View Full Version : While my wife isn't looking...
Nationalmilkman
03-25-2011, 12:30 AM
I want to go RHD. Where is the best place to find a GTO clip and some of the little parts to complete this project? I plan to have this done in the next two years.
Why would one do this (serious question)?
dpartinvr4
03-25-2011, 03:44 AM
I think it would be sweet, would make driving on the street awkward, but would be Very cool IMO...good luck man
Gearheadvr4
03-25-2011, 03:57 AM
Well if your really sure about it then it will be extremely tough. You can no longer import front clips into the US legally since some government nucklehead decidedly was the same as a importing a whole car! Maybe Canada? Another option could be to find someone who imported a clip for the engine/trans and pull off of that. Again very difficult to find anyone who would let that go.
Seriously nobody really does any RHD conversions here except ricer Honda owners and people just want to make their cars as difficult as possible to drive and enjoy normally. It's not really worth it just to be different.
Now if your a mailman and you just want a cool car to deliver the mail in... Then ignore the previous paragraph.
dpartinvr4
03-25-2011, 04:21 AM
Now if your a mailman and you just want a cool car to deliver the mail in... Then ignore the previous paragraph.
LMFAO....Twin Turbo Mail delivery..........you would put the USPS out of business, but no packages bigger than the back seat...
GTOJOE
03-25-2011, 07:02 AM
I had a family friend who was American and for some reason like those cars they use for delivering mail over there and since it was already RHD it was perfect for him so he imported a few of them to use as his daily driver LOL. He was an odd guy... but then again he was also a genius and an amazing artist. He die in a car crash recently :sad: If there are any old hippies on here [I doubt there is] then you would almost certainly know him.
Owsley Stanley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owsley_Stanley)
stealthee
03-25-2011, 07:11 AM
This has been discussed since the beginning of time and it makes zero sense to have a RHD in a LHD world.
Drive thrus whether they are banks, fast food, whatever are set up for LHD. Try passing a large semi truck on a two lane road when you are on the right side....
You said "It's cool" Are you trying to impress the little kids that hang out at WalMart in their riced out Civics?
Nationalmilkman
03-25-2011, 08:22 AM
Been looking on the Canada3si forum for parts but having little luck at the moment on that. I didn't hear anything about the clips being banned from importing. I would love to have a Gen2 clip with the black dash but I think I'm getting picky now. This would be a weekend/show car. And as far as drive-thurs, if I'm to lazy to get my butt out of the car then I don't need to be leaving the house. I'm 27 not 60 so I think I can get out of the car and walk into a restaurant or bank.
dpartinvr4
03-25-2011, 09:43 AM
You said "It's cool" Are you trying to impress the little kids that hang out at WalMart in their riced out Civics?
I'm sorry, I didn't realize that that was the definition of "cool" I guess I should have said, It would be pleasing to me to see somebody who with a lot of time and passion converted his car into a RHD, the likes of which are unusual to see in this part of the world, and would be of interest to see in real life.
Caswell239
03-25-2011, 10:06 AM
I seen a complete rhd conversion for sale... Might have been the other site. And think is was in aussy.
Rhd isnt that bad. My car is rhd and im in Canada. The semi truck hiway idea: when you pass one in a lhd how do you do it? You come out a little to check for traffic. In a rhd you come out a little on the other side of him and look for traffic. The hardest part of being rhd is getting used to the lane positioning. And remembering your signals are on the other side now. I have no problem driving my car around but I don't live in a huge city onlyabout 100,000 ppl.
If you wanna try the front clip idea check out terra2imports.com I know they used to import alot of rhd before the recession. Search jdm front clips in google, you'd be surprised how many sites do them. There was a few on eBay back a year ago. Then just sell engine and trans to recoup some money.
