LHD to RHD 240Z

Ashley

Club Member
Hi all

What parts are needed please to convert a LHD car to RHD? I it still even possible now the items are getting harder to find?
What is the going rate pricewise for the relevant parts please?

Looking for a project car and just considering options at the moment to any advice would be most welcome.

Many thanks
 

Fairlineguy

Club Member
Hi all

What parts are needed please to convert a LHD car to RHD? I it still even possible now the items are getting harder to find?
What is the going rate pricewise for the relevant parts please?

Looking for a project car and just considering options at the moment to any advice would be most welcome.

Many thanks

Save yourself all the work and buy my 280z it’s all been converted to RHD .lol
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Mr Ex Jnr

Club Member
Ideally a Rhd Rack but mx5 can be used and worked

Then collum use Lhd and use washers to pack it out u will see ;)

Bulkhead panel can be bought off Andy auto panel solutions


Rhd dash is your money and hard find or u go fibreglass

Pedal box can be rewelded up to suit Rhd

It's not hard brackets need moving inside cab for dash

Rhd wiper arms and linkage is sumert to find

Scuttle can be welded up

Heater blower may need modifying or Rhd

That's it :)
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
That's it :)

Not really.

What parts are needed please to convert a LHD car to RHD? I it still even possible now the items are getting harder to find?

There's clearly (as you can see above) some kind of sliding scale between a proper lash up and an almost perfect factory-style job, with a fairly grey area in between.

Functional and safe should go without saying, but cosmetics and the level to which you want to go to regarding 'period correctness' and the like is very subjective. That's what makes this kind of discussion so hard to pin hard facts to. There's now a dearth of RHD donor parts in the UK, so prices for parts can be all over the place.

My impression (some may disagree) is that it would be slightly easier to convert a '69 through '73 car from LHD to RHD than, say, a '76 through '78 car, and some of that will be due to availability of RHD donor componentry for later cars. The earlier cars are simpler, but I guess it depends on what else you are planning to do to the car too. It seems that a lot of people buy later LHD cars and put in a lot of work to make them look like earlier cars.
 
Ideally a Rhd Rack but mx5 can be used and worked

Then collum use Lhd and use washers to pack it out u will see ;)

Bulkhead panel can be bought off Andy auto panel solutions


Rhd dash is your money and hard find or u go fibreglass

Pedal box can be rewelded up to suit Rhd

It's not hard brackets need moving inside cab for dash

Rhd wiper arms and linkage is sumert to find

Scuttle can be welded up

Heater blower may need modifying or Rhd

That's it :)

How do you make an mx5 rack work?
 

Ian Patmore

Well-Known Forum User
Or save yourself the £ and keep it LHD. You will only be driving the car a few days out of the year. Driving a LHD 240z is no problem, having driven them.

Some want stupid amount for parts when they aren't scarce, dashes for example. Albrecht posted a picture recently with room full of dashes taken at a Z parts specialist... some of the prices seen, I could have imported from Japan and still had change.

RHD parts aren't scarce, just need to look further than the "money men".
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Some want stupid amount for parts when they aren't scarce, dashes for example. Albrecht posted a picture recently with room full of dashes taken at a Z parts specialist... some of the prices seen, I could have imported from Japan and still had change.

Dashes are not exactly littering the streets in Japan though. Japan's high summer heat and UV has affected a high proportion of them, so even if you do find one it'll often be rendered into port crackling and need major repair or an aftermarket cover. You need to pick one that fits the production date of your LHD car too. They are also heavy and high volume to ship, so you're still looking at a fair whack of cost involved. It all adds up.


Experiment: Lets do a 'virtual' round-up of currently available parts for an RHD conversion on a (say) North American market 1972/73 HLS30U Datsun 240Z. What's out there in the ether right now, where is it and how much will it cost? The sheetmetal-related parts from APS are a given (readily available to order) but what about the rest of it? I want people who tell me "this stuff is out there" to demonstrate where it is, and how much it is going to cost me.
 

Mr Ex Jnr

Club Member
Am doing a 240z 72 I have all the parts to do it right

There are video on you tube ino of a fair few Z now using mx5 power steering rack

Dave jarman also uses them
 

Fairlineguy

Club Member
I’ve no experance of fitting a different steering rack BMW,Mazda ,Subaru .
But my understanding is that there all slightly longer than the original rack.
I’d guess they could alter toot angle and could cause bump steer?..
 
I’ve no experance of fitting a different steering rack BMW,Mazda ,Subaru .
But my understanding is that there all slightly longer than the original rack.
I’d guess they could alter toot angle and could cause bump steer?..

yep, you're changing the fundamental of how the car handles, not to mention changes in pivot points, rack extensions, or reductions. Rack steering shaft angle and clearance issues.
 

Ashley

Club Member
Thanks for your invaluable comments guys.
I would want a 69-73 car to restore. I could do the bulkhead mods but would want the right RHD parts to look as factory correct as possible.
Is it worth having any stuff reproduced?
In a perfect world I will find a RHD car but I see there are a few Dry State LHD imports for sale currently so just on a fact finding mission for now. I would hate to buy something and not be able to get the bits to finish it.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Thanks for your invaluable comments guys.
I would want a 69-73 car to restore. I could do the bulkhead mods but would want the right RHD parts to look as factory correct as possible.
Is it worth having any stuff reproduced?
In a perfect world I will find a RHD car but I see there are a few Dry State LHD imports for sale currently so just on a fact finding mission for now. I would hate to buy something and not be able to get the bits to finish it.


One word of advice is to register the car in the UK with the DVLA BEFORE doing the bulkhead conversion. I’ve had to decline a few requests for club dating letters as either a) the VIN was cut out and welded elsewhere, b) it was partially covered and c) re-stamped to try and preserve the original look. None of which sit well with the DVLA for obvious reasons.

Ideally, you want to be able to preserve the original VIN in its original place and have it fully on show..
 

richiep

Club Member
Continuing from Ali’s point, IMO, there’s no reason why the original VIN needs to be messed with during a swap. That section of the bulkhead on a LHD car does not need cutting out to implement the change. Yes, you can get full bulkheads that would mean grafting the VIN section over, but in most cases that is overkill. APS do a sectional kit, as I’ve used on my project car. Factory appearance, but with no interference with the sheet metal in the vicinity of the VIN.
 
Top