Conversion to left hand drive

[Bill Musarra]

Not knowing which topic to post under I thought this was the best. The 40 will be here in about a month if all goes well. One of my biggest problem will be the conversion to left hand drive. Any help would be appreciated. I know I will need a new dash. Anyone have one lying around??? The 40 is a DRB unit. Will the pedal box relocate or will it need alteration/replacement? Redoing the hydraulics is no problem. Can the steering rack be flipped or will I need a new unit? Anyone done this before???
Bill

 

[40 Bud]

Congratulations. The bravehearts among us would leave the car alone and try driving as is. I am a chicken heart and think that visibility is poor enough in a 40 and would do what you are doing. The pedal box should be able to remount to the left. The steering wheel and shaft will need a mounting on the left but should be usable, The steering rack will have to be replaced with one for left hand drive. If you have a sill mounted shifter you will have to relocate to the center or left hand sill. This will require some mounting brackets etc. I you are considering a left silll mount, think about it. You probably are not use to shifting with your left hand. Yes you will need a new dash and will probably have to re-mount your rear view mirror. I would contact Peter at DRB. He has a reputation of being helpful and he builds cars with left hand drive for shipment to other countries. He should be able to give you the exact info you need.<http://www.gt40Australia.com>

 

[40 Bud]

Sorry I Stuck in a capitol were it doesn't belong <http://www.gt40australia.com>

 

We converted te Tornado to LHD. We were told that there was no room n the tunnel for the shift linkage but I did not want a left hand shift_very akward. Dan converted to center ship and re-engineered the linkage for more firmness and less weight! Did have to get a new steering rack. Let me know when it gets here. I want to seeit! cb

 

ps:When I read your post to my wife, she asked if "DRB' meant Did he Really Buy it! cb

 

[Mark Worthington]

I considered converting my RF to LHD but after speaking with Robert decided to leave it as is. In the case of the RF, I would have needed to do a lot more than get a new dash to convert to LHD. I would've had to hack up the chassis to relocate the steering column bracket, central tunnel bracing and even the hard points for harness mounting, then get everything powder coated again. No thanks. Perhaps the DRB chassis will be a different story.

 

[Robert Logan]

Bill,

At Roaring Forties we already offer the Left Hand Drive option together with the central gear change. This was done especially for the US market and if you would like a LHD dash contact me in the usual manner.

Best wishes,

Robert

 

[Bill Musarra]

Robert,
Just got back in town, I apreciate the offer on the dash. Not to be pissy, but would there be a problem with your dash in a DRB unit? I know most of the cars are "tecnicaly" suposed to be the same. Whats the scoop on that?
Bill

 

[Greg Marriott]

Bill,
Peter Ransome at GT40 Australia makes LHD dashes for the cars he ships to the States.
Another problem you may have is the inside seat belt mounts are offset to the left in RHD cars when the chassis is made. This is done to provide more room for the handbrake lever on the right of the seat. The tunnel fits over this mounting bracket so it would reduce the amount of room for the pedal box (this is reversed for LHD cars).
I would advise you to contact Peter who could advise you on which steering rack he uses for LHD cars and also any other problems you may encounter.

 

Robert and Peter,

What is the cost of your left-hand dashes?

John Stone

 

[Guest]

Bill, you know I am not a fan of Peter Ransom as I had a heck of a time getting in touch with him and was a little less than satisfied with what transpired after that. I will say that they have a great dash. They have a guy that molds on a complete vinyl shell onto the dash which is very much like the vinyl panels used in todays cars. If there is a down side, it is that you have to cut through the vinyl to mount gauges, but I understand it isn't that bad. You just have to be very careful because if you screw it up, you are screwed. Beyond the dash issues it looks like you have good info on the rest of it. You might want to contact Bob Williams in Nashville. He has a left hand drive DRB, is a machinist, old school mate of Dennis Bretton and just a real nice guy. Contact me if you would like his contact info.

 

[Bill Bayard]

Lynn,

I have just learned why Peter Ransom has been so difficult to get in touch with recently. He has moved his entire factory
to a new and larger facility. Perhaps now
he might have the time to answer his e-mail.
If not, try the phone. I have had pretty good luck calling him at around 7-8PM EST.

BTW, you are right about his dashboards. They
are very nice.

Bill,

The steering system used in my car came from Australian cars(Ford Laser/Torana), so it should be a simple matter of reversing it. The pedal box may be an entirely different matter. Seek spiritual guidance on that one.
See below. Good luck!

Peter Ransom
GT40 Australia
Factory 3/4
29 Old Pacific Highway
Yatala, Queensland 4207
61 7 3807-2840
61 7 3807-1923

[ October 09, 2002: Message edited by: Bill Bayard ]