Snug? Comfortable? Contorted?

[Talonmotorsport]

The book is a guide to building a car not a perfect design to fit you so make changes as and where you need them.
The hand brake does not have to go where the book says it does, one of my customers had me recess it into the tunnel by dropping it 75-100mm down. When the hand brake was off/down it was flush with the top of the tunnel.
Are you using the Sierra steering wheel or are you planning to change it for some thing smaller? The reason being as the wheel gets smaller the closer your elbows will be to your ribs, also if the wheel is too far from you but the pedals are ok move the steering frame closer to you.
There is also nothing wrong in cutting the gear stick down or changing the angle providing your welding is good, a quick shift kit may also help with the throw.