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Thread: Gen 3 in N FL/AL/W TN/W Kentucky

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    Gen 3 in N FL/AL/W TN/W Kentucky

    I'm a big guy, so before I get too enthused about a FFR Type 65 Coupe, it'd be good to find out if I can actually fit in one! I live near Tallahassee, FL, but I'm planning a trip to western Kentucky. Is there anyone with a Gen 3 Coupe along that route that would let me see if I can crawl into the driver's seat? Thanks!

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    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Can't help you since my location is way too far away. But two comments FWIW. (1) What seats are used will make a huge difference. The Gen 3 Coupe has a lot of space, and with the right seats I suspect you would fit OK. Assuming you can find one to look at, just keep that in mind. You'd be best to make your way to Factory Five in Massachusetts. Frankly, for that big of a purchase and effort, might be worth it. Really interesting place to visit and lots of other things in the area. They have Kirkey low back seats in the one on the showroom floor, which allows the most room possible. (2) Even the Gen 3 with the taller/wider doors can be challenging to get in and out of. I'm still working on my technique.

    Welcome to the forum BTW.
    Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread
    Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video
    Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.

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    Senior Member John Dol's Avatar
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    As far as technique, I've found that going head first putting your hands on the tunnel, then pulling your right leg in, followed by your left leg is the easiest way.
    I'm not a big guy but sat in John Georges coupe at the open house, and it offers a lot more room then the Gen 2.
    Even the Gen 2 holds guys of 6'+ with the right seat.

    John
    Finished the "My Coupe, my way" project.

    http://s956.photobucket.com/albums/ae46/jdcoupe1969/
    Coupe #386,17" Team III 245 FR 315 RR, 3-link, T5, 4 wheel disk, power brakes/steering. Sniper EFI
    First start Sept. 18 2013 First go kart Sept 19 2013

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    Senior Member wareaglescott's Avatar
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    Another thing to keep in mind is a car setup for a non big guy will not do you much good.
    I went and sat in 3 Roadsters before building mine because I was concerned with fitting. I am 6'3". I didn't fit in 2 of the 3 worth a squat. When I built mine I did the seats for a tall guy and it was like sitting in a totally different cockpit.

    What you really need to find is a Gen 3 to sit in that also has a big driver. IF you find one built by a small guy you likely won't fit.
    MK4 #8900 - complete kit - Coyote, TKO600, IRS - Delivered 6/28/16 First Start 10/6/16 Go cart - 10/16/16 Build completed - 4/26/17 - 302 days to build my 302 CI Coyote Cobra - Registered and street legal 5/17/17
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    Feet, too!

    I'm 6'3", 300lb. I also have 16EEE feet. What are the footwells like? I have dealt with tight foot space in other cars by cutting the big wide pedals down to much narrower pedals so I could put a foot on one without hitting all three.

    On the Mk4, there's a curved pipe in the frame to the outboard side of the footwell, apparently contributing to side-impact protection. I haven't checked yet, but I presume the Gen 3 Daytona has something similar. I was thinking I'd just cut that pipe out if it helped foot space. It clearly doesn't contribute to structural integrity because it's curved; a straight diagonal brace right there would have made more sense to me from a structural viewpoint.

    There was a comment on the FFR site about what engine you choose making a difference in the footwell space. Whassup wit dat? The frame and aluminum panels are the same, are they not?

    My size has already narrowed my thinking. I quickly gave up on anything mid-engined, including FFR's supercar, because I'm not confident I could get into *any* of them. I thought about the AC -- I'm still thinking about the AC -- but I'd really rather have a roof.

    Good to know about the Kirkey seats. The web site mentioned choosing the right seat for tall people, but then neglected to mention what seat that would be!

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    Has anyone considered going with a removable steering wheel to make getting in and out easier?

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    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kirbert View Post
    I'm 6'3", 300lb. I also have 16EEE feet. What are the footwells like? I have dealt with tight foot space in other cars by cutting the big wide pedals down to much narrower pedals so I could put a foot on one without hitting all three.

    On the Mk4, there's a curved pipe in the frame to the outboard side of the footwell, apparently contributing to side-impact protection. I haven't checked yet, but I presume the Gen 3 Daytona has something similar. I was thinking I'd just cut that pipe out if it helped foot space. It clearly doesn't contribute to structural integrity because it's curved; a straight diagonal brace right there would have made more sense to me from a structural viewpoint.

    There was a comment on the FFR site about what engine you choose making a difference in the footwell space. Whassup wit dat? The frame and aluminum panels are the same, are they not?

    My size has already narrowed my thinking. I quickly gave up on anything mid-engined, including FFR's supercar, because I'm not confident I could get into *any* of them. I thought about the AC -- I'm still thinking about the AC -- but I'd really rather have a roof.

