Steering wheel distance

[Zero Hero]

Ok, I'm a newbie so this will be the first of many questions.

I have a 37 ford sedan with a 17" Butlerbuilt seat.  I am about 6'1" and about 220 lbs.  I fit comfortably snug in the seat, but the previous owner must have been much slimmer than me as the steering wheel is very close to the driver.  I understand the fatigue factor/more effort, exertion needed if I move the steering wheel farther away, but I'm confident that I can manage that for 30-50 laps. I also ASSUME that having it farther away would make the car feel slightly more "twitchy" as you will be holding the wheel farther out.

My fat belly is about 2 inches from rubbing the bottom of the steering wheel.  I know I cant move it to far forward as then my knees would get in the way, but I have several inches available to move it if thats what I decide.  My question is what are the pro's/con's of having someone fab me a shorter steering post/column setup.  My main concern is safety, in the event of a severe impact I fear hitting the steering wheel.  Or I fear some kind of failure with the sweet steering wheel diconnect mechanism and then I am completely stuck in the car because I can't squeeze past the steering wheel (i've practiced doing this....my kids thought it was hilarious).  So are my fears rationale or am I being overly cautious....I have never actually raced before. Anyone out there have experience with both setups?
Any and all advice is welcome

[justfreaky]

Dave posted this solution awhile back:

"I am 6 foot 3 @ 240 and have a 37 sedan.  I have a 10 degree kirkey econo seat.  With this seat I have the back against the rear fire wall and the seat just reaches the mounting tabs on the sides.  Now with the seat so far back i have 1.5 longer steering shaft and 1.5 steering wheel spacer.  Also removed the nut under the bracket for the steering shaft heim.  That changed the angle of the shaft and now, after 2 years of messing with it, my legs are not hitting the steering wheel.."

Perhaps moving the steering shaft heim up, seat back and a spacer will work for you.

Steve

[VMS Motorsports]

Do whatever makes you comfortable, its a personal preference thing. I am 6'1, 240 and I have the steering wheel pretty close to the dash, others have them just inches from their chest.
Whatever makes you most comfortable is best

[Zero Hero]

Jim & Steve,

Thanks for the replies!  I agree that I should run whatever I'm comfortable with, but thats just it...I have no idea. And short of running it the way it is currently setup and then buying a shorter steering shaft and running that for a while and comparing the two, I guess I will truly never know.  I was kind of hoping someone has run both setups and could give their opinion. 

Also do you guys feel my fears of either hitting the steering wheel with it being so close or getting trapped because the steering wheel wont come off are valid?

Thanks again!

[VMS Motorsports]

If you hit the steering wheel, you have other problems.
I  haven't seen a steering wheel ever not come off...Ive seen them come off when they aren't supposed to (hex style), but never the other way around.
If they are concerns, then you are uncomfortable, whether they are viable concerns or not. You need to be comfortable both physically and mentally in the car. I am more comfortable after flipping my Legends car end over end and being trapped inside hanging upside down back in '08 than I was before.  Not physical comfort, mental comfort. I know my car will take care of me. They are both equally important.

With your concerns, I would recommend a shorter steering shaft and buying a couple different spacers to try out to see what gives you the best balance of physical and mental comfort.

If you want to go that way, I can get you anything you need

[Zero Hero]

Thanks Jim, you are spot on.....I am nervous about it, but I hope it is only because I have never raced before and I have seen tooooo many of these cars catch on fire.  I am going to run it like it is and see if I like it/still have concerns. As long as I can get the steering wheel off after a wreck I should be ok.  If I change it, you will be getting a phone call   Thanks!

[knoxracing]

If you are a big guy and wheel to too close you will not be comfortable steering the car. Alot of times if the wheel is to close your elbows will be bangining the door or cage between the seat area. We cut shafts all the time and shoten them or lengthen them.  You can cut the ends off and clean them up and retube them.  Take the time and be comfortable in the car, it makes all the diff. in the world. By the way, I really love the story about the kids, thats priceless.

[Zero Hero]

Thanks Knox, from a mental standpoint I will definetly feel more comfortable with the wheel further away.   Yuupp when I turn the wheel hard over my elbows do hit.  My plan is to race it as-is a couple of times and if I still feel uncomfortable i'm going to shorten it.

[Zero Hero]

GREAT response gimpster!  Exactly what I was looking for.  I will be running asphalt ( if you can call it that, ODS is very old and torn up...last paved in 1953 ) 3/8th of a mile with 14 degrees of bank ( I think).

[Zero Hero]

Right on Gimpster!  I have been a member of several forums (non-racing- I used to big into offshore fishing and diving) where sarcasm rules, politics are rampant, and most folks just end up leaving or never posting because of fear of being flamed for their post/response.  So far this forum seems opposite of that, very friendly and very helpful.  I THANK the moderators for that!