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RHD conversion

Rut

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What would it take besides a different steering rack to convert a Bugeye from LHD to RHD? Pedal box is the same, dash could be modified, etc.
Rut
 
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I guess the plinth on the steering column is different. Maybe? Wiring will be a bit different. You'll need a side entry dizzy cap. Run new brake/clutch line.
 

nomad

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On UK e-bay I noticed that you can get a special mirror that will let you see oncoming traffic when trying to pass with a right hand drive car. Passing was the only problem I had with driving a RH car. Can't see if anyone is coming till you are all the way in the other lane!

Kurt.
 
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Rut

Rut

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Trevor,
Wiring will be left alone since I'll keep the same harness and just add pigtails, hope that will work. Hydraulics should be a relatively simple matter, but I hadn't thought of that.
Kurt,
i haven't even considered the passing issue, but I don't think I'll be doing much of that...maybe the occasional tractor or cotton wagon.
Thanks, Rut
 

drooartz

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You need the steering rack and plinth for the dash/column. Pedal box just moves over but you'll need new hard lines from the MC to the 4-way brake union and from the MC to the clutch hose. New dash as well. Wires can just loop back.

RHD Sprite steering rack is the same as a LHD Morris Minor rack.

Or you can do what I did and sell your nice Bugeye, wait a couple years, and buy an original RHD one that needs everything refreshed. That way you already know how to do the work and how high your stack of cash needs to be. :grin:

I've never had a problem with passing in my MGB -- and it can occasionally pass something. You just hang back a little to be able to see around on the right side. Gives some room for the run-up. I love my RHD cars (have two of them, after all) but then I'm weird that way.
 
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Rut

Rut

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Drew,
I was hoping you would chime in and I'm a little strange myself. The thought of a RHD car intrigues me although I've never driven one. I have extra dashes, steering plinth, etc. and may give it a shot.
Rut
 

drooartz

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Pretty sure the steering plinth is handed so you'll need to find a RHD one.

Took me about a day to get used to shifting with my left hand; after 3 summers driving my MGB I don't even think about it anymore. I really enjoy it, wouldn't have it any other way. If you decide to go this route I'll be happy to supply any pictures/descriptions/measurements necessary.
 
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Rut

Rut

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Drew,
Thanks, pm sent.
Rut
 

Gerard

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I have several RHD cars and it's never been an issue for me in any way. My second Bugeye will be RHD when it's done. In fact, I acclimate so quickly, that an afternoon driving on the right will find me going to enter on the passenger door of my daily driver...:glee:

You will definitely need a right hand drive plinth, and they are neither cheap nor easy to find.
 

drooartz

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I have several RHD cars and it's never been an issue for me in any way. My second Bugeye will be RHD when it's done. In fact, I acclimate so quickly, that an afternoon driving on the right will find me going to enter on the passenger door of my daily driver...:glee:

I've done that, much to my wife's amusement. My RHD MGB has the turn signals on the right side of the column, and when I get in my daily driver I wind up turning on the wipers when I need to make a turn. :smile:
 

HealeyRick

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Thought you guys might like my RHD story:


"I have a good friend we'll call Bob, because that's not his real name. Bob's an ordinary guy who has one extraordinary talent. He's actually been able to make money by diligently tracking down rare sports cars, particularly Austin Healeys, and selling them at a profit. As a result, he's had some pretty interesting cars in his garage over the years. One of the most spectacular was a Ford GT40 that he imported from England. We're not talking about the foo foo Ford GT here, but a real honest-to-God GT40 race car that was built as a continuation car by Safir Engineering and featured a 351 Cleveland topped by a bunch of Webers about 10 inches behind your head. White, with blue over-the-roof stripes, y'know, like this:

167qzgo.jpg


Bob decides he's going to drive it to the Lime Rock vintage races. Now this might not be a problem, but did you forget I said "racecar"? Car would run only on race gas and registering the car for the street was impossible because it violated every reg the EPA, DOT and the DMV could think of and some that they didn't even have a chance to come up with yet. Not to be deterred, Bob slapped a dealer's plate on it, but since the car was fiberglass without anyplace to put a magnet on it and no license plate holder, the only place to put the plate was in the rear window. You can imagine how small the window is on a 40" tall car, so basically from the rear it looked like no plate at all on the car.

We took the "shortcut" to Lime Rock, a winding back road through some of the prettiest scenery in the Berkshires. If some movie producer wanted to cast the part of "Sports Car Road" this one would get the lead. Unfortunately, on race weekends it is the gathering place for every local yokel for miles around who are trying to enrich the coffers of their picturesque southwestern Massachusetts and Northwestern Connecticut villages at the expense of those rich sporty car fellas.

