S30 right hand drive conversion

[Tony D]

Arn brings up valid point on the heater blower assy, it is different.

 

For the $500 you spent on the rustfree 260, you can get a Fairlady Z for LESS than the cost of conversion.

 

I have not spent more than $1000 for ANY of the FOUR RHD Z-Cars sitting in my stable at the moment.

 

Yes, the rack flips---it's in the FSM for 'RHD' or 'LHD' orientation.

 

But frankly the 'conversions' I have seen here in the lower 48 have been hideous hack-jobs...a lot of work that turns a perfectly good donor car into worthless junk. Flame-Bent pedal clusters, no heater, Windshield Wipers that don't clear the windshield on the Driver's Side, an underdash morass of clipped, shortened, and cut wiring to make it fit on the 'short side' of the dash... The list goes on.

 

At least with a real Fairlady, you have a VIN that backs it for resale down the road.

 

For all the work involved (contrary to what others are saying) you get a car worth LESS than when you started. Desirable to nobody, that you're stuck with... I wouldn't buy any one of the 'conversions' I've seen here Stateside. There have been some nice RHD works done on Domestic stuff done in Oz and the UK that have been well executed, but the cost of the bodywork for the master cylinder reinforcement mounting plate cost more than your ENTIRE CAR.

 

Just be realistic... If you can buy one complete for less than the cost of coversion, why bother?

[HS30-H]

Yes, the rack flips---it's in the FSM for 'RHD' or 'LHD' orientation.

 

I've seen this mentioned several times in the past, but I honestly can't get my head around it. You can't just 'flip' the rack over, can you? The connection for the input shaft would be pointing towards the radiator, would it not?

 

On standard RHD configuration, the pinion gear is underneath the rack and the 'retainer' and its adjust screw ( with the big lock nut ) are on top. If you flip the LHD rack 180 degrees in the left and right right plane the pinion would still be underneath and the retainer still on top, but the pinion would be facing 180 degrees the wrong way in the fore and aft plane. Flip the rack 180 degrees in the top and bottom plane and it puts the pinion on top of the rack ( try that! ) and the adjust screw, retainer and lock nut facing the road surface.......

 

There are no shared part numbers between RHD and LHD racks for the complete racks assys and the housings themselves. They are different.

 

Maybe it would be possible to completely disassemble an LHD rack, take the steel tubes out of the alloy housing and swap them around, then put it back together with the rack itself swapped 180 degrees inside the housing and tubes - but it sounds like a lot of work for something that can be picked up quite easily, and even then I think we are missing something (???) .......

 

Will anyone volunteer to explain this to me?!

[Tony D]

I've not done it Alan, like I said, the 'hack jobs' I have seen did indeed use the LHD rack, though.

In one instance, I know of someone who used a RHD Power Steering unit, 'flipped' so he had power steering in his 240Z

 

When I get back from here (Morocco, then Nigeria) I have a complete RHD, and I think LHD assemblies laying out at the house...I can photograph them side by side.

 

As I recall, in one of the illustrations in the steering rack section of the FSM it refers to a 'dot' on the splined shaft being in one orienation for LHD, and 180 degrees out for RHD.

 

But I'm closer to you than my stuff right now...

So the photos will have to wait.

 

 

It's still cheaper to buy one, that attempt a conversion. Especially in San Francisco...

They are out there, and they can be had cheap enough that it makes it worth while.

[Challenger]

Thats a good point on the wiring, youd have to shorten one side and lengthen another. That would look terrible.

 

Also where in Nigeria are you going to be? Lagos or Port Hartcourt? My dads leaving on monday for Lagos. We dont get to go this time.

[Hotrodpez]

It is up to YOU to decide how much you want this. I will say this though: I did one RHD conversion on a GUTTED 67 VW beetle that I was turning into a Volksrod (look it up, if you've never seen one). It was a royal PITA. And VW bugs don't even have much of a dash... Its just a flat piece of steel. It was goddamn annoying at McDonald's, it pissed off the cops (as if the fact that my windshield was 7 inches tall and I had no fenders, one inch of ground clearance, motorcycle tailights, and 4 straight pipe exhaust wasn't enough), and it took me a month to learn how to shift backwards (ever think of that one? kept grinding first looking for third) You gotta re-do all your brake lines, throttle linkage, clutch lines... all for what? I'd rather put that time and money into something useful like custom suspension grafts, etc.

[gwnwar]

I've had and driven RHD cars in USA it a real pain and dangerous. You go to pass another car and you have 3/4 of your car stuck out over the line in on coming traffic before you can see what's coming.. Driveins are a real pain as are drive in banks, toll booths, the list goes on.. After you show it to your friends what do you have just a PITA car to drive around town.

[Oddmanout84]

Dude, don't do it. Not only is it a huge waste of money and time just to have something a little more "JDM," but its also completely impractical in a country built for LHD cars. The only place its practical is where it comes from; Japan. Also I don't know about you, but after driving LHD cars all my life it was just weird and uncomfortable driving the RHD cars in Oki.

