E type LHD to RHD, worth the hassle ?

[Markh]

Am possibly in the position to buy an E type coupe at long last, have seen some nice LHD cars and wondered if a RHD conversion was worth the hassle, guessing would limit its market place in europe if i wanted to sell at some stage, any thoughts?

[DBSV8]

Markh said:

Am possibly in the position to buy an E type coupe at long last, have seen some nice LHD cars and wondered if a RHD conversion was worth the hassle, guessing would limit its market place in europe if i wanted to sell at some stage, any thoughts?

I would have thought this would have been an expensive process , once you take into consideration all the labour involved to modify footwells, replace interior panels etc.
prices of E types parts do not come cheap

join the E type Forum here ,lots of good advise for all models

http://www.etypeuk.com/forum/

I would also advise getting the prospective car independantly inspected contact JDC ( Jaguar drivers club ) or JEC ( Jaguar Enthusiasts club ) for advice .




http://www.jaguardriver.co.uk/html/index.html

http://www.jec.org.uk/



good luck with the purchase

[1954etype]

I've done this a number of times and am not sure I'd bother doing it again. We use our cars mainly on the continent now with much shorter journeys only in the UK.

Buy it and use it LHD and see how you get on would be my advice. FYI, you need to change the following (S1 car):

Wiring loom
Steering rack
Brake pipes
Clutch and brake pedal
Throttle pedal housing
Dashboard
Reposition small instruments
New legend strip
Reposition dash grab handle
Swap over indicator switch
Replace underdash trims
New throttle linkage

Still worth it? ;-)

[V8 FOU]

Not that difficult really if you are handy. Main problem is price and availability of the parts. One advantage is the replacing of things like rack and pedals etc, so that is a few jobs sorted and will add value.
But, watch out for Federal spec cars. These run 2x Stromberg carbs and a squiggle port head as fitted to "normal" 4.2 engines. So they will need a lot of outlay to bring up to Euro spec. A triple carb set costs around £2K new plus head etc.
Next thing on ALL E types if they have been resored is to ask/check to see if all the seams were lead loaded. If they have been filled with pug, they will crack - more so on roadsters.

Happy to offer more advice if you pm

[Jagmanv12]

Also an ex-USA series 2 will probably have a 3.54 diff. My first roadster did.

Gives V12 acceleration but tops out about 120mph and 15mpg.

[vpr]

It's a simple job....Must be if I've done it.

These cars were built with both in mind so there is absolutely no welding. All holes in the bulkhead are in place for left and right and bolt in plates off the shelf to cover the old holes.

When you consider that with most cars left to right means changing the whole scuttle area.....MASSIVE job

V12 is even easier.

Then you have the pick of a US car especially from CA with no rot issues

[lowdrag]

The question was - is it worth the hassle. LHD cars are selling for more than RHD nowadays, which is why the French et al keep a close eye on the exchange rate and buy when the opportunity is there. There are quite a few LHD cars in the UK too - you only have to look at the JDC E-type directory to confirm. So no, I don't think it is worthwhile to convert, and if one day you want to sell then it'll be a better price. I know because I get asked from time to time to negotiate because they don't speak english.

[vpr]

Depends what the OP wants the car for.

If it's a keeper then a LHD car with it's god awful throttle pedal and extended linkage does not make for a pleasant drive.

If it's purely for resale then keep it LHD.

I have a very nice original 27000 mile LHD CA car which I wouldn't dream of changing because it's totally original.

Horses for courses....depends of the use

[dmulally]

I drive a LHD mustang and it took about 30 minutes to feel comfortable with it. I thought about converting it but I'd rather have it on the road than off it for a fixed period of time.

This is for a mustang but gives you a good idea of what is needed as a checklist.

http://www.mustangmotorsport.com.au/conversion/war...

[neutral 3]

I have converted from left to right several times. Fortuneately I had several doner cars, which meant that i didnt have to pay in some cases rip off prices for some of the parts.
However, I would leave as is , purely for the hassle of sourcing the parts ( steering rack etc ) and for Originality.

But if you plan on fitting a decent set of exhaust headers, ( which these engines desperately need to make decent power ) then no choice but to convert to Rhd.

[lsrfan]

Have to agree as having converted one of these some time ago it was just not worth the hassle - if I was to be asked to do it again - yes it is possible but a right pig to do properly.

[anonymous-user]

Just seen this thread, some say its difficult some easy - I wonder what the definitive answer is. 2K for the carbs and say 3K for the rest isnt a lot when getting a MK1 roadster to UK spec if its a goodun otherwise and bought for 'say' 40K to start with??
Also are there other US things that should be changed eg body data plates or brightwork that are peculiar to the US cars?

[vpr]

Carbs don't always need changing depending on the year of the car.

[lowdrag]

An E-type chassis number will always tell you whether it was LHD or RHD to begin with. Plenty of E-types, during the boom of 88/91, were imported and converted and in some instances chopped to make a roadster but that has always reflected badly in the sale price. An original early (1961-1964) RHD car will have a chassis number starting 85 for a roadster or 86 for a FHC, then 87 and 88 for LHD. Changing the body, or chassis number is a no-no. I find no problems in driving a LHD car in the UK or RHD on the continent, so I'd still advise that a car be left as it started out.

[mph]

Judging by the hundreds of converted cars in the UK plenty of people obviously think it's worth doing.

A genuine rhd car will always carry a premium but unless it's a rare version a converted car is still desirable and will sell more on condition.

It will be a lot cheaper to convert a structurally sound LHD car to RHD than it will be to restore a rotten RHD car.

There are so many variables that each case has to be taken on it's own merit.