560sl Seat Height

[David Langsam]

Ok, I bought my dream car, a 1988 560sl in diamond blue almost two years ago. Unfortunately, I am rather tall, 6' 5", and the seat will just not go back far enough or down enough for me to sit comfortably when the hard top is on. The soft top actually gives a couple of inches more head room, and, of course, when the top is down, I have all the room I need.

Anybody ever modify the driver's seat to give more head and leg room? I'm worried I'm going to ruin my back if I continue doing this. Any help is greatly appreciated.

David Langsam

[Jerry Hudson]

David: Have you considered an after market seat like Racaro? You should be able to get the color to match the rest of your interior and they are alot more adjustable. Just a thought...

[suginami]

My dad was also the same height as you, 6'5", and when I was a kid, he bought a wrecked '68 Ferrari Dino and restored it all by himself - even the wiring. Well, not all by himself. I was the 9 year old holding the other wrench at 10:00 p.m. so he could finish up what he was doing.

He didn't have enough headroom either, and lowered the floor pan about 5".

He had the chasis off the frame so it was doable. I don't know how practical this is for you, though.

Also, he dropped the floor pan so much, that his hips / rear were lower than his knees, and on long trips, his legs would start to fall asleep / get numb.

Turned out it didn't matter though. He got so many speeding tickets in such a short period of time, that he had to park it at Grandma's house. Shortly thereafter, my parents divorced, and it sat outside under a car cover for about 12 years. The car cover eventually rotted away, and so did the car.

He sold it eventually as a basket case. It needed another frame off restoration. He got a pretty penny for it, though. Prices had finally appreciated enormously, even considering the condition.

[Steve Gutman]

I have manual seat adjustment and if you take out the seat and remove the height adjustment you could get all the headroom you need by pivoting the seat bottom to the floor. You would need to fasten the back mounts or make some brackets. I say “you” because I bet no dealer or mechanic would do it for liability reasons and if you do it yourself, do it well, because the seatbelt attaches to the seat.

Steve
85 500SL Euro

David,

Essentially, you are the proud owner of a $500 pair of Italian loafers that are one size too small. They look great, are of high quality, but won't fit and never will. It might be time to throw in the towel and go back to the shoe store for the right size. I recommend the R129 style of '90-'91 vintage.

[Steve Gutman]

I would love to trade up myself but I can't find a comparable condition for less than a $10k or $15,000 difference in price. But it is certainly good advice.
steve

[DZLPWR]

Go the other direction. Check out the older seats in the older cars. My father had an 87' 560SL that just didn't seem to have the same room as my 76' 450SL. Maybe I'm crazy but I think my 450 seats are lower and travel futher aft. My father at 5'10" alway felt cramped in his 560SL, but was comfortable driving with the seatback close to vertical.