[rigez]

[quote=I have not spent more than $1000 for ANY of the FOUR RHD Z-Cars sitting in my stable at the moment.

 

I wish had spotted one of those deals when I went and bought mine.

 

What condition were the Fairlady Zs when you bought them? Also curious about the model years.

 

I have yet to see any go for less than $1K. I paid over $7k for my 70 and 74 Fairlady Zs

[mr jdm]

I have a rhd 77 z. If you need interior parts let me know. Gutted the whole thing and im goingto aluminum dash. My dash has one major crack. I have all the ac/heater parts. Not using anything that was inside the car. Or the windshield wipers.

[Challenger]

Isnt it a 2+2?

[Oddmanout84]

Military personel leaving Okinawa sell their cars for cheaper than you'd imagine when they leave the island. However, I'd find it hard to believe you'd find an S30 over there for the same deal. While I was stationed there some local dude wanted to buy my car (LHD, and all the way back in the states) and import it for a large sum of money. They covet that car there.

 

Even now back in the states I get the occasional person that comes up to me while I'm buying solvents and chemicals at Autozone offering me much more than I paid for my car. The prices for first gen Z's are going up, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

 

Some smart salesman could probably pull a decent profit selling an S30 with a shiny "JDM RHD!" label on it, especially after that anime starts picking up more speed in the states. Personally, its not my thing. Flame me all you want, but IF I had gone through with my plan to bring back a skyline from Oki, one of the first things I would have done was try to figure out how to convert it to LHD.

[Stealth-Z]

Flame me all you want, but IF I had gone through with my plan to bring back a skyline from Oki, one of the first things I would have done was try to figure out how to convert it to LHD.

 

People always asked me back in 1987 if I was going to convert my first Fairlady Z to LHD.

[ben280zx]

I lived in the bay and how come I dont know about these deal under 1k? Am I missing something or someplace Tony?

 

Arn brings up valid point on the heater blower assy, it is different.

 

For the $500 you spent on the rustfree 260, you can get a Fairlady Z for LESS than the cost of conversion.

 

I have not spent more than $1000 for ANY of the FOUR RHD Z-Cars sitting in my stable at the moment.

 

Yes, the rack flips---it's in the FSM for 'RHD' or 'LHD' orientation.

 

But frankly the 'conversions' I have seen here in the lower 48 have been hideous hack-jobs...a lot of work that turns a perfectly good donor car into worthless junk. Flame-Bent pedal clusters, no heater, Windshield Wipers that don't clear the windshield on the Driver's Side, an underdash morass of clipped, shortened, and cut wiring to make it fit on the 'short side' of the dash... The list goes on.

 

At least with a real Fairlady, you have a VIN that backs it for resale down the road.

 

For all the work involved (contrary to what others are saying) you get a car worth LESS than when you started. Desirable to nobody, that you're stuck with... I wouldn't buy any one of the 'conversions' I've seen here Stateside. There have been some nice RHD works done on Domestic stuff done in Oz and the UK that have been well executed, but the cost of the bodywork for the master cylinder reinforcement mounting plate cost more than your ENTIRE CAR.

 

Just be realistic... If you can buy one complete for less than the cost of coversion, why bother?

[Oddmanout84]

Well.... I suppose if you're keeping it for collectors' value, stay original. My opinion is just based on:

 

-I'd make the car a daily driver/ at least drive it often

-I'd be in the states

-The ability to use drive-thrus and bank tellers at leisure

-I hate shifting with my left arm... Hate it! It just feels so... weird...

[kiwi303]

[quote=Oddmanout84;941180

-I hate shifting with my left arm... Hate it! It just feels so... weird...

 

Look at it from the point of view of us in RHD countries the one time I ever drove a LHD (chev impala) I kept trying to change gear and hitting the door armrest

[Stealth-Z]

Improvise. Back through the drive thru's.

 

I learned how to drive a standard shift car while in Okinawa. My job had me switching back and forth between LHD and RHD. So I developed a sort of ambidextrious driving habits.

 

It was fun driving my 74 Formula Firebird backwards at the McDonalds drive thru.

[Oddmanout84]

Look at it from the point of view of us in RHD countries the one time I ever drove a LHD (chev impala) I kept trying to change gear and hitting the door armrest

 

Oh, I don't doubt its the same for you guys at all. It sucks doing things one way for years, then having to do the opposite. What I always wondered is; Why can't we all drive on the same side of the road? Who's idea was it to stick us on the left and vice versa. Seriously. We could have all been sitting comfortably on the tranny tunnel jockying a shifter between our legs like a fighter pilot. So much simpler. And then we could even have 3 seats in the front of a sportscar, room for one more girl.

 

 

 

Improvise. Back through the drive thru's.

 

I learned how to drive a standard shift car while in Okinawa. My job had me switching back and forth between LHD and RHD. So I developed a sort of ambidextrious driving habits.

