Right Hand Drive Front Axle

When you flip it the LHD pitman hole comes to the front (side), 90 degrees brings it under.
When you flip it the steering arm hole goes to the top near the RHD pitman. The 90 degrees brings it sideways to connect with the RHD pitman. Sounds reasonable to me.

Not sure why the ball springs are designed to only go one way on the drag link. Maybe to stop some bump steer.
 
updraught said:
When you flip it the LHD pitman hole comes to the front (side), 90 degrees brings it under.
When you flip it the steering arm hole goes to the top near the RHD pitman. The 90 degrees brings it sideways to connect with the RHD pitman. Sounds reasonable to me.

Not sure why the ball springs are designed to only go one way on the drag link. Maybe to stop some bump steer.
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I think I seem to remember that both ends are not mirror images on either end of the drag link, that is why I did not just end for end it, was a while ago ?

If they are not identical, there must be an engineering design reason for it.
 
Synchro909 said:
Turn the drag link end for end and rotate about the horizontal axis by 90 deg in the appropriate direction and you don't have to reverse the pitman arm.
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I do not have a LHD and RHD drag link right in front of me ATM, but I made a cardboard model of one, and I do not think your idea works.

I see the LHD drag link reversed end for end and rotated 90 degrees still to be the same re socket orientation .

Will have a better look tomorrow.

This reminds me of a constant ongoing argument about fan blades put on backwards in an MGB forum blowing air forwards back thru the radiator, WRONG.

Maybe I am wrong, as I really like fresh ideas as to solutions for stubbornness .
 
The lhd drag link will only work on a rhd if you use a lhd drop arm & face the ball out ,
That's why we produce a short RHD one so as folk do not shorten there stock one by cutting & welding . coming soon.
 
I do not follow. a LHD "drop arm " aka pitman arm faces left whether on the right side of the car or the left , or reversed..
 
The RHD drag link part number is AF3305 the LHD is A3305 so they are a mirror image of each other . The only way to use a LHD drag link on a RHD axle is to reverse the pitman arm so it is ball side out (as the actress said to the bishop). In practise this probably works just fine although things would not be correctly aligned which could maybe cause wear at the ball neck etc etc . I have never tried this as I have both links in the "stores".

John in sunny rain showers Suffolk County England .
 
You are right Pooch but on a RHD car the ball has to point to the right .

John same place same weather .
 
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A LHD pitman arm the ball points backward slightly, if it were reversed for RHD the ball would be slightly forward, in which case the drag link lenth will need to be shortened, an adjustable link would also enable the connection to turn 180 to connect to the pitman arm.
However it would be better to wait for the new pitman arm that Derek has coming, and retain the stock appearance, if you do have a problem maintaining lock to lock, and aligning steering wheel to center after installing the short arm then an adjustable link will be required.
 
A LHD pitman arm ball socket is angled to the left .

If it is put on a RHD , whether reversed or not, it is still angled to the left .

A drag link just does not fit at all.
 
I'm driving 2 cars that were LHD and are now RHD. On both, On each, I used the drag link that came with it. I was wrong when I said the Pitman arm doesn't have to be reversed. Since I posted that, I've checked and that's what I did and it works just fine - many thousands of miles and no problems of any kind. I'm becoming more and more certain my memory isn't what it used to be but I can't remember it ever being better. :D
All the drag link talk is a diversion from the OP. In relathion to that, according to the books, there is no difference between the two axles but as I said earlier, a good front end alignment man will alter the camber from the specs to allow for the camber in the road. That applies equally for either hand.
 
Forever, We will have to agree to disagree. I know what I have done and how it worked but as I said, according to the original specs, there is no difference. I suspect Henry was oblivious to the RHD world.
 
Thanks for all the valuable information. After absorbing the advice here I was able to use an old bushing driver that happened to be about the same size as the king pin and drive the kingpins out. I had to lay the axle on the ground and drive the pin out into the soil.
Lots-o-rust and crud holding the kingpin in place.
On another note, the reason I asked the original question was that I have LHD parts to rebuild the axle but wanted to make sure there wasn't something else to find or fix that is unique to the RHD (Can you say manifold?). The targe car has a RHD drag link and we will have the balls replaced when it comes time to pull the old axle for the switch.
 
You are lucky you had to drive the king pins out, rather than have them fall out of wallowed out holes.

The RHD exhaust (or inlet, the memory has faded ) manifold has a cast in boss spindle that has a 2 pronged right angled direction changer whatzit for dizzy advance rods.

If you don't have one, and a spare LHD manifold, just weld a modified bolt on for the time being.

You will have to ask here to determine the positioning of the whatzit.

I welded mine, but the car is now long gone.

Any RHD guys will give you measurements.
 
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