C3 headroom variance
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
C3 headroom variance
Hello gentlemen,
I am looking to purchase my first Corvette. I have decided to go for a 62-63 T-top manual.
I found 2 for sale yesterday at a dealer near me so I decided to go test drive them.
Now the problem is that I sat on the first one and I had no head room. I was very disappointed. I was thinking I was going to be stuck with a bubble window. I do fit on the 78-82 C3.
However my wife convinced me to sit on the second 72 C3 and surprisingly it was much more spacious.
I asked the dealer why they were so different, and he said the second one has all the bells and whistles including the aero chairs.
I have been trying to find more information about this chairs and cannot find anything.
Here is a picture for the first car (I love this car but I don't fit on it)
and a picture of the second car (I fit on this one but hate the color)
The only visual cues I see are the direction of the pattern in the chair. The car i fit on has leather chairs. and the armrest is different.
I would appreciate any feedback to figure out why there is so much headroom difference and how to tell if i am going to fit on a car or not without sitting on it.
Thanks a lot guys and happy New Year!
I am looking to purchase my first Corvette. I have decided to go for a 62-63 T-top manual.
I found 2 for sale yesterday at a dealer near me so I decided to go test drive them.
Now the problem is that I sat on the first one and I had no head room. I was very disappointed. I was thinking I was going to be stuck with a bubble window. I do fit on the 78-82 C3.
However my wife convinced me to sit on the second 72 C3 and surprisingly it was much more spacious.
I asked the dealer why they were so different, and he said the second one has all the bells and whistles including the aero chairs.
I have been trying to find more information about this chairs and cannot find anything.
Here is a picture for the first car (I love this car but I don't fit on it)
and a picture of the second car (I fit on this one but hate the color)
The only visual cues I see are the direction of the pattern in the chair. The car i fit on has leather chairs. and the armrest is different.
I would appreciate any feedback to figure out why there is so much headroom difference and how to tell if i am going to fit on a car or not without sitting on it.
Thanks a lot guys and happy New Year!
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,218
Likes: 4,303
From: Westminster Maryland
Hi DJ,
I believe the seats in the cars are the same.
There was NO significant difference in the seats within the 68-72 model years. Only in the seat cover pattern
It looks to me like the black car has had the seat covers replaced more recently and the seat foam was replaced too. This makes the seat bottoms more 'puffy' and MAY cut down on headroom a bit.
The arm rest in the black interior is an aftermarket item.
My bet is that the seats in the blue interior have had the rubber seat back bumpers removed which allows the backs to tilt back further and gives more headroom. Many people did that over the years. Compare the rake of the seat back to lock pillar in each picture.
Regards,
Alan
AERO CHAIRS....that's a new one!
I believe the seats in the cars are the same.
There was NO significant difference in the seats within the 68-72 model years. Only in the seat cover pattern
It looks to me like the black car has had the seat covers replaced more recently and the seat foam was replaced too. This makes the seat bottoms more 'puffy' and MAY cut down on headroom a bit.
The arm rest in the black interior is an aftermarket item.
My bet is that the seats in the blue interior have had the rubber seat back bumpers removed which allows the backs to tilt back further and gives more headroom. Many people did that over the years. Compare the rake of the seat back to lock pillar in each picture.
Regards,
Alan
AERO CHAIRS....that's a new one!
Last edited by Alan 71; Dec 30, 2012 at 03:27 PM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
I am confused. How does the tele tilt wheel make a difference on how close my head is to the roof? And how does my weight and height make a difference from one car to the next? It is not like i an getting taller on one car and shorter on the other.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,117
Likes: 104
From: charlotte north carolina
i don't see the seat position release ball in the black car. it may be the picture, or the seats may have been bolted to the floor after the mounting rails were removed. i removed the rails on my coupe for just this reason, and i also did not install the headliners in the t-tops. gained about 2 inches of headroom.
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Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 4,114
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From: Madeira Beach, FL
2024 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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Sir:
I'm 6' and 230lbs.
I can't do anything about the 6' part but the 230lbs is definitely my fault
I have a '68 which has the tightest interior of the C-3's and I fit.
I have to be careful to sit first on the seat and swing my legs in/under the steering wheel or I loose a portion of my quad area on the steering wheel.
I have a telescopic wheel only. Tilt was not avail till the following year.
I'm going to guess here and say the seats in the second pic have had a thinner seat cushion installed under the blk vinyl covers.
Maybe PO had same problems w/ fitting in drivers seat when the t-tops were in place?
A custom upolstrey shop could have fitted those seats with thinner foam. Just a guess.
I like the blue 1 worth the struggle getting in/out to me.
Once in and situated its miles of smiles from there .
Just go for it!
Marshal
I'm 6' and 230lbs.
I can't do anything about the 6' part but the 230lbs is definitely my fault
I have a '68 which has the tightest interior of the C-3's and I fit.
I have to be careful to sit first on the seat and swing my legs in/under the steering wheel or I loose a portion of my quad area on the steering wheel.
I have a telescopic wheel only. Tilt was not avail till the following year.
I'm going to guess here and say the seats in the second pic have had a thinner seat cushion installed under the blk vinyl covers.
Maybe PO had same problems w/ fitting in drivers seat when the t-tops were in place?