I you have any questions shoot me a pm
EthanS
03-25-2011, 01:51 PM
I have a RHD subframe and rack off of a 96 GTO sitting in my garage (off a low milage front clip). I've been trying to get rid of it. It would at least get you started. You would still need the dash, throttle cables, I dunno about the master cylinders, etc.
our shop 3k is RHD. I don't really notice a difference driving on the street, the most annoying thing is thinking I'm hitting the turn signal and turning on the wipers (I never bothered switching them around). I love having a RHD for shock value alone, it does a lot of marketing for me BUT I would never do the conversion again. it was a bitch.
And as far as drive-thurs, if I'm to lazy to get my butt out of the car then I don't need to be leaving the house. I'm 27 not 60 so I think I can get out of the car and walk into a restaurant or bank.
forget that, just drive through backwards, same with the ATM. people will walk out to record you lol
Nationalmilkman
03-25-2011, 08:23 PM
EthanS - where are you located? Why would you have just the subframe and rack?
PMP - are you going to NG11 this year with the car? I would really like to see the car and get some input on how your build on it went. How offen do you take the car out? It's not a DD is it?
Caswell239 - thanks for the help. I'll be hitting you up for some parts? and advice.
This build would be for the shock value and for the stares and looks from people that have never seen a RHD. It's just one of those thing that I want to do.
Caswell239
03-25-2011, 08:41 PM
I love it! I stopped at a stoplight with my window down and hear a woman " wow he's on the wrong side of the car, that must be weird" I look over and it's a husband and wife in a new camaro and I laugh with them. Then he wanted to race! So I owned him... The double takes that you get are what makes it enjoyable
EthanS
03-25-2011, 10:49 PM
EthanS - where are you located? Why would you have just the subframe and rack?
.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I guess the importer decieded to keep the dash *shrug*
mb3000
03-25-2011, 11:29 PM
A couple of years ago I remember a seeing an ad or something for a place in Florida who did the RHD conversion for 3k's. IIRC they charged $1,000 for labor alone.
Maybe if you could find them they would have the parts you need?
Or maybe I'm just crazy :Doh:
Nationalmilkman
03-25-2011, 11:38 PM
Shooter83 off the old florida3s forum was doing the rhd swap for $5g last time I saw anything about it and that was after buying the clip. Dash is kinda important for the conversion. Lol
PMP - are you going to NG11 this year with the car? I would really like to see the car and get some input on how your build on it went. How offen do you take the car out? It's not a DD is it?
Yeah it's looking like we will be out there this year. It used to be a DD until about a month ago when I did some 'stuff'
I love it! I stopped at a stoplight with my window down and hear a woman " wow he's on the wrong side of the car, that must be weird" I look over and it's a husband and wife in a new camaro and I laugh with them. Then he wanted to race! So I owned him... The double takes that you get are what makes it enjoyable
lol i always say no i'm on the right side of the car, it usually takes a second for them to get it lol
Shooter83 off the old florida3s forum was doing the rhd swap for $5g last time I saw anything about it and that was after buying the clip. Dash is kinda important for the conversion. Lol
that is crazy! no one had ever done it before when i did it and i got super flamed for doing it- is it a pretty normal service that shops offer nowdays?
honestly the most annoying part of the whole thing was switching out all the wiring shit. maybe its not so bad for someone who is good with electrical?
Nationalmilkman
03-26-2011, 08:10 AM
Yeah I seem to be getting flamed too for thinking of the idea. No shop does this, it's all at home garage guys. I don't see why some one can go crazy on a turbo 3.5L 6sp AWD '99 Spyder swap and get all kinds of support but when someone wants to sit on the other side of the car it's called dumb and a waste of time. Sorry but I would rather sit on the right in a reliable car than worry that my trans will break or turbos will blow up or the damn thing won't start.
dpartinvr4
03-26-2011, 09:38 AM
Don't You put that evil on me ricky bobby
stealthee
03-26-2011, 09:49 AM
Yeah I seem to be getting flamed too for thinking of the idea. No shop does this, it's all at home garage guys. I don't see why some one can go crazy on a turbo 3.5L 6sp AWD '99 Spyder swap and get all kinds of support but when someone wants to sit on the other side of the car it's called dumb and a waste of time. Sorry but I would rather sit on the right in a reliable car than worry that my trans will break or turbos will blow up or the damn thing won't start.
