This has been bugging me for awhile.

I'm around, oh, 5'3, 5'4, and I'm worried that I wouldn't be able to see over the dash of a 3rd gen. Most notably the Camaros. I would prefer not to resort to something like putting in 4th Gen seats, but I'd do it if it was neccesary.

Opinions? Personal experiences?

Thanks.

P.S. Sorry for all the new topics, but I have many questions and I don't like hijacking others' boards.

 

Firebird vs Camaro had the same dash height. So if you have trouble with one, you'll have trouble with the other.

Being 6ft I am not particularly tall, but I still have to put the seat all the way back. This is with Ultima (GTA) seats though, which are notorious for having little to no leg room. When I have my helmet on I need to notch my lumbar back 1 more to clear, this is with T-tops.

So I think being 5'3"-5'4" you should be okay, though you might have to sit up straighter to see blind spots when parking, or adjust the mirrors to see the rear wheels in tight spaces.

Due to the thirdgens long overhang past the wheels they all feel "big" in parking lot situations.

Look for a used one and take it for a test drive, that will tell you for sure if you think you can be comfortable with a thirdgen.

*PS, my friend is 6'4" and he looks like a contortionist behind the wheel. His knees are all up against the dash and he puts the seat way back.

 

I'm 5'-3" and I have no visibility issues. However, I am Asian and that genetically creates its own set of drivability issues.

 

4th gen seats are more comfortable than 3rd gen seats, but sir lower. So 4th gen seats would not be a good option for you UNLESS....

Put some 4th gen seats (better cushions/better "hug") on the 3rd gen seat tracks. That will retain most of the height loss & still be comfortable to ride in.

 

i have to disagree with that, i had 6 different 4th gen interiors when i was trying to decide on a set, camaro and firebird seats, all leather sets and they definetly sit alot higher and upright than my 3rd gen seats. They were firm and comfortable and provided much better over the dash visablity (im 5'9). This could just be my case but the results were the same with all 6 different sets.

 

Maybe the leather seats are higher than cloth seats (mine are all cloth & my 2nd 3rd gen w/4th gen cloth seats)? Maybe they were all power units are adjusted all the way up? I dunno, but if you read around on TGO you find every post (every one I've ever read except your last one apparently) that 4th gen seats sit lower, are more comfortable & provide more headroom for the taller folks, like my 6'5" frame.

 

yeah cloth is going to be the big difference, the leathers have no sag.

 

Thanks for the response, man.

I don't mind stretching during certain situations, just so long as It's not constant stretching. My arms are a little longer than average, so I shouldn't have trouble reaching the wheel.

Also a good thing I'm learning to drive in a GMC Suburban.

 

A power seat has a setting which allows the user to raise/lower the seat. I'm 5'6" on a good day. No issues.

JamesC

 

I'm 5'4 and have absolutely no problem. The Z does have power adjust to raise or lower, but honestly, I think it's all the way down. It is fun sometimes though, to see over the IROC's cowl, and it's not really a large one. ;o)

 

For my 5'1" friend reaching the pedals was a bigger problem than seeing over the wheel.

 

I'm 5'5" and have no issues. Can't see the hood, but who cares.

 

Thanks a lot for the replies, guys.

I'm looking at LB9 Z28's, which is sadly restrictive in model years because they only put 305 TPI's in 85-87 Z28's. Don't know if GM put power seats in those models yet.

 

Huh? LB9 Z28s were available 85-92.

Power seats were available in any model.

 

I'm 6' 4" and I have 4th gen seats, my head clears the t-tops by maybe an inch. Thirdgens are much easier to get into then 4th gens

 

No kidding about the 4th gen. I'm 6'2 and can get in and out of my 92 Hardtop Z28 just fine. Mine has power seats and that raise/lower setting is the way to go. My 11 year old is 5'3 and I put him in the car and played with the seat and he could see over the dash, hood and could reach the pedals and wheel without looking to uncomfortable. I'd say you are fine. Power seat was a very popular options. There was a blue car down around you in the Macon area that was on ebay not long ago. I thought about contacting him and selling my car to get it because I liked the color. My car has a lot of options on it though that his car did'nt have. Go drive one and see for yourself.

 

I should have been clearer, sorry.

They did put LB9s in 91-92 Z28s, but I don't like the body style of that year, along with the fact that most of the ones I've seen for sale seem to have been to hell and back with a destroyed transmission or blown head gasket. Also, GM didn't produce Z28s from 88-90 because they had the IROC, so that restricts me to 85-87. I've also been told that it would be better to go for TPI over carb. (On this thread in particular: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tpi/...-tpi-carb.html)

 

Every IROC is a Z28.

 

I want an LB9, but a higher package than an RS. I would love an IROC, but most today have non-stock 350s in them, and it's hard to find one with a 305. Most people throw out the 305 for a 350.

Off topic for a sec, but would it be smart (or cost effective) to do an LB9 engine swap in an IROC? Or should I get a Z28 with an LB9 and wait for an IROC with a 350 when I could handle it?

