10 replies to this topic

[Mini Waco]

I will learn how to search this forum, but my current attempt of finding Left Hand Steering wheel conversions comes up empty.  Are their kits and/or technical information on how to convert from RH to LH steering?

[albo]

easy,, just pick one of these kits to suit,

http://www.ebay.co.u...Id=190747984904

[joakwin]

You'll need a lhd rack, and then u will have to move the wiper arms to the other holes in the cowling/ moving the wiper motor to the other side and redoing the tubes for the cable, and the biggest thing is the pedal box for the clutch and brake,


My German spec lhd mini has the clutch master on the left side and the brake master on the right side

And I do think the inductors on the column aren't the same as well, the functions are flipped

[albo]

i was told many years ago by a man who used to import minis and other cars cheap, and then convert them to right hand drive ,i remember him saying the mini was the easiest to convert espec with the center clocks,and said you only have to flip the stearing rack over, all other bits just swap over as the fixing holes are already there,and just reverse polarity to wiper moter when swaped over,he claimed he did them in a day, 

[Mini Waco]

Thanks All..   I"m wondering too if Vizard's "How to restore a Mini" will offer suggestions.  If not, I will dive in deeper on this forum.  At least now, I have a general idea of what needs to be done, thank you all.  @ albo..  I could certainly manage that kit.

[Marcos Controls]

My car is a factory LHD. The column switches are in the same position as the RHD cars, or at least mine are. The wiper motor is on the other side and mounts onto my brake servo bracket. If you're going to use the servo you'll need the remote linkage from the brake pedal that runs along the inside of the bulkhead. If you are not using centre clock you'll need a shorter speedo cable. It is an easy conversion, the most expensive part being the rack. I believe the accelerator pedal is also different. My car is in bits but I can send you photos of any parts you're unsure about

[Mini Waco]

Thanks Polish Marc.  You have given me helping tips to look for.  Currently I am trying to assess required modifications that are above and beyond the other UK restorations I've been reading.  I do not have my car yet, but we (my daughter and I) plan to purchase two minis in the July 2015 time frame.  We are in full research mode now trying to learn not only about the mini, but what needs to be done.  Perhaps you gentlemen could help further with the dashboard.  While I will be concerting over to LH steering,   I have noticed that the older minis only have dials in the center of the dashboard.  Other minis have either two or three holes for dials.  Without luck, I've been trying to determine what occupies both two and three hole dashboard.  I'm not sure yet which I will need.  This goes hand-in-hand with the lh steering conversion.  Of course I'll know what I need once we have the cars, but I may wish to upgrade.

[Dan]

All the pedals are different. If you use RHD pedals on the left they end up in an uncomfortable position. My own car was imported back to the UK being originally an export model, and was badly converted (in the slapdash way alluded to above) from left to right by a previous owner. It took me ages to work out what was wrong with the clutch pedal and why it was so hard to control the clutch.

You need:

All pedals with fittings, which will include the remote crank system as mentioned above if you are using a direct servo.
New rack.
Longer clutch line for a manual car, and longer M/C brake lines for a non-servo car.
Column switch gear is universal left and right except for cars from the period from '76 to '84 which had handed stalks.
Speedo cable for an offset speedo car.

And I think that's it, the wiper system just needs to be stripped and reassembled in a different order but you might need different length Bundy tubes for it. Also if it's a servo car you will need a different support strap that clips the wiper motor to the servo bracket instead of the bulkhead.

[Mini Waco]

Awesome information, Thanks Dan!!    I assume my Vizard book (when it arrives) will clue me into servo and non-servo cars.  Many thanks

[Ethel]

The late cars, with the horizontal brake master will be the most work. I think there were some regulations about ignition key and column stalk positions, but I doubt they'd apply to a one off conversion.

[Mini Waco]

Ethel,  what is considered a "late" car?   Legally, I'm only able to import a car 25 years or older.  Therefore, next year I can only import up to and including a 1990 model.