LHD to RHD conversions

If you prefer sitting on the right side of the road in your Beetle or Bus, here’s what’s involved carrying out the necessary LHD to RHD conversion.

Often the best, least rust-ravaged classic Dubs are imports. Beetles and Buses that have arrived on these shores from the driest of the United States, or mainland Europe where it’s sunnier and they don’t dose their roads with corrosive salt every winter. The only snag is that the steering wheel will usually be on the wrong side. Now, we’re not saying this will be a problem for everyone because after a few attempts at changing gear with the window winder, most owners get used to a left-hooker.

However, if you’d really prefer to be sitting on the same side as everyone else for reasons of better visibility in a Bus, for example, then you can always get your car converted. To be honest, it’s not a simple job, and probably one that’s best carried out by an expert or at least someone who’s done it before because there’s a fair bit of fiddling and fabrication. And before you take the plunge, take a few minutes to consider your car’s provenance and resale value first. Some potential buyers will be put off by a car that’s been fiddled with and made into to something that it wasn’t when it left the factory. Especially if it’s a very early, or rare car – in which case our view is that it’s best left alone. Obviously, if you’re converting a Bus, the sliding side door being on the wrong side will be an instant giveaway that it’s been converted. That said, for more run of the mill imports, if someone’s uncomfortable about a LHD, then a converted car will have more appeal. Whatever you decided, here’s a summary of what someone will need to do to make the switch…

There are three main areas to consider; the suspension/steering box, the dashboard and wiring and the necessary pedal cluster modifications.

Suspension/steering
Starting with the relatively easy bit first, it will be a case of swapping the steering box over to the other side which is a relatively straightforward procedure, assuming the necessary parts are available. The steering damper will need to be moved across at the same time and you will also need a RHD Pitman arm.

Dashboard
To convert to RHD, the old LHD dashboard will need to be cut out and replaced with one where the instruments and glovebox are on the correct side. While RHD dashboards are plentiful, it’s not a particularly easy task taking the old dash out – specialists tend to use a spot weld drill and an angle grinder. When it comes to welding in the RHD replacement, it can easily look like a dog’s dinner if not done properly. We’d be a little nervous about doing this kind of work on a really nice, mint car, and less concerned on a rusty ‘shell-off rebuild that needed a lot of welding anyway.

Things like the fresh air feed may need to be re-routed and a new speedo cable and bonnet release (on a Beetle) will be needed (because they have further to reach). Then there’s the wiring harness to consider, because again, wiring to the instruments will need to be lengthened to get to the other side of the car.

Pedal cluster
This is probably the most involved job of the whole conversion process. A RHD pedal assembly must be acquired, an appropriate aperture needs to be made in the right hand side of the tunnel and the clutch tube will need to be moved over. The frame head also has to be drilled for master cylinder actuating rods and the dimensions and locations of these have to be spot on.

Other issues
Thought will also need to be given to mirrors; on a late-‘60s/early ‘70s Beetle there’s threaded inserts in the door. If you’re very lucky, there will be a thread on the right side with a blanking bung so all you’ll need to do is buy another mirror. If not, it will be easier to fit a RHD door with the necessary thread, or get hold of a peep-mirror and bolt that on instead. On earlier Beetles and Buses you might get away with fitting an ornate chrome mirror in the top of the door hinge. You’ll also need a RHD rear view mirror.

How much?
We spoke to Steve Johnson at Johnson Autoworks who frequently carries out RHD conversions. He told us cost depends on the level of finish you want to achieve. “You obviously have to strip everything out, but if you want a factory finish you could be looking at anywhere between £2,500 and £3,000,” he explains. “There’s always the option of modifying the original LHD dashboard if were worried about cost. The owner of a car we converted recently wanted a custom dash with Porsche 911 dials, so that was relatively easy.”

That might sound a lot if you simply drive in with a LHD car and drive home on the other side. However, if it’s part of a full restoration or custom build, then it’s only likely to be a small proportion of the total cost.

Steve says parts are usually readily available but prefers to obtain a donor RHD vehicle so he can simply swap all the necessary parts over.

At the end of the day, the choice of whether to do it or not is yours. It’s certainly not a five-minute job – but it’s possible, and if you’ll get more enjoyment from your VW with the wheel on the correct side, then do it.

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage

 

 

19 responses to: LHD to RHD conversions


  1. If your Beetle happens to be a 1303 or 1303S then the job gets a whole lot harder. There is a massive “built-in metal box” behind the dash – which contains wiper motor, fresh-air arrangements (fan if fitted) – and it will be on the wrong side. Can be done – but its more work. Also – if you DO have a 1303 with fresh-air fan – they are “handed” – and finding a RHD fan is going to be difficult/expensive.

    If anyone is thinking of converting a Type 3 to RHD – I happen to have a spare dash metal panel cut from a 1972 Type 3. Someone from USA asked me to find him one – years ago – and then changed his mind when he found out the cost to post it to USA. They had a “fad” around that time for converting their USA spec LHD cars to RHD – but don’t ask me WHY????
    If you are interested – maybe you can ask Heritage to send on your email address to me.

  2. hi mate i have a left hand drive colani gt built on a vw beetle chassie , speedo doesnt work , cables free can a normal right hand drive speedo clock be fitted to mine , bearing in mind the cables attached to the left hand side front wheel.

  3. I have a 73 right hand drive beetle beach buggy and am looking to change it to left hand drive is there anyone who wants to swap over if you’re thinking of converting to a rhd

  4. Hi I have a 1961 RHD VW Bug and I am looking for a rear view mirror. Does anyone know where I can find one of those. Please let me know. Thanks

  5. What about t25 1985 the other way round? I have a RHD and live in France:-) can you sell me what’s needed to swap sides?
    Cheers
    Steve

  6. I have a 2006 VW Transporter how possible is it to convert it from LHD to RHD and what would be the cost if want it to factory standard

    1. Converting this car is totally unnecessary. Just import a RHD car from Japan. The cost to convert a 2006 Transporter would likely equal the cost of the car as it has a front mounted engine with modern controls.

      There are plenty of low mileage RHD 2006 era transporters available for dirt cheap from Japan. All you need to do is go online and import one or find a company that does this.

  7. Is it possible to convert a VW 181 Trekker or Thing from LHD to RHD and if yes, roughly how much would it cost and can you recommend anyone that could do the conversion.

  8. Hi, I have a RHD 1971 SuperBeetle whose Dash is buggered up by the previous owner. How difficult is it to replace only the entire metal Dash portion from a similar donor dash if available ? Does the tin work involve cutting up the entire existing dash from both the pillar ends and welding the new one in its place or can only the front portion ( grills, glovebox and radio blank) from the donor dash can be cut and grafted into the existing one so that original both pillar ends geometry remains untouched ? Let remember the existing dash is fine except the middle portion needs to be brought back to original.

    Do you gave a donar dash for a 71 RHD SB available with you and what would be the cost ?

  9. I had purchase Hummer H2 in kuwait and now i have to export the Hummer to INDIA and want the modification from Left Hand Drive to Right Hand Drive

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