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I know a wagon chick that bought a 521. Lol


mrbigtanker

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Angela think about your 521 in this light, The next time you drive to the Hamptons (MA) are you going to drive your 521?  LOL  I bet you never drive to the Hamptons in anything as it is too far and I do not know what I would do in the Hamptons any way!!!  LOL

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Gonna try to respond to everyone who chimed in...many thanks for taking the time  :thumbup:

 

Try a different/smaller steering wheel first.

It's not that often I hear anyone having the seat in a 521 adjusted forward, it's a new set of problems that over 99 percent on here do not have, most need the seat farther back like me which is why I made 2 of my drivers kingcabs.

I do know that Mike shortened the steering column in the NL320 but he also installed a smaller steering wheel.

 Figures...I'm the 1% (haha). I have thought about a smaller steering wheel...that'll definitely help. I also had to be brutally honest & consider the fact I need to get back to my gym routine. My concern with a smaller steering wheel is that it will require that much more muscle to turn, etc but can't solve everything. That may just be the trick to give my chesticles more breathing room  :rofl: 

 

So I warned you about this when you bought it. Just re do the seat and move forward to reac and do what Wayne said and smaller wheel if that important. Changing to a bucket can help also and you can set mounts to meet your needs.

 

Yes, Ray...I know, you did warn me. I'm not complaining about the upright position per se. I just didn't realize the steering column orientation & how far I'd have to move the seat up to accommodate for my being vertically challenged (among other things  :rofl: )

 

I most definitely am going to have the seat redone cos I believe that, that...along with smaller steering wheel, & losing a few lbs will all add up to making a reasonable difference without breaking the bank or doing crazy mods.

 

I honestly forget how the bench bolts in but is it possible to shim the front two bolts that hold the bench in?
Use a small spacer and some longer bolts?
Not sure how much of a recline
You want, or even if what I said is possible with the stock bench.. just an idea...

 

Ya, the stock bench doesn't recline at all. I remember my Dad's old toyota truck had a similar set up but it had a metal paddle type lever on the side that let you tilt just a bit. I was thinking of looking for something like that to reupholster & make fit in my truck in favor of the stock bench seat. That thing is SO far gone & springs are busted down...it's almost not worth rebuilding.

 

I shortened the column in my 70 521 and my current 66 520 and the problem you run into with shortening the column is the steering wheel is lower to the floor, seat, your legs, and in my case my stomach!

 

You would have to mod the steering box for a rag joint but then you could run a 720 tilt column that would tilt the steering wheel up.  I put a 720 tilt column in my 520 but I did not like it. 

 

That is likely too much modding for me. Realistically, I will never get around to that kind of project. Sounds kinda cool though. Being short, I'm used to being "low to the floor" anyway so wouldn't bother me!

 

Angela think about your 521 in this light, The next time you drive to the Hamptons (MA) are you going to drive your 521?  LOL  I bet you never drive to the Hamptons in anything as it is too far and I do not know what I would do in the Hamptons any way!!!  LOL

 

Will never get to the Hamptons in this...that's for sure but I want to drive it to shows & meets a within a few hundred miles of me so I need it to be a bit more comfortable. I don't mean that in a snobby way...I drive old cars cos I like to feel the road...among all the other cool things that go along with driving old Datsuns. I mean just to improve upon it a bit so the love affair can continue  :thumbup:

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Putting a seat in that has you sitting lower will also help, the lower you are the shorter your legs need to be, bucket seats might work for you as long as they have you sitting lower than you are in the bench seat, sitting lower is what you need to try for, then the steering wheel might not need to be shortened or changed out for a smaller one.

You also might be able to tilt the seat back like you mentioned in a previous post.

Keep in mind that if you get really low you might have trouble seeing over the dash, people will only be able to see your head when you fly by them. :lol:

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Putting a seat in that has you sitting lower will also help, the lower you are the shorter your legs need to be, bucket seats might work for you as long as they have you sitting lower than you are in the bench seat, sitting lower is what you need to try for, then the steering wheel might not need to be shortened or changed out for a smaller one.

You also might be able to tilt the seat back like you mentioned in a previous post.