 

Sure they did. Tons and tons and tons of them. Like my 88, for example.

You couldn't get an LB9 in anything but a Z28 or IROC.

 

Oh no you didn't !!!!!

 

IW-33 You have a lot of mis-information. Do not limit yourself to anything in particular. If you want a TPI car, go look at every one of them that you can. Now a days, you should be more worried about rust and body damage, than an easily replaceable engine.

You shouldn't have to many problems seing over the dash, you can adjust the seat to see up an over. I am 5'10" and my car feels really small haha.

 

the forth gen seats i put in were lower so i put spacers between the track and the seat.very easy though you will need longer bolts.

 

I'm 5'3 and i drive a 91 Camaro Z28 with no problems. I feel that these cars are a little more suited for shorter frame guys. Also i can drive it with no visibility problems such as parallel parking, blind spots, and city driving. lol ive probably left way too many black marks around here tho!

 

FWIW, I'm 4'11". I can't see over the dash, nor can I reach the peddles. I bought my car knowing that I will have to modify the peddles so they extend towards me a lot more, and that I will also have to either put in an aftermarket seat or a stock seat from an entirely different vehicle, plus put spacers under the seat to raise it up higher off the floor. Nobody taller than me will be able to drive it, but that will also keep it from being stolen, LOL.

Moral of my story: if you really want a third gen, then go ahead and get one even if you have height issues. Don't let fixable things keep you from owning the car you really want. :-)

 

Haha, thanks for the advice, man.

Wow, you must be pretty short! I feel better knowing that 5'4" is not an uncommon height lol.

 

I have always had people ask me how i see over my RAII hood. Being only 5'6" I am just aware of how long my front end is. Really, at your height, that is all you can do aside from raising your seat or putting pedals closer to you. Familiarize yourself with how long your front end is. That is what I have been doing for the last 8 years.

I also had no choice but to let my 5'0" ex girlfriend drive the car when hers broke down and i was fixing it. She also, just got used to the front end, not raising seats and moving pedals.

 

From my view-point way down here, people that are 5'4" are tall! Lol. Several of my friends are your height, so your height is more common than you think. :-)

I'm at the more extreme end of things, where my feet are still many inches away from the peddles with the seat all the way forward, and all I see is sky and not the road ahead when I look out the windshield. I would not be able to navigate around parking lot curbs or avoid hitting a dog/small child since I can't see any of them. The dash is just way too tall and the seat way too low. These cars are meant for taller people than me. So modifications are necessary in my case, not optional. But I bet you'll be ok; every inch counts! :-)

I hear a third gen calling your name.......

 

IW-33 is very likely fine and won't need mods, I just pointed out that even if he did need any that it should not be deterrent for him. But I would like to point out a few things about the sub-5'0" people out there...

With my foot fully extended towards the peddles (seat is all the way forward), it's several inches away and doesn't touch the peddles. There is no way I could push my clutch in either, since that is even more distance to push and my toe already doesn't touch it to begin with. Peddles must be moved.

My eyes are a smidge below the dash's top. All I see is sky or taller vehicles. Anything below the dash doesn't exist, as far as my eyes are concerned. That means kids, dogs, curbs, bikes, lane stripes, road, etc. It would be dangerous for me to try to drive with stock height seats. There is no "just getting used to the front end" since I can't even see what's in front of me, including the road itself. It's not a case of not knowing how long the hood is when trying to park or go around a curb, it's a case of I can't see anything at all and don't know it's there until I run it over. The dash literally blocks all view of everything ahead of me. The seat must be raised. It's amazing what an extra inch will do for a short person; your ex-girlfriend was lucky to be 5'0".

 

Depending on the year you could adjust the power drivers seat... I'm 5' 9" and have no problems

 

As stated power seats are a little higher than manual, if the car doesn't come with them they are readily available.

Also my sister bought a 4th gen firebird from an elderly lady that I swear must have been 4'0 she had some stud extenders put on the seat to hike it up a bit, so that is an easy/cheap option as well if you need it.

 

What years did power seats come factory?

Even so, putting in power seats actually sounds like a fun project. I'd just have to find seats that had the same interior color.

 

I'm 5'7 and have no problems at all. And I have a really short inseam as well.

 

im 6' 4" and i have plenty of room... this is with gta seats.... now i feel alot more cramped in my regular cab ford ranger lol....

 

IW-33, the LB9 is just the 305 TPI engine. It was available from 85-92. the L98 is the 350 TPI engine. It was available 87-92. Both were restricted to only Z28s and IROCs. Just look at ANY TPI car. Whether or not it's a 350 doesnt matter. Most people will lie to say they're 350 cars anyway, so just ignore it.

For 85-87 the IROC Z28 was a package for the Z28. From 88 to 90 you couldnt get a z28 without the IROC package. So there were only IROC-Z28s around. From 91-92 they all reverted back to being Z28s again. Only the few years where there were both is there any difference between them mechanically other than minor evolutions and small changes in electronics and minor mechanical parts.