Your car has just as much a chance of breaking a trans, or blowing turbos, or mysteriously not starting even if you RHD convert. Hell maybe even more of a chance of all that because you are now shifting with your left hand, and have to do all kinds of things to the wiring to make it work.
Scorch
03-27-2011, 04:24 PM
Wow, I'm surprised at everyone with absolutely no stake in this getting all upset over it. It's definitely not disgracing the car at all, and an owner who cares enough to do it definitely should deserve some respect. I think it's a cool unique idea, and definitely a great tribute to the country which made these cars originally. Definitely a great authentic/tribute car idea and I love the stories about stoplight meetings in them!
Personally I'd love a RHD just to be different. Just because it's more challenging and you can't go through drive thrus isn't a great excuse not to do it at all. And yeah you have potential to cause problems with the conversion but many changes to your car do. It's completely possible to do it correctly.
So good luck man.
gametrainer
03-27-2011, 05:09 PM
I had a family friend who was American and for some reason like those cars they use for delivering mail over there and since it was already RHD it was perfect for him so he imported a few of them to use as his daily driver LOL. He was an odd guy... but then again he was also a genius and an amazing artist. He die in a car crash recently :sad: If there are any old hippies on here [I doubt there is] then you would almost certainly know him.
Owsley Stanley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owsley_Stanley)
Owsley was also well know for his chemistry in the 60s, if you've ever read "The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test" you'll get the reference. He was also a very talented sound engineer and intigral in Phil Spector's development of "The Wall of Sound."
I was sad to hear of his passing.
GTOJOE
03-27-2011, 09:00 PM
Owsley was also well know for his chemistry in the 60s, if you've ever read "The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test" you'll get the reference. He was also a very talented sound engineer and intigral in Phil Spector's development of "The Wall of Sound."
I was sad to hear of his passing.
Yeah i've got lots of stories about Bears/Owsleys chemistry and his sound engineering LOL. I won't repeat them here hahaha
Yeah I seem to be getting flamed too for thinking of the idea. No shop does this, it's all at home garage guys. I don't see why some one can go crazy on a turbo 3.5L 6sp AWD '99 Spyder swap and get all kinds of support but when someone wants to sit on the other side of the car it's called dumb and a waste of time. Sorry but I would rather sit on the right in a reliable car than worry that my trans will break or turbos will blow up or the damn thing won't start.
1. stroker motor = go-fast mods.
2. turbos = go-fast mods.
unless you're steve68, spending $$$$$$ on mods to make you go faster (especially the tried & true methods) are perfectly understandable. 99-conversions (or any other year-year/model-model conversions) are CHEAP. most can be done for a couple hundred or less--not including paint. spending several grand just to put the steering wheel on the other side of your car is....well....gimmicky. i wonder if there's people in japan who dream if re-importing USDM spec stuff so they can LHD convert their GTO's. if so....PMSL.
there's nothing wrong with this type of conversion--per say. it's just that this conversion, quite honestly, has the absolute least amount of pay-off of practically any mod that can be done with our platform. it makes an AWD conversion look like a free-boost-mod by comparison. do you really have to be "unique" to the entire world--or is this just something personal for you, and you alone? evan (shooter83) has done a LOT of modding to his cars which would go completely unnoticed to everyone but a 3/s veteran. there's personal gratification in that. if plunking the steering-wheel on the other side of the car will give you personal satisfaction, then go for it. but if you're mainly doing it for the reaction from others--there's plenty of other stuff you should look at doing.
me personally? i'd go with pioneering a vr4 > atx conversion; just for uniqueness factor. granted, you won't get stares from random passerby because of it; but there's immense satisfaction in being the very first to accomplish something with this platform.
spending this much time/energy on something that offers ZERO benefits in performance/looks/comfort/convenience is the last thing i'd want to do with my car.
p.s.
if you're REALLY going to go through the ass-pain of converting; why not go balls-out and center-drive convert it--and be the only one of it's kind?
