Series III and more leg room

[Sputnicker]

I'm 6'6" and have had my 88 for 35 years. It's a very uncomfortable drive, but bearable. The key is to stop frequently (while you can still move), which forces you to take your time and enjoy the journey. If I'm in a hurry to get somewhere, I don't take the Land Rover.

I don't know of any way of improving the driving position in an 88 because of the bulkhead. Many 109s don't have the bulkhead and would be easier to modify. Reducing the height of the seat cushion helps with the visibility, but makes the knee-angle even more acute. It also eliminates some of the cushioning, which really comes in handy whilst 4-wheeling in a leaf-sprung relic.

[marsjess]

I'm 6'4" and its to small

I just had to have an 88" series and bought one before driving it. I still love it but I have thought about moving the aft bulkhead. I can live with the cramped leg room but hunching over to see out the window is getting on my nerves.

[LaneRover]

I just had to have an 88" series and bought one before driving it. I still love it but I have thought about moving the aft bulkhead. I can live with the cramped leg room but hunching over to see out the window is getting on my nerves.

Take the top off!

[lstrvr]

Weighing in, literally. I am 6'4" and 275lb, and cannot fit comfortably in my friends 109's, but they can hardly reach the pedals in mine. If you are "building" your truck, there is a lot you can do for improvement. For my 109, I repositioned the steering wheel when I performed the power steering conversion. This moved it up off my knees and in a little more providing more than enough space. I also "notched" my rear bulkhead to allow the seat back to move back, and notched the seatbox flange to allow the bottom cushion to move farther back as well. My seat cushion is mounted directly to the seatbox allowing it to be as low as possible.

I find that the seating position in my truck is comfortable enough for extended travel and am always impressed with how fresh I feel after a days drive in it. We did a trip up to Alaska last year on a tight schedule, and spent an average of over 13 hours a day driving with no discontent at all.

My only complaint is trying to see out the windshield at a traffic light although most of this problem was solved by going back to the original LR springs on the rear. My 4-leaf Heystees sat ridiculously high in the back severely compounding the problem. I am planning on building a custom seat box that will be cut low on the drivers side allowing for a suspension equipped seat base that will be further back and lower than the current position. I was lucky enough to source from work a set of C-130 Hercules Pilot and Co-pilot seat cushions that fit the bill perfectly for that series look. Funny enough, their dimensions are almost exactly that of the original series cushions, just a bit higher in the back.

[yorker]

Spencer,

...most British and old Japanese vehicles are too narrow/short in the footwell or not tall enough in the cab to be truly comfortable.

I don't know- if you swap back and forth between an 88" and a ca. 1974 Toyota FJ40 the difference is night and day. The FJ40 almost feels "normal" as compared to the seating position in an 88" I'm 6'2" and i can deal witht he Series ok but I am used to it- My father and brother who are similar in size absolutely hate driving my Series trucks because of the seating.

The RRC seems too small for me. I don't know why or where but even with all the adjustments to the seat it still is wrong for me.

I guess what it comes down to is how much you are willing to turn a blind eye to for the sake of driving a Series.

In any event it beats walking.

[yorker]

My only complaint is trying to see out the windshield at a traffic light .

That drives me nuts in most cars I drive, I need a periscope or some sort of mirror to see the traffic lights. I always have to scrunch down to see them. Sometimes I just end up looking at the reflection on the hood.

[SalemRover]

Sometimes I just end up looking at the reflection on the hood.

That is one shiny tire!

[Wander]

I think we may have scared Spencer off LR's guys.

Several of you mentioned not being able to see stop lights. There is a prism decal that you can stick to the inside of your windscreen that will refract the light from the stop light and allow you to see it go from red to green without having to see the actual light. This is a problem with MINI Coopers too due to their upright windscreen-I think FJC's also have this problem. I can't remember where to get them but I think they are fairly easy to find. I'll do some digging.

Here it is...http://hhrboutique.com/items/hhr-int...ism-detail.htm

[yorker]

I remember someone on the LRO list mentioned those prism's years ago- I never bothered to find one but man- I have been tempted at times.

[yorker]

That is one shiny tire!

ha! needless to say the shiny hood thing doesn't work in my series rovers!!

[Andrew IIA]

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/windshield-stop-light-prism,2327.html

I also recall a flat stick-on prism thingy for the windscreen; and some have said they use a small round wide-angle mirror on the their bonnet-mounted spare tire.

[yorker]

http://tawayama.com/gear/crewcab/crewcab.html

[robert wood]

leg room

Well I'm 6'6 and have been driving series since the sixties. I never think much about the leg room. Longest trip I ever did was when I drove from Vancouver to New York - container ship to Rotterdam - and down to Italy where I worked for a year. And a side trip to Syria.

My spine remains flexible but I have hearing loss as a result. Ray

[Spenser]

Sorry, no didnt scare me away yet! The periscope issue is kind of funny though, I have the same problem with my Jeep Commander, similar small upright windshield. That is where the sunroof comes in handy! I will continue the search, have my eyes on one locally, waiting for the email back to go visit it. And the Tamayama 130 build did catch my eye, that was, or still is for sale but is WAY above what I was thinking about spending. As always, thank you one and all, and will report back as things progress, or if surgey to shorten my spine is successful!

[Wander]

Now your talking! It's not a problem with the Rover, it's a problem with you.

Good luck with the search, check back often and let us know what you are looking at. I really enjoy the rearch/search part of the process and enjoy it even more when it's other peoples money!