    Good to know about the Kirkey seats. The web site mentioned choosing the right seat for tall people, but then neglected to mention what seat that would be!
    Here's a picture of the Gen 3 driver's side footbox from my current build. Obviously a construction zone, but gives you a little bit of an idea. The Wilwood pedals could be narrowed or moved. Your shoe size is going to be challenging in any of these cars IMO, but the new Coupe is probably as good as it's going to get. It's noticeably wider than my Mk4 Roadster. I'm only 10-1/2 wide, but even then what shoes I wear makes a big difference. There are no round tubes in the new Coupe. All square. The tube in the lower LH corner runs the entire side of the frame. The diagonal brace on the LH side fits me nicely as a dead pedal rest. Overall quite different than how the Roadster is constructed. I don't cut/remove frame components, and highly discourage anyone from doing so. For this or the Roadster, wouldn't make a big difference anyway. For the Roadster, agreed the round tube around the footbox is for safety. But it's right up against the sheet metal which is right against the body in the bottom corner of the footbox. Little to be gained. The comment about sheet metal making a difference in the Roadster is a little dated. That used to be the case. But they ship the same sheet metal with all kits now, and it's been maximized about as far as it can go.



    Quote Originally Posted by Kirbert View Post
    Has anyone considered going with a removable steering wheel to make getting in and out easier?
    Yes. That's a somewhat common mod that some builders do.
    Last edited by edwardb; 04-18-2018 at 05:46 AM.
    Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread
    Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video
    Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.

  8. #8

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    I am a big person: 6.5 with a 40 in waist. I must say I sat almost perfect in the show car in the FF showroom. The problem was getting in and out; it was not a pretty sight. With some training I guess the procedure can be improved.

    The show car has a removable steering wheel. It was installed when I got in but I removed it before getting out. It did not getting out any easier.

  9. #9
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    The shipped aluminum is designed to fit a Coyote engine so if you go small block there is space to make the foot box wider around the accelerator pedal. If you are big you will really want a removable steering wheel. Getting in and out does require a "special" technique as noted above. The Cobra is much easier to get into.
    David W
    Mkll 4874 built in 2004
    Gen 3 coupe #16 registered 2018 painted 2019

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    Wow! Great pix, thanks! It appears the pedal pads on those Wilwood pedals can be moved over by simply removing the four screws and relocating. Neat! I'd probably relocate them to the left to begin with, as what looks tightest is the gas pedal. I have no plans to do a lot of heel-and-toe work anyway.

    Speaking of heel-and-toe, I thought I'd share a bit of history. My foster father's name was Jack Slottag. At Daytona in 1965, he drove a Ferrari 250 GTO to victory over the Daytona Coupes. One Daytona Coupe caught fire in the pits. Later that same year, Jack stuffed that Ferrari into the sand bank at the hairpin at Sebring, ending the Ferrari's career. The car's owner, Larry Perkins, later sold the car for about $4000. For any of you who know of Ferrari 250 GTO's, be aware that this wasn't just *any* 250 GTO, it was the *first one made*. Yeah, Perkins would have been well-advised to hold onto it for a few years. It won top prize at Cavallino a few years back; Perkins and I were there, Perkins being a key part of the car's presentation.

    Anyhow, the reason it got stuffed into the sand bank had to do with heel-and-toe. To make heel-and-toe easier for endurance races, Perkins had welded a bar to the gas pedal that curved down and left underneath the brake pedal so you could heel-and-toe literally rather than having to twist your foot sideways or rock it left and right.

    One tip that experienced racers know: Never wear "tennis shoes" or any shoe with rubber involved, for two reasons. First, in a fire they'll melt and become one with your feet. But mainly, they offer no traction when grease and oil is involved, which is often the case around racing pits of the day and even inside a Ferrari footwell. Jack had brought the wrong shoes, and had discovered the seriousness of his error during practice. The only leather-soled shoes he had along were a pair of very expensive Italian loafers, so he decided to wear those. Perkins advised him to just break the heels off of them, but Jack refused, the shoes were too expensive.

    So after Perkins drives a stint, they pull into the pits and switch drivers, a debacle that involves seat cushions because Jack was a bunch shorter than Perkins. Then Jack pulls out onto the course, makes one left turn, then negotiates the esses, then takes the long sweeper to the hairpin. The hairpin in those days was the tightest corner in all of auto racing. Jack hit the brakes hard for the corner, but evidently his heel contacted that bar on the gas pedal and goosed the engine, and the net result was a Ferrari on top of the sand pile -- only three corners after leaving the pits. And Jack couldn't possibly get it out on his own, so he had to request assistance, thereby disqualifying the car from the race. A matter of minutes later a Ford GT40 crashed in the same spot and caught fire, killing the driver.
    Last edited by Kirbert; 04-18-2018 at 10:40 AM.

  11. #11
    Senior Member Gbeck's Avatar
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    Thanks for that little nugget of history. Love it!
    Gen 2 Type 65 Coupe. Gen 2 Coyote. T-bird IRS. 3.55 Torsen diff.
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