3's must have more room in them with the re-designed interiors because a few years later I came across a deal on a '78 I couldn't pass up at the time and we bought that one for my wife and the '78 was very comfortable with even more legroom than my '65 (foot-room is still very tight on any C3) although the C3's have less headroom than the C2's if you are tall.

magicv8

I installed a 14 inch diameter walnut wheel with a 4 inch deep dish 24 years ago. I gives lots of knee room and makes getting in and out easy. The thing that helps with pedal room is to use the "fast-shift" lower clutch pedal position that puts the clutch pedal even with the power brake pedal.

Also, to get proper thigh support, I raised the front of the seat.