RE: [ihc] Small problem

["Mac McMuffin" <mac@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

## >> Dilemma,  my daughter is 5?1 and in love with the 800B I got for her.
## >> She was sitting in it last night, showing it off to one of her friends
## >> that is an inch taller.
## >> They were trying to figure out how they could drive the Scout
## >> when they
## >> could barely reach the pedals. When they slumped down in the seat to
## >> reach the pedals they had the steering wheel in their line of site.
## >> Forget using the dimmer switch, it?s a huge stretch to hit it.
## >> Now I need to figure out what to do about the ergonomics so she can
## >> safely operate her 800.
## >> It has a trashed Borg Warner auto that I thought I might
## >> replace with a
## >> manual tranny but I now think that operating a clutch may be too hard.
## >> Any suggestions for making an 800 more user friendly for the height
## >> challenged?
## >>
## >> Willy
## >> 77 SS II

i apologize, Willy, i wasn't reading your post correctly the first time
around.  i didn't get that you were saying your daughter is five feet one
inch tall, somehow i misread what you wrote.  dunno what exactly i thought i
was reading, but i get it now.  sorry for the misunderstanding.

my lovely Bride Becca is five feet three inches tall (average proportion
legs and body length) and has no problems whatsoever driving her 1970 Scout
800A.  this Scout has a 392, T18 4-speed, and is 4x4 with 31" tires.  i
should mention that this Scout has an all-original pair of the optional
full-height bucket seats, i don't know if that makes a difference or not.
the driver's seat is pulled all the way forward, and she doesn't have any
problems reaching the pedals, operating the brake and clutch, or seeing over
the steering wheel and dash.  the toughest things for her are climbing in
and out of the truck, and pushing the shifter all the way up and over to
reverse.  this was her daily driver for the almost year we had it before i
rolled it over, neccessitating the purchase of the 1110.  when i brought
both trucks to the base here, the Scout was her part-time driver (she
switched back and forth between this and the 1110, depending on mood and
weather) untill first we got the '68 800, and then more recently traded that
for the Plymouth Neon that she drives now.

is there that much difference between the 800A and 800B seating
arrangements?  i didn't think there was, but...  i don't have an 800B to
compare to, so i'm not sure.  as i mentioned, we bought and later traded a
1968 Scout 800 a few months after we got here (it was much much nicer in
body and interior than the 800A we already had), and while it was a LOT
closer to the ground, it was very similar in the cab to the 800A (this one
had the low-back bucket seats), and with the seat shoved all the way forward
was as easy for her to operate as the 800A is.  the 800 was also 4x4, but it
was sitting on 28" tires and only had a 152 4-cylinder and had a T90 3-speed
transmission which we both intensely disliked.  it averaged about 19mpg
around the post, though, which was quite handy.

Becca also has no trouble driving the 1110 TravelAll (392, 727 auto, 4x4,
33" tires, 1210 springs and axles), either.  when we first got it, we
thought we were going to have to put some kind of pad or cushion or
something for her to sit on to see over the dash, but it turned out that all
we had to do was slide the seat most of the way forward and put a folded
blanket on the seat over the partly collapsed seat padding, and she can
comfortably handle it.  this truck was her daily driver from the day we
brought it home in November 2000 till the day she joined the Army in
February 2002.

anyway, i guess what i'm trying to get at is that if my Bride, only 2 inches
taller than your daughter, can safely and comfortably drive her Scout 800A
with stock seats and controls, it seems logical to me that a similar
arrangement can be made for your daughter and her 800B.

dunno if any of this is helpful, but i thought i'd give it another go.

--Mac

---------------------------------------------------------------
Take care and be well, all thee and thine;

May the Hamr lend thee Strength and Courage,
May the Twin Ravens lend thee Wisdom and Guidance,
May the Wolves Guard and Protect thee, and
May the Light of Harmony ever shine brightly upon thee and thine,
Through all thy Life's Journeys, from this life unto the next!

Hail the Gods and Goddesses of our Folk!
Wassail!

Krystof "Mac" MacBryghde
TyrGothi

http://master.triad.ath.cx/
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