[Tony Wheeler]

I'll post some details on steering mods shortly but first I'd like to specify the precise problem so we're all on the same page.

The critical dimension for tall people, which for convenience I shall refer to as dX, is the distance between the clutch pedal and the bottom of the steering wheel. That's because there's no room to swing your knee to the left, so your leg must remain under the steering wheel when operating the clutch. Therefore if your lower leg happens to be longer than dX, you cannot drive a Cab 12. No amount of seat adjustment can alter dX, and only an osteotomy can alter your lower leg length.

Conversely there's no problem operating the brake, because there's room to swing your right knee against the door to get it out from under the steering wheel.

Hence there are two possible solutions:

1. Create more room to swing your knee to the left.
2. Increase dX.

Solution 1 means relocating the handbrake, which is the first object blocking your left leg, but immediately adjacent to that is the engine cover, so that too would require modification, which would inevitably involve the dashboard as well. These are extensive and challenging modifications which would impact drastically on originality, and furthermore they're entirely unnecessary. Why do I say this? Because I'm 192cm tall and I can drive a Cab 13 comfortably with my legs under the steering wheel. Sure, there's room to swing my knees out on both sides, but the point is I don't NEED to. That's because dX is 40mm longer on the Cab 13, owing to the new pedal levers.

Thus we have confirmation of Solution 2, and we can now quantify it: Increase dX by 40mm. There would appear to be only two realistic methods:

A. Raise the steering column. This means shortening the steering column bracket, which alters the steering column angle slightly, requiring a shim between the rear steering box mount and the chassis.

B. Lengthen the steering column. Not a job for amateurs like me, but offering the tidiest solution which best preserves originality. Advantageous for those preferring to send the unit out and pay someone else to do the work.

Either of these methods will achieve 40mm dX increase, and considerably more if preferred, so there's clearly no obstacle for tall drivers wishing to own Cab 12s.

I should state here that my 40mm spec is based solely on my own Cab 12, so it needs to be confirmed on a few others. I also have questions about the steering column bracket found on my vehicle.