A custom upolstrey shop could have fitted those seats with thinner foam. Just a guess.
I like the blue 1 worth the struggle getting in/out to me.
Once in and situated its miles of smiles from there .
Just go for it!
Marshal
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,252
Likes: 767
From: Waterford WI
"aero chairs"? Run Forrest, run!
Nobody has mentioned that all the chrome bumper cars came from the factory with a bag of shims and spacers to adjust the seat/s upward or change the angle. It's just possible someone used those rather than throwing them away.
Nobody has mentioned that all the chrome bumper cars came from the factory with a bag of shims and spacers to adjust the seat/s upward or change the angle. It's just possible someone used those rather than throwing them away.
Last edited by 62corvette; Dec 30, 2012 at 05:58 PM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Thanks for all the replies guys.
I am definitely not buying from this guy. The cars are overpriced anyway and I definitely do not trust this guy now after the whole "AeroChairs" BS.
I think modifying my chair is a good solution. Taking it of the tracks seems a little radical but i'll do it if using the shims and spacers does not work.
Glass tops would help but they are not really my style. if you guys were curious i am 6'4 and 205 pounds.
I am definitely not buying from this guy. The cars are overpriced anyway and I definitely do not trust this guy now after the whole "AeroChairs" BS.
I think modifying my chair is a good solution. Taking it of the tracks seems a little radical but i'll do it if using the shims and spacers does not work.
Glass tops would help but they are not really my style. if you guys were curious i am 6'4 and 205 pounds.
Last edited by DJmaya; Dec 30, 2012 at 06:51 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
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From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,165
Likes: 93
From: Bellmore NY
Im going to take a wild guess and say that "aero" chairs are the pace car seats. Not that I have any experience with them, but they look a little "scooped out", kind of like gutting the bread material out of a bagel...is it possible that this could also give some extra clearance?
Outside of that, I would learn as much as you can about these cars by looking at those "coralled" at a dealer, then search privately
Outside of that, I would learn as much as you can about these cars by looking at those "coralled" at a dealer, then search privately
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,146
Likes: 2,038
From: Easton, PA
St. Jude Donor '10
Hey guys, David Howard here. You may or may not have noticed that DJMaya(Original Poster) bought my 1977 red modified coupe this past Saturday. He is quite tall and my seats had new foam and new covers installed on them so he definately sat tall in the saddle. The idea of removing the railing and mounting directly to the floor as well as removing the T-Top pad may be good ones for him and he mentioned those to me when he was here Saturday. Anyway, he bought a good car from me and drove it Saturday and Sunday back from Eastern, PA to Chicago, its new home. Watch for him to post soon and I hope he shares his experience with getting the seat the way he wants it on this car.
Thanks as always for helping out our fellow C-3 friends.
Best regards,
David Howard
Thanks as always for helping out our fellow C-3 friends.
Best regards,
David Howard
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 12
From: wichita kansas
[QUOTE=DJmaya;1582691743] "Hello gentlemen,
I am looking to purchase my first Corvette. I have decided to go for a 62-63 T-top manual.
I found 2 for sale yesterday at a dealer near me so I decided to go test drive them."
no one even mentioned how rare these two cars that he is looking at actually are!! i mean, 62-63 T-tops???? (and aero seats) must be COPO cars..
I am looking to purchase my first Corvette. I have decided to go for a 62-63 T-top manual.
I found 2 for sale yesterday at a dealer near me so I decided to go test drive them."
no one even mentioned how rare these two cars that he is looking at actually are!! i mean, 62-63 T-tops???? (and aero seats) must be COPO cars..
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
As AllC34Me said, I did buy his 77 vette.
I drove it over 2 days for 12 hours with absolutely no mechanical problems. It really come to show how solid the car restoration is.
The headroom is actually a smaller issue than I had previously experienced on other C3s. My head is not actively touching the ceiling when on a "comfortable" driving position. After a few road bumps I learned to keep a closer eye on the road and lower my head when a bump/ bridge/dip/pot hole was unavoidable. The adjustable steering was great because even though I am 6'4 I could put the wheel at a comfortable angle as I switched positions every hour or so.
I have started looking into improving my headroom on the car. And I am starting with this list:
1) remove panel attached to the removable T-top
2) inclining seat into a more "bucket seat" angle
3) lowering/removing seat rails
4) reducing seat padding thickness and replacing with very high density padding
I have put them in an order of less to most invasive (and expensive) solutions.
I drove it over 2 days for 12 hours with absolutely no mechanical problems. It really come to show how solid the car restoration is.
The headroom is actually a smaller issue than I had previously experienced on other C3s. My head is not actively touching the ceiling when on a "comfortable" driving position. After a few road bumps I learned to keep a closer eye on the road and lower my head when a bump/ bridge/dip/pot hole was unavoidable. The adjustable steering was great because even though I am 6'4 I could put the wheel at a comfortable angle as I switched positions every hour or so.
I have started looking into improving my headroom on the car. And I am starting with this list:
1) remove panel attached to the removable T-top
2) inclining seat into a more "bucket seat" angle
3) lowering/removing seat rails
4) reducing seat padding thickness and replacing with very high density padding
I have put them in an order of less to most invasive (and expensive) solutions.