Tall man problems

[jimcobber]

I have a 98 cobra and would like to move the drivers seat back a little. I found a set of adapters on LMR that are just what I needed. The problem is the 98 has 2 retractors, one on top and one on the bottom. The bottom one only allows you to move the seat back about 1 inch from stock. I am scratching my head trying to come up with a solution. One may be to convert the seatbelt to just a top retractor to get rid of the bottom one. Any other tall 98 owners out there with a solution to this?

 

[jgt58]

When you say retractor what are you referring to

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[shurur]

 

[jimcobber]

When you say retractor what are you referring to

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The thing that rolls up your seat belt.

 

[jimcobber]

Yup, that's what I bought.

 

[jimcobber]

By the way this is the convertible model. I don't know if the fixed roof 98 has the same setup.

 

[jgt58]

By the way this is the convertible model. I don't know if the fixed roof 98 has the same setup.

Can you post a pic?

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[DEEZBLUBALLZ]

Don’t these extenders also lift the seat up a bit?

 

[shurur]

Don’t these extenders also lift the seat up a bit?

Yes.
They lift it up 1/2" or more, as they do not follow the contour of the floor pan...Also the windshield gets smaller as you are suddenly further away..
Also you are further from the steering wheel and that third gear shift.

I installed these, extended my steering wheel 4" with a DIY Momo adapter/Sparco extender combo (Hogged out to slip over the the clock spring connector) and extended my shift with a Steeda comfort pro shift lever and some extenders that I had CNC'd that moved the shift mount point 2" back and 2" up.

Later I had someone make me a custom AL shift lever.

I used the 96-98 seat adapter bracket because it was lower than the 99+. And then had to have the seat belt end attached to the tunnel like the SN95, as the Newedge seat belt end attaches to the seat bracket itself.

 

[jimcobber]

Can you post a pic?

One pict shows the retractor, the second shows the seat slam up against the retractor. At that point the seat is only about 1" or so further back from stock. I don't think I can unbolt the retractor and move it further aft. There must be some welded support structure that it bolts to on the body.

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[DEEZBLUBALLZ]

With 96-98 brackets how much did these lift the seat up? I simply can't do another 1/2 inch. My head would hit the headliner lol. My old 1999 Mustang seemed to have more room than this 03 Cobra.

 

[shurur]

View attachment 1620823 View attachment 1620824

I suspect those retractors are bolted in.
You could probably relocate them the same way I relocated my belt attach to the tunnel.
Drill a new hole and install new bolt with fender washers. You could have a nut or bolt tacked to the pan as well..a good shop could do that for you...that was done by a shop for me on the tunnel buckle attachment.

 

[shurur]

With 96-98 brackets how much did these lift the seat up? I simply can't do another 1/2 inch. My head would hit the headliner lol. My old 1999 Mustang seemed to have more room than this 03 Cobra.

We are hijacking OP's thread..but these are related issues for after the brackets go in..sooo...

The total would be ~1/2" I would say....really the thickness of the metal stock of the extenders and the 96-98 brackets..but you are setting the seat back as well and so the windshield space gets smaller as the angle is changing..

But your existing seat is going to go directly on these extenders for your first test fitting..

You just have to do each adjustment as it comes..

First you get the legroom..then see how the reach to the steering wheel and third gear shift is for you...and how low you need to sit to get more headroom and windshield..it is a process..and adjusted to you.

I had to adjust everything back 4"...seat, steering wheel and shift lever..then get as low as possible.

I got new seats that sit lower...APC...
So that would/might be your next step..Sparco...Corb...etc..anything that doesn't have to house seat motors..

Aside: My 90+ YO dad got in the seat for a drive and could't reach the pedals with the seat all the way forward. Now that he is gone, it makes me sad that he never got to drive her..

 

[dkblue98gt]

At 6'4" I tried the seat track extenders and didn't like how tall they made the seats or how far away my shift lever was. I ended up with Corbeau CR1 seats with adapters so I could use manual stock seat tracks. The seats sit very low and the extension with the seat all the way back is perfect.

I have a set of the extender tracks in my garage if anyone wants them

 

[shurur]

We need to give inseam and heal to hip socket measurements for OP...

36" 42"

 

[dkblue98gt]

36" 33"

 

[shurur]

36" 33"

So your height is more in your upper body.
My older bother is built like that, 74" (6'2") with an 80" reach..

Op, this should give you a clue as to the what approach to take to solve your problem.

 

[jimcobber]

Yes.
They lift it up 1/2" or more, as they do not follow the contour of the floor pan...Also the windshield gets smaller as you are suddenly further away..
Also you are further from the steering wheel and that third gear shift.

I installed these, extended my steering wheel 4" with a DIY Momo adapter/Sparco extender combo (Hogged out to slip over the the clock spring connector) and extended my shift with a Steeda comfort pro shift lever and some extenders that I had CNC'd that moved the shift mount point 2" back and 2" up.

Later I had someone make me a custom AL shift lever.

I used the 96-98 seat adapter bracket because it was lower than the 99+. And then had to have the seat belt end attached to the tunnel like the SN95, as the Newedge seat belt end attaches to the seat bracket itself.

With me, think more like guerrilla than T-Rex, so no controls extensions needed.

 

[jimcobber]

I suspect those retractors are bolted in.
You could probably relocate them the same way I relocated my belt attach to the tunnel.
Drill a new hole and install new bolt with fender washers. You could have a nut or bolt tacked to the pan as well..a good shop could do that for you...that was done by a shop for me on the tunnel buckle attachment.

Yeah I need to take it apart and see what the possibilities are for relocating. The other idea is to get a single top retractor from an 99 and see if I can get it to fit.

 

[shurur]

Yeah I need to take it apart and see what the possibilities are for relocating. The other idea is to get a single top retractor from an 99 and see if I can get it to fit.

Keep us posted.
This is a good thread for us tall folks.

And sorry for hijacking the thread with other stuff, but they addressed bridges you may need to cross after you handle this seat belt issue.