Keep in mind that if you get really low you might have trouble seeing over the dash, people will only be able to see your head when you fly by them. :lol:

 

Thanks Wayno,

 

I think I already have a VERY low seat cos like I said, the seat has been broken down & needs serious repair. I'm gonna get this figured out one way or another cos I freaking love this truck & am one determined lady. I'll make sure that when I do get the seats redone...they don't overstuff it so I can still sit low enough, yet high enough to see over the wheel  B) . Smaller wheel will help there, too. I do have a set of 510 buckets from a wagon I could consider but that's a last resort I think. I hope to keep the bench seat...or maybe find an old 60/40 split bench that'll work. Not like I'll be having passengers too often & have to worry about their legroom anyway...my whole family is short  :thumbup: 

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The higher you sit the more legroom there is, also tilting the seat back/front of the seat you sit on higher than the back also creates more legroom, if you get the seat even 3 inches lower the difference would be dramatic, very tall guys like Jrock do stuff like this, but it puts their knees up near their chest, but their head fits in the cab without having to slouch.

A few guys on here went as far as to have a cushion on the floor with a pad on the back wall of the cab, someone else used a forklift seat(not adjustable), both these were for very tall guys(6'6" plus) trying to fit in a 521 cab.

With buckets you can adjust yours the way you want and the passenger can adjust theirs the way they want, Datsun Roadster buckets might work for you, Honda Del Sol seats might be another option, both these type have the part where you actually sit sunken, they kinda hold you in there like a racing seat, but both these might put you too low, there are a lot of cars in the wrecking yards with nice bucket seats that will do exactly what you need, you just have to find them.

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So, I took a few pics of the seat in my truck today & got an idea that might be a simple fix...possibly in addition to a smaller steering wheel but maybe even without. I hope what I'm about to suggest might make sense...

 

If I move the seat forward to where I can comfortably reach the pedals, there will be room behind the seat to tilt it back a little. I was thinking if I trimmed a little off the frame of the seat itself. (maybe at an angle) the frame would "stop" in a position further back. Or...cut/relocate/weld the little "stop" tab a couple inches higher up. Does that make sense? Any suggestions?

 

Thanks guys (my apologies for the large pic but I still don't know how to adjust it on imgur yet)

 

 

eEjBhCj.jpg?1

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Don't they make seat cushions that are wedge shaped(thicker at the bottom. thinner on the top) that would do the same thing?

 

Yes, I'm actually pretty familiar with adaptive equipment due to a past history of working folks with special needs. A wedge pillow would not really work in my case.

 

I can reach the pedals now & I can drive it without much trouble at all...despite the springy, broken-down bench seat. Thing is, It's just a little awkward. I'm just a little too close to the steering wheel for my taste.

 

I'm hoping to just find a way to provide a couple more inches of space between me & the steering wheel. That's all...just a little tweak.

 

Thinking the suggestion of a smaller steering wheel...along with a minor seat mod might just be the trick.

 

Thought I'd just throw my idea to trim the frame or stop tab (so it can tilt a little? out there to the masses to see what more experienced ratsuners might suggest.

 

Thanks for all the input. I really appreciate it.

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Personally your idea seems like a good one.... if the only thing stopping the recline is that bracket...

Cut them off, use a couple locking pliers to hold them in position and see how it works.... the nice thing about metal and a welder you can always put it back to the original location...

Does the bench lock in place at all ?

Just wondering I'd it's just that tab that needs to be altered....

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Unless you pull the seat all the way forward  you will not be able to recline much because seat hits the back of the cab.  King Cab It!  LOL.

 

Charlie...have you been actually reading this thread?  :poke:

 

YES! That's what I've been sayin' all along...my seat must be moved up forward (almost all the way, but not totally) in order for me to "safely" reach the pedals!

 

So, ya, it'd be almost perfect in my case just to have a little tilt from the seat back since I have the room. :thumbup:

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i was going to suggest blocks on the pedals too 

but you could have custom rubber pedal elevators made       this sounds more professional and cool 

or buy some cool 521 platform driving shoes  :devil:  :devil:  :devil:

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would not get a smaller steering wheel if you have to tightly parallel park on a regular basis.  I like the idea of sliding the seat a bit forward and adjusting the recline position.  Like someone mentioned, it would be pretty easy to move that tab and install a threaded bumper to make the recline adjustable.

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would not get a smaller steering wheel if you have to tightly parallel park on a regular basis.  I like the idea of sliding the seat a bit forward and adjusting the recline position.  Like someone mentioned, it would be pretty easy to move that tab and install a threaded bumper to make the recline adjustable.

 

Hey Matt, that was the idea I came up with today. I really think that's an easy fix. Totally reversible too!

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