Hot Rods 1933 1934 FORDs right hand drive to left hand drive Help schooling needed What do to

Ok, so I got this Secret 33-34 project and need some info or help to change from a right hand drive to a Left hand drive. So I'm thinking a new steering box ,Brake / Clutch pedals, dash, Hummmmmm what else??
thanks John

 

Or you could do as Jim Lattin did with his Argentinian '34 tudor - Bonneville chop and added LHD for dual controls - driver's school car!

 

Oh Yea Driving school in style

 

Keepit RHD! Major cool and confusion factors, especially if you can get a big dog or a 6 year old kid to ride with you at all times. If stopped by a cop, the RHD authorizes you to gibber in fake heathen language and brandish the Turkish language page of your international driver's license at him...he will decide that giving you a ticket would be far, far too complicated...
I've driven both RHD and LHD cars in the wrong places, and never been much inconvenienced...although holding down the brake with one toe in a very wide car while paying a toll was a bit dicey once.
Don't know if it helps, but I have various parts catalogs covering both RHD and LHD versions of your car. You've named the big stuff...other things like wiring and such are unlikely to be much of a complication.
Anybody have any RHD deuce parts to spare??

 

Looked into this when I had my '34 Tudor - you hit all the big stuff. Can't recall any small stuff, I wasn't too worried about because I wasn't restoring...

 

Ernie, I'm not worried about this on as well, no resto job for me, all hotrod!!

Bruce, I'll check a buddy that had change his over but it's been awhile so don't know what he's got still.

Weasel, got any pics of that rod?
thanks

 

You will also need a dash for your car.

 

Any other things they changed on a export -import. Holy cow I never had a import before

 

Oh no you won't, old Henry had this one worked out. You swap the intrument panel with the glovebox door. This way old Henry only stamped one panel for two markets RHD & LHD.

I agree with Bruce (including the silly stuff) keep it RHD.

 

This thread seems the perfect place to ask a question I always wondered...............

I know hot rods ain't about money & value, but for export to the UK or Aus......what kind of value difference is there in an american RHD hot rod? I've heard stories about off topic cars going to Aus and having a couple year wait period before registration because they were LHD. Which then leads to the question, is a rhd turnkey american hotrod worth a premium over the rest? Goldchaining is a global phenom. Anyway, just wondering.

 

Just wondering...what are the round things on the hood? Nice car by the way.

 

Ford engines and basic chassis were made in USA (Edgewater NJ made the export ones), Canada, and England, adding in Germany and France as real producers by the late thirties. England was a fairly small operation, even supplying most of Europe, and used a lot of Canadian stuff for low volume bodies and 24 stud engines.
South American cars were from Ford USA.
Each of the above manufacturing countries supplied its own string of smaller markets, and all of them built both RHD and LHD chassis for export.
Countries with a big market would have had a real assembly plant and some parts locally made, though all mechanical parts came from the countries indicated.
Smaller market would have gotten crated CKD knocked-down cars to put together, basically cars shipped like model kits. Very small countries with no need for real assembly got complete vehicles shipped in.

 

A friend has a real nice RHD 1934 Pheaton that spent its life in South Africa, I'd buy it in a minute if I had the funds. Were they made here or in England and shipped to Africa?

 

Keepit RHD, not many around.

 

South African car is likely Canadian...look for C18 serial number, lots of "made in Canada" markings on parts.

 

Not in a 1934 he didn't. The dash is solid an has instrument cut outs, unlike the 1933 which had an instrument cluster panel whose cutout mirrored that of the glove box opening. But this car is a 1934.

Neither I think - I believe the South African Fords were 'hecho in Canada'. I had a South African '34 roadster many years ago and it was Canadian built.

 

Anything commonwealth is generally Canadian...Ford Canada was much bigger than Ford England, and had the full Ford lineup. England had more limited range of bodies, never made 239 engines, used Canadian stuff to fill gaps.

 

Did Ford of Canada make bodies as well, or did they get shipped over from the USA?

 

I would just leave it RHD, more funner.

 

I would be looking to stop at every mailbox

 

Ford actually built a fair number of RHD A's that stayed here in the USA...mostly for rural mail men!

 

I had RHD Consul Capri here, it had high back ugly ass bucket seats in it and when I used to take my dog in it, it looked like he was driving it.
Fun, fun, fun!

 

I had a canadian 48 ford pickup which had RHD but could be converted to LHD. The mounts for the steering box and brake MC were already in the frame. Not sure what happened with the dash? The parts book that i had for the truck made many references to 'export" vehicles.

greg

 

Short general answer is no, not is Australia anyway. But I'm sure there is always the chance of an exception!

Rego problems or having to wait as you say get down to conforming to stricter construction guidelines and checks that have to be adhered to here. People who do have problems are those that buy something cheap (or sometimes expensive)in the US and 'assume' they can just ship it over and register it. They are either 'green' or haven't done their homework. The engineer does his inspection and finds a long list of things that don't cut it. Hi end cars here are built to meet required standards from the outset so....

Hi profile eg: the Verne Luce coupe was brought over here but was lower than legal(100mm), glass too thin, needed fenders and seat belts to pass rego and a bunch of other things. I've seen the car a few times and you wouldn't know it had been altered - except for the fenders - but they're removable!

 

I'd say no to RHD being worth a premium, at least at the moment while the GB Pound is worth squat against the dollar - a couple of years ago when it was around two bucks to the pound would have been a different matter (don't know about the Aussie Dollar or Japanese Yen, though?). In the UK a lot of people reckon to build LHD to make it worth more to sell into Europe.

If you were "restoring" it, including the mechanical brakes, the brake rod holes through the centre of the X-member are different from side to side.

I think my RHD, ex-South Africa, Made in Canada Tudor has most or all of the various mounting holes duplicated on both sides of the chassis.

 

Where would a car from Argentina have been made ?

 

Take it from a mail man. It's not that hard to get used to. Pretty cool car John!

 

Gas pedal, spindels, windshield wiper and clutch throwout bearing arm.

 

I used to convert Rolls Royces to LH drive in San Jose. RHD were worth much less. I hated that job. Only did a few, then was rescued by Alex's Porsche Haus, and began to regain my sanity...

 

This is an old thread. Actually I own the car now. I've been gathering parts and I'll be starting on it soon. It WILL be converted to LHD and will be getting a 59AB and 39 trans in place of the 21 stud among other changes.