Seat Adjust For 6'5 Tall, 1970 Cj5

Hello and thanks for taking time to read this.

1970 CJ5, barn find, I have moved the seat back to the last hole in the sill and floor that would allow the seat to sit square, there is one more hole on the sill that starts up the curve, that would put the seat at an angle from the hole in the floor on the inboard side.

With the seat in the last hole before the curved hole position, the shift lever in first gear is in contact with the seat, too, I'm 6'5 tall, yes, early Jeeps weren't meant for tall people. The shift lever contacting the seat seems odd.

What other options might I have?

Thank you!

 

I’m not tall, but I have a long torso. The seats installed by the prior owner had me literally looking over the top of the windshield. I made some seat frames and cushions, which gave me way more leg and head room than any off the shelf seating options.

The shift lever can be clearanced by heating and bending.

 

Custom seat brackets and a wheel well notch are the usual adjustments.
Then if still needed, heat and bend the shift lever to you desired location. Some folks also install telescopic and/or tilt steering column. At 6'-5" some compromises will likely be made .

Look here for threads about wheel well notch.
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?search/81042951/&q=Wheelwell+notch&o=date&c[node]=9

EDIT- I see boopiejones beat me to posting about some of this.
EDIT#2- Seems that the links in the well well notch threads are no good anymore, sorry.

 

From what you describe, it sounds like you don’t have original seats. Again, maybe you don’t have the original transmission.
I have a passenger car 4 speed with the shifter off to the left side and back. I slightly bent my shift lever to keep it from hitting the front corner when in 2nd gear.
-Donny

 

Try posting a picture with the shifter in 1st and the seat in view.
I don't think a wheelhouse notch would be enough but it's a start.

 

The best seat adjustment for a 6'5" person and a CJ5 is a CJ6 or CJ7.

Other than that, as others have mentioned, thin seats, wheelwell notch and a tilt steering wheel.

 

Donny-
I think you are on to something suggesting these aren't the original seats. When I bought it the Jeep had the seats attached to their frames, but, setting in the cargo area. I haven't owned a CJ5 before, so I didn't immediately question whether the seats with it were factory. in looking at pictures of CJ5's these seats don't match. I tried posting a picture here but the file size is too large.

 

I had problems posting too. IrfanView is a free download and doesn't degrade the quality that much when reducing picture sizes. I had forgotten about it.

I am in the process of changing out seats and will do the wheel well notch. Looking at small air saws. Have a couple of sawzalls but want something
smaller and easier to control. Plus they run cooler on air. I am not that creative with cut off wheel and wanted one anyway. Probably end up using a
combination of both. Did the tilt wheel long ago from a 1975 Chevy Monza with a manual trans and some modifications.

 

Most of the Jeeps I have owned were flat fenders, when I got my CJ5 first thing I noticed was the additional room. I am not 6' 5" but I am not small either, but compared to a flat fender the CJ5 is roomy.

I had some trouble fitting behind the wheel of my 2A. What I did to improve it was to use a thin cushion on the back rests, and though it sounds odd the longer steering shaft from a later Jeep actually helped by getting the wheel up off my belly. Of course loosing 45lbs helped a bit too.

 

Those definitely aren't factory seats to a 1970 cj5, in fact not even close.

 

Figured out how to downsize the file size, wipers at the bottom Mike, I got under the seats today, they do look factory in that the weld from mounting bar to the seat frame looks old.

 

It looks like the seat is as far back as it will go. A smaller seat from an import with a thinner back cushion and a wheel well notch are in order. The shift lever appears to have
been heated and bent rearwards. I think soldiers and people in general were shorter when the Jeep was designed.

 

Thanks vtxasy!

 

Yes it looks like the seat is as far back as it will go, wheelhouse notching and different seat seem to be the best solutions.

 

Definitely not factory seats. I wonder if they are mounted a little towards the center of the Jeep to clear the reclining mechanism. I’m also curious what transmission is in it, may be a truck 4 speed and whoever installed it just used the unmodified shifter cane and that is part of the clearance problem. Have fun with the project.
Tim

 

Not original (or even) Jeep seats, and not original shift lever configuration, and possibly not even a Jeep transmission.
No wonder the lever hits the seat! The original seats were low-back.
-Donny

 

I don't think you will find a thinner seat back than that! If that seat is touching the fender, you are done. You have the coveted windshield frame too.
I am in the process of fitting new seats and doing the notch, so I feel your pain!
Jeeps are fun! JEEP...Just Everything Equals Problems. John