I am in the process of rebuilding a ser2 PLUS 2 with manual box and seriously thinking of changing the steering to RHD.Apart from the obvious eg steering rack pedals ,dash panels,what else has to be taken into consideration.Does anything else have to change sides in the engine bay eg brake booster etc .Will a new RHD wiring loom be better to use than a new LHD.What are the main concerns when doing the conversion
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Hi John,
I can only answer some of your questions as I have not done this before.
The booster stays on the left and the right is a little cramped but I am sure the car is basically designed to be RH/LHD. You will notice some cover plates on the right, which will fit the holes on the left.
I have swopped my MGB over and it was a piece of cake. Are you aware that the E Type harness comes in about 6 or 7 seperate sections, so you would only require a RHD dash section and not the entire harness set.
I have a LHD 250SL Pagoda which is virtually impossible to change, mainly because the complete dash is part of the structure. South African is not as strick as Aus, so driving a LHD is not really a problem here.
Let me know if you would like some RHD photos.
Regards
Chris
Cape Town
Thanks Chris youve answered my wiring query.My car has three
plates on the rhs but only the openings for the pedals and
steering on the lhs.What is the third smaller opening for on the
rhs.Its ok to drive a LHD over here if its over 30 years old,but
want to do the change for safety JOHN
Hi John,
Attached, please find photos of the RH firewall on my Series 1.
Apologies, I had a look and yes, the third hole on the far right is for the accelerator pedal. I assume the LHD has a crossover throttle shaft.
Note, on the photos, it seems as if the brake and clutch pedal shaft runs all the way through into the accelerator housing. This is not so, each housing has its own shaft with thier ends very close to each other and appears to be a single shaft running through both housings.
Regards
Chris
Ps, is yours power steering or not?
I believe that the switches are reversed. I bought the plastic strip that descrines them decades ago by accident. If I can find it you can have it!
The dash wiring loom on a lhd car comes across, behind the dash from the right hand side. All you have to do is shorten and re-terminate the wires for a rhd conversion. I did it. I didnt change any of the wiring to the center console.
James
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Hi James on my car the loom comes in on the lhs.but the same theory applies.
It would appear i need to buy a newRHD steering housing and a RHD throttle pedal housing plus a heap of throttle linkages
Can anyone suggest anything else. JOHN
Dont forget to change the headlights, if it hasnt already been done.
You will of course need to learn how to do a road rage hand jesjure I with your right hand.
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Not sure about that. Is the left handed gesture accepted convention this side of the pond? If so I will have to re-evaluate my driving etiquette!
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We are an equal-opportunity gesture state: either hand is acceptable.
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Thanks for the pics Chris .though mine is a PS series 2 JOHN
I would think a different rack & pinion steering may be required as well.
Same time honoured method though, I expect. Extend driver’s side arm, turn fist upward and extend middle finger. Paul
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My daughter finds blowing a kiss destroys the opposition
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In fact, that is exactly what I do—it INFURIATES them!!
One serious note, when installing a rack with new rack mounts, so not leave the front wheels or suspension dangling for an extended period. After years of restoration, I took my car in for an alignment. The rubber rack mounts, which were the special upgrades had started to separate, giving an inch of unwanted play to the rack. I was wondering why I didn’t feel 100% confident while taking turns in the road. I now have solid rack mounts and am very happy.
The manual steering rack is LHD or RHD only. SNG Barratt sells all the conversion parts for the whole job. I’ve done it a few times. I can’t imagine they started making a new RHD power rack, so you might have to convert the car to manual steering.
Phil.
If you want PS, I installed an electric power steering column and am very happy with it. Uses the original rack, but replaces only the column.
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Thanks Phil ,nice to have a contact with someone whos done the exercise.
could you send me a list of the parts you found were needed
regards JOHN