From left to Right hand drive conversion Info

Byron1930

Byron1930

Junior Member
Just seeing if anyone on the forum has done a right hand drive conversion on a model A.
I’d like to convert mine from left to right. I have had a bit of a look online and have come up empty handed. Any info would be be Greatly appreciated.

Cheers Byron
 
Byron, We have done a number over the years , There was a post on here some time ago listing what is needed, Engine needs to come out . so working from rear forward , brake cross shaft , brake light switch, hand brake shaft, bell housing & pedals, gearbox top if hand brake is on the sde, Gas tank can be left as is by using one of our RHD coloum mounts that mount of dash rail like 31 LHD ones . steering box , may need to drill frame if not done, drag link, drop arm, steering arms. intake manifold if running stock dissy, wiring loom needs reversing, pos tail light , There are other bits others may remember but nothing too majour, I have one to do soon & can jot down each stage, Question WHY ?? i run 3 lhd & like them that way.
 
Quickchange the reason for the conversion is id like the better half to be comfortable to drive the coupe. I’d like to make it as easy to drive as possible. I’m happy to roll around as a lefty but I have several “toys” that only I can drive or ride. So I think it is time to play nice and share the coupe. If you could take a few minutes to write down a few things on your next conversion it would be so helpful. I have had a search on here and havent been able to find the post you are refering too.
 
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DUMB PERSON , Yes , depends which side of the road i want to drive on,
BYRON You can mail me direct for info.
 
Also, windscreen frame has to be re-drilled for wiper, or replaced with a pre-drilled RHD item, The cowl also needs replacind for the column cut out, unless that is a 28-29 thing, I don't own a 30, only 29's. If you want your mirror in the correct place and angle, the header panel needs to be replaced, but I would just make some adaptor brackets for that one. You'll need a new manifold so the adv/ret rods will be mounted, and in the correct position, A new accel pedal assy too.
 
I swapped a 400A over to rhd just to be different. It was more work than you think. The process would all depend on what year and body style you were doing. Here in the states, a rhd gas tank is a little hard to come by, but if your doing a late 31 with the drop neck mounted on the column, you can sometimes find those at swap meets for rhd. Open cars you can just slide the wiper down to the other side. How easy it is to do all depends on what car.
 
There will also be an issue with the headlight/horn wiring that must be taken into consideration. The simplest way to solve is to lengthen the 2 wires for the horn.
Another consideration is the routing of the speedometer cable. It is different on RHD cars and will require notching the underside of the toe board in the floor. Also locating and cutting a hole in the fireall for the push starter rod actuator.

Been there, done that. Not an impossible task. Good luck on your project.
George
 
i've got two rhd model a's. My 180A deluxe phaeton is one, which is getting turned to left hand drive because i will never build another rhd car again, and no i dont want to sell the parts because i want spares for my speedster. the swap is relatively simple if you have basic mechanical skills. Honestly the hardest part will be the firewall patch on the drivers side, then repainting the firewall if you choose to. Another hard part is a steering column bracket. I made my own by taking 1x2 steel tubing and welding a regular model a steering column bracket on the bottom of it. The bracket mounts off my gas tank lip that bolts to the cowl section under the windshield. It would take a weekend for the average A owner to convert over all mechanical parts if the parts were ready to instal. you have to pull the motor, change the bell housing, then re-install motor. change brake cross shaft, no you cant just "flip" it around. Cut the hole in the firewall and Put the new steering column in, change our the steering arms on the front end, re-attach tie rod and align the front end. Then connect your drag link to pitman arm and boom the major part is over. There are a few other minor changes you could make if you have the parts available. The intake manifolds are different, and have a pivot point on it so you can control your spark from the right side of the engine compartment. There is a starter button relocation bracket that goes on the fly wheel housing that allows you to start the car from the right side. But it is not needed if you dont mind stretching your leg over to the other side. Something to also consider is you will have to change your whole lighting wiring harness over to the other side of the engine compartment. This may require you lengthening some wires to reach the right destinations.
 
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