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Post by denis23 on May 15, 2011 17:45:23 GMT
Well, as LHD P5B is same rare as dragon`s teeths to be sold with average tempo one or two per year at the prices which makes jealouse most Bentley and RR owners, I just thinking about converting my RHD P5B to LHD.
From some neighbouring countries there are some early P5 and P6 LHD available, so let me ask - what I need to prepare this conversion (ok, probably new footwell carpet from JRW - but what else?))
Is the steering column interchangeable with any other vehicle?
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Post by Phil Nottingham on May 15, 2011 21:22:11 GMT
The column will be as will virtully everything else but I am not certain about the steering box.
The dashboard top rail will have holes in it on the wrong side too!
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Post by denis23 on May 15, 2011 21:35:20 GMT
Phil I heard on this forum that steering column is interchangeable with Volvo Amazon - or it was dream?
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Post by johnwp5bcoupe on May 15, 2011 22:03:36 GMT
I don't know about your dreams I will leave that one to Phil  The steering box and idler are handed so they would need to be changed, plus the drop arms on both. |
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Post by denis23 on May 15, 2011 22:10:08 GMT
Well, then let me ask you. Can I put whole subassembly from LHD P5 to RHD P5B (steering box, arms etc?). Or P5 had different front end?
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Post by Phil Nottingham on May 15, 2011 22:13:22 GMT
No same so yes
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 15:45:06 GMT
I am just in themiddle of this process. The steeering box is different,as wel as the swilbvle ouse oon theopposite site.
The dash board and all panels attached are handed,e.g the glove box interior.
The lay out of hand brake cable is very different too.
And changing over the wire loom is a lot of work, not undoable, but a lot of work.
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 8, 2011 10:29:42 GMT
Seriously, why bother? It only makes a lot of difference in the price if the car is a pristine coupé, I wouldnt bother doing it with a saloon.
After 20 years of driving RHD P5s on the ContinentI find the only drawback is that you have to get out if you want to go into e.g a multi-storey car park.
The RHD also adds to the englishness of it all.
if you do the change you may have to swap the wiper mechanism as well.
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Post by denis23 on Jun 13, 2011 19:51:54 GMT
Probably, agree with you, tomcgn.
Idea was just to buy restorable P5B Coupe in UK and restore it to LHD car. But seems very expensive idea, even for the standarts of Eastern Europe. From other point, LHD P5B Coupe is rare and probably desirable as the hehn`s teeth, but I am not sure, does this expand to the conversions, even professionally made.
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 14, 2011 9:35:44 GMT
You could ask Berry Smink in the Netherlands (www.smink.nl) I think he did a few conversions. He may also have some parts. My guess is that particularly the interior parts (dash etc) are very hard to come by. He might also be able to comment on an increase in value.
I can only speak for NL and there people are prepared to pay a premium for a car that was originally sold new in NL ( dont ask me why - an imported (RHD) car is not considered the real thing by some)
The difference in value is biggest when the cars are in tiptop condition so you might as well source a half-decent or rot box LHD car and restore that. In my experience it doesn't make that much of a difference in work and cost whether you start with a so-so car or a basket case.
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Post by stevew on Jun 14, 2011 17:09:50 GMT
Why not go and live in Cairo, there you will find as I did to my amazement, they drive both on the left and right side of the road as fancy takes them. Head on to on-coming traffic, no falling asleep at the wheel over there. LOL www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5HDItTjFXY&feature=related And what about that dashboard? |
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Post by denis23 on Jun 14, 2011 18:39:03 GMT
You could ask Berry Smink in the Netherlands (www.smink.nl) I think he did a few conversions. He may also have some parts. My guess is that particularly the interior parts (dash etc) are very hard to come by. He might also be able to comment on an increase in value. I can only speak for NL and there people are prepared to pay a premium for a car that was originally sold new in NL ( dont ask me why - an imported (RHD) car is not considered the real thing by some) The difference in value is biggest when the cars are in tiptop condition so you might as well source a half-decent or rot box LHD car and restore that. In my experience it doesn't make that much of a difference in work and cost whether you start with a so-so car or a basket case. Well, all right. My idea was - if you are going to make nuts-and-bolts restoration on P5B - with total stripping, welding etc, there is no big deal to switch the steering. So we are speaking in potential of the better-than-new condition P5B Coupe. You can get donor P5 3Litre LHD at the appr. 1000 EUR, then take off some spares (incl. what you need for conversion) and then sell remnants to scrapyard. Somehow like that... |
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 14, 2011 19:37:37 GMT
If you're going to the length of a nut and bolt restoration then it is certainly worth considering if you have a donor car, though I'm not sure LHD MkIII 3 litres arent even rarer than P5Bs..come to think of it I dont think I ever saw one.
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Post by denis23 on Jun 14, 2011 20:10:07 GMT
Sorry, I wrote wrongly, not LHD Mk3, but LHD 3-litres.
Bad example egularly appears on some private advert sites in the Scandinavia countries at the price which seems ok.
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 15, 2011 12:13:24 GMT
Ah ok. Remember though that with non-MkIIIs you have to source the passenger side curved dash part as the preceding models had the clock in the middle.
It might be worth considering replacing the steering box, there are some threads here about swapping it for a Volvo one if I remember correctly.
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Post by denis23 on Jun 15, 2011 15:50:14 GMT
I understood that I dont need change the dath, ok, clock will remain on the wrong side, so what.
The Volvo 144 steering box looks like good solution, but does it true?
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Post by tomcgn on Jun 20, 2011 8:24:14 GMT
hmm if you want to ask a premium for a LHD car you'd better go the whole length..
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Post by denis23 on Jun 20, 2011 16:43:09 GMT
Well, you know, it simply not big deal to drive RHD car in left hand traffic.
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