 

It was fun driving my 74 Formula Firebird backwards at the McDonalds drive thru.

 

Lol. I guess that works!

[kiwi303]

Who's idea was it to stick us on the left and vice versa. Seriously.

 

believe it or not, you can blame the ROMANS! did you know even the size of the space shuttle was dictated by the romans?

 

 

Those pesky romans made the first real roads, and the first road laws to keep traffic from being in a mess on them, and even after the romans dissapeared and became italians, (who don't HAVE road laws that I've noticed), it was easier for everyone with a roman road through their town to keep using the same side because otherwise they'd brake axles in the ruts.

 

By the time roads were being built in the new world, they were new roads with no ruts... so the decision on which side of the road to drive was a political rather than practical decision. so if you don't like having to drive on a different side of the road as every other civilised country and many of the uncivilised, go write a letter of complaint to congress

 

 

 

Back to the space shuttle. it's size was dictated in part by the ultimate size of the rocket boosters strapped to the outside. they are made and then shipped by rail to the site, through a tunnel. the tunnel size was dictated to clear the carriages in use at the time of construction, the carriage size was dictated by the width of the track, the width of the track was made to fit the width of the first trains axles which were simply horse drawn carts on rails, the width of those axles were dictated by letting the wheels run in the ruts in the roman roads, those ruts were made by roman chariots, which were made to a standard size throughout the empire, which was dictated by the size of the horses butts that were roped in front of the chariots

 

It's strange to think that the size of a roman horses arse partially dictated the size of the space shuttles

[Tony D]

Thats a good point on the wiring, youd have to shorten one side and lengthen another. That would look terrible.

 

Also where in Nigeria are you going to be? Lagos or Port Hartcourt? My dads leaving on monday for Lagos. We dont get to go this time.

 

Both---on the way to Bonny Island. Is he going to be at the Shell LNG 6 Project? Send him an e-mail to try to contact me. I'll be heading down Sunday the 13th and going out on the Twin Otter from Lagos Monday Morning. I will be working with Entrepose in the LNG6 Train on the Instrument Air Compressor Skids. Have him ask around for the "FS-Elliott Rep" I will be there at least a week.

 

Sorry for the Threadjack. In retrospect I should PM this... But internet here in Morocco comes and goes without notice so it's here first. Now to copy and paste....

 

I'm with Stealth Z, same timeframe on Okinawa, same timeframe buying the cars. I don't know how long 'your whole life' was at the time you had to switch, but it was no big deal for me.

 

And since then, driving several RHD vehicles of my own here in the USA since 1989, I've really not run into anything that would be a real 'drop dead inconvienience'... Like Stealth says, it's humorous to swing through a Drivethrough backwards once and a while, but it's no different than getting into the In-n-Out burger Left Side Drivethrough. I can tell you it's a LOT more inconvienient driving a LHD F350 through the left side of one of those than it EVER was driving my RHD Z through the Right side of the same joint! No real reach-across.

 

Passing is best done properly. If you are so close to the tail of the car you are trying to pass that you have to go 'that far' out to see oncoming---you're inadequately driving the car. Prepare a bit better. Overtaking is something done smoothly, from afar, and with a shift as you pass the slower vehicle. If I can pass people towing a trailer, with three people in my 2+2, at 65mph on a twisty Michigan Backroad without problem...I'm thinking the problem may be more on the driver's end than the vehicle's orientation.

 

Maybe some people are more adaptable than others. But I'd not see RHD or LHD an issue in any country.

 

SIZE is FAR more a concern than driver position everywhere I have gone.

 

When it was time for me to rotate from Okinawa, the government was not shipping RHD cars for a period, so I had to leave my Fairlady there, and ship a 240Z back. After filling out all the paperwork, I was offered a 1971 Fairlady Z 432 as an even across trade for my 240 CHASSIS! Woah. Had only I the money to have shipped it on my own, and not already filled out the government shipment forms in triplicate to ship my 240... I would have had a Z432 now, instead. And still bought that one in Arizona in 1990 for $1000 (my most expensive). That one had been in the USA (Airzona) since 1976 when a DOD Schoolteacher rotated home to AZ. Rust on an early Fairlady? How many FairladyZ's do you know spent only 5 years in country, then went to ARIZONA for the rest of their years?!?!?!?!?

The 75 2+2 I got for $300 was in better shape than the 71, the only appreciable rust was in the rearmost rocker panel area. Another long-term SoCal Fairlady Z.

 

It's like anything, when you look, you can't find one. When you aren't looking, or broke, they show up. Key is putting aside the money as a 'just in case fund'. I would say with $2000 laying in a fund, you could find a decent RHD if you have the patience. If it doesn't need to be running...the price goes down QUICKLY!

[kiwi303]

As far as the "can't see from the far seat when passing" problem, one suggestion mooted is to get one of those rearview camera systems and epoxy/glassfibre it onto a bumper.