As Bob was showing me what a GT40 could do on this particular stretch of God's-own sports car playground, which happened to be about four times the legal limit and half the speed that Dan Gurney could have driven it, a helpful soul gave us the universal sign that a speed trap awaited over the top of the next hill. With heroic braking and downshifting, Bob managed to get us under the speed limit before we crested the rise and we motored sedately past the radar officer.

I knew this wasn't going to go well. Just imagine you're some small town cop seeing a white race car with blue over-the-roof stripes pass by. By the soul of Buford T. Justice, I intuit we're going to be having a conversation on the side of the road in the very near future. So I stare into the fender mirror and ... wait for it ... there they are ... we're lit up.

The nice officer approaches the driver's window, I slide open the tiny window (no real race car would have roll down windows) and direct him over to the passenger's side to talk to Bob. Wait a minute, Rick. You said Bob was driving, but now you're sitting on the driver's side? What gives? You forgot I said this was a British race car with the steering wheel on the right-hand side where God and the Queen intended it. As soon as the officer gets to Bob's side he notices the four six-packs of beer I have lined up next to me on top of the fuel tank in the side sill. Are any of those open, he asks me. Since it was 9:00 am, luckily none were. (Note to self, when your buddies ask you to bring beer to the track on Sunday because all the liquor stores are closed, bring a car that has a trunk).

Then Bob and the officer had a nice little chat. Bob was asked for his license and registration. Registration? Are you kidding me? Then there was a lengthy discussion of who we were and why the f... we were driving a car designed for over 200 mph at LeMans on the street. I didn't get all of Bob's explanation, but what I heard of it, it was total B.S. And then, the officer asks for my driver's license. WTF? What did I do? As far as I know, there is no statute in MA or CT entitled "Felony Riding in a Racecar on a Public Way" I was perfectly fine with Bob being led off in cuffs. ****, it was his car and he was having the joy of driving it where it had no business being. But now this was serious. No way am I going to some one-cell, one-cot hooseqow without a fight. "Excuse me officer," says I, "you're more than welcome to see my license, but can you tell me why?" "BECAUSE YOU'RE DRIVING THE CAR!" he said in a tone that made it perfectly clear that I must have been the stupidest bastid in the stupidest car that ever put one tire into his jurisdiction.

"Actually, I'm not," I calmly said while I pointed out to this bastion of the law, highly trained in powers of observation, the steering wheel in front of old Bob, whom he had just been conversing with for about twenty minutes. Whoosh! It was as if the Michelin Man had just stepped on a pack of carpet tacks. I don't know if it was embarrassment, exasperation or just a cat being tired of playing with a mouse, but the officer handed Bob back his license, saying, "Maybe you shouldn't be driving this car on the street" and let us go without even a warning. Maybe we shouldn't have, but it was one **** of a good time and one great story. "

__________________
 

Gerard

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Thought you guys might like my RHD story:


167qzgo.jpg


Maybe we shouldn't have, but it was one **** of a good time and one great story. "

__________________

Great story Rick! Reminds me of the time back in the late 60's when a friend and I were cruising around some winding roads in Bloomfield Hills, me driving my Bugeye, and he driving his new '68 L88 Corvette Stingray. Both cars were Safari Yellow at the time. Were were stopped by a local cop and accused of 'drag racing'. My friend, ever the Corvette fanatic, busted out laughing so hard, he actually fell down holding his gut with laughter. I thought we'd be done for, but the cop was actually so embarrassed (I assume), that he just gave us our licenses back and drove off... :congratulatory:

Stingray and Bugeye.jpg
 

nomad

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Well I can't top you two's story's so I won't try.....pretty entertaining though!:highly_amused:

My first Brit car was a MG TC and they were only made in RH drive and, yes, I got by just fine by pulling to the right as far as possible to make sure no one was coming before passing.

If you want to see some amazing double takes get a large dog for the passenger seat!:glee:

Kurt.
 
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Rut

Rut

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Ok, ok...you guys have given me enough to try and do this!
Rut
 

drooartz

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Jenny and I were down in Moab last year with my car club, driving through Arches National Park. She was turning around (in the LH seat of course) to take pictures -- freaked out the folks driving by. :smile:
 
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Rut

Rut

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I found a RHD steering rack for a Bugeye and I'm going to try to adapt the extra plinth, but I need a RHD dash. I have an extra LHD dash I can convert if necessary, but would like an original. If you know of one please contact me.
thanks, Rut
 

JPSmit

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Rut

Rut

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JP,
That's where I found my steering rack and shipping was £47! I wish they had a Bugeye dash, but everything I've found is for the later models.
Thanks, Rut
 
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Rut

Rut

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Paul,
That is a good option! I'll look a little while longer and see if I can find an original, but now I know a good source.
Thanks, Rut
 
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