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CRAMPED LEGS
by Ben Prince
For someone six feet tall, the leg room in a T-series car is
really tight. When my wife and I first purchased our TF, I
could only last about thirty miles, and then I would have to
stop, stretch and move about to restore the blood circulation in
my legs. The name "MG Midget" indeed had taken on a special
meaning!
There are a few things that can be done to improve leg room,
particularly with the TF. The first step is to remove the
TD/TF pedal extensions (Moss part number 406-760). These attach
to the clutch and brake pedals, causing the pedals to protrude
toward the driver. Removal of the extensions results in a 1-1/4
inch improvement. It doesn't sound like much, but it is amazing
how much difference a mere inch makes. At first glance, these
extensions are a bit difficult to spot, but with a good light, a
mirror, and a willingness to stick your head under the dash,
they are readily located.
If your upper legs or knees interfere with the bottom of the
steering wheel, adjusting the wheel rearward helps. If that
doesn't do the trick, a smaller diameter steering wheel may
provide relief, although it will probably be expensive. As I
recall, Bob McCracken had an elegant smaller steering wheel on
his TF before he sold it.
It is also possible to modify the seat on the TF so it will
slide farther to the rear. Note that the back of the TF seat
hits the "shelf" behind it when the seat is all the way
rearward. There is a wooden bow inside the seat-upright that
makes contact with the shelf. Removal of this piece of wood and
then bending the associated metal brackets allows the seat to
slide almost two inches farther back.
It was quite easy to get to the wooden bow on our car. The
back cover of the seat-upright is tacked into place with some
brads that were readily pulled out. You may find, however, that
it may not be as easy with other TFs. When comparing with Bill
Olson's car, we observed that the cover to his seat-upright is
sewed as one piece. It appears that disassembly to reach the
wood bow in Bill's TF would be a significant chore. I have no
idea which setup is authentic, but if you are lucky, the back of
the upright on your car is easily removable.
After taking out the wooden bow, I inserted a layer of foam
rubber so the seat-upright will keep its shape. When the seat
is pushed all the way to the rear, the foam compresses against
the shelf. When the seat is moved forward, the foam causes the
seat to resume its original shape.
There are holes in the TF seat rail for the stop-mechanism
to latch when the seat is moved fore or aft. Using the same
hole spacing, I drilled a couple of additional holes farther
back on the rail, allowing the latch to catch when the seat is
all the way to the rear in its new position.
Removal of the pedal extensions and modifying the seat so it
would slide farther back provided three inches of additional leg
room. Our car is now quite comfortable for this "six footer" to
drive. Numb legs are a thing of the past!
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