Caswell239
03-28-2011, 12:02 AM
all you need to remember is that the car is YOURS, so you do what YOU want to Your car cuz Your the one driving it!!
Nationalmilkman
03-28-2011, 12:11 AM
The thing is it's not exactly MY car. It the wifes car and this will be done to her "new" '95 Stealth R/T. Haha!
Markingtime
03-28-2011, 12:29 AM
Personally I think you are nuts. I can't imagine shifting with my left hand. But if you are serious I know that Mike at fourxtoys@shaw.ca has a GTO I took some mirror parts off. I know the wiring harness is gone but if you just need the dash and steering parts he may have those.
Nationalmilkman
03-28-2011, 12:46 AM
I emailed him a week ago and he said he had one GTO left and most of the conversion parts had been sold. I gave him a list of what I was looking for but he hadn't gotten back to me yet.
I used to shift for my buddy when we rode to work cuz most of the time he would be on the phone with this girl. It's not hard, and anyone that has driven a manual knows where the gears are.
Markingtime
03-28-2011, 12:51 AM
I emailed him a week ago and he said he had one GTO left and most of the conversion parts had been sold. I gave him a list of what I was looking for but he hadn't gotten back to me yet.
I used to shift for my buddy when we rode to work cuz most of the time he would be on the phone with this girl. It's not hard, and anyone that has driven a manual knows where the gears are.
Here is another possible: dsm guy introduction - Canada 3/S Community (http://forum.canada3si.org/showthread.php?t=5328) I referred him to you too.
so you just caved in and got your wife what she wanted; atx stealth. now you're intending to convert it to manual and RHD? why even bother starting with an ATX then?
and do you like being married, or are you just too chickenshit to go through the formal channels for divorce?
Nationalmilkman
03-28-2011, 09:42 AM
Everything attached to the firewall has got to come out of the car for the swap so the ATX is not an issue. All the wiring will be changed over. I have a manual trans parts car so again, no issue. And with a front clip the only extra I'll need is a bigger fuel pump.
I think I may have found a deal on a front clip, but it will have to wait a few months so I can save some more pennies.
never said the atx > mtx conversion would be an issue. what doesn't make sense is why you sought an ATX for your wife's preference--only to turn around and neuter it.
CoreyB
03-28-2011, 07:50 PM
Hardly getting neuterd, more like getting a set of balls.....
Hardly getting neuterd, more like getting a set of balls.....
each to his own. still doesn't explain why he deliberately went to the trouble of finding an ATX and now wants to MTX convert it--not even a couple months later. AND IT'S NOT EVEN HIS CAR.
CoreyB
03-28-2011, 08:04 PM
Just poking at you Thadd, bored and not much going on. Talking shit about a atx is a good way to have you respond lol. But they still suck.....Wouldnt go through the work on the wifeys car though, fuck that.
Rocket
03-28-2011, 08:04 PM
I think it is a neat idea. It would have its drawbacks, but the shock and awe would be worth it IMO. Would it be costly.. and a pain in the ass to do? Sure. But if that is what the OP likes then go for it. I personally can't stand when someone uses carbon fiber wrap on almost anything, to me it is a waist of time and money and looks like ass. But if that is what they like then why would I tell them not to?
Why do we modify our cars anyway? To stand out in a crowd. Sometimes for only our own enjoyment, but also because it feels damn good when someone else says... nice, or WOAH check that out. Hell going RHD would make my 1g Red R/T TT look different than the several other Red Stealths in the area.
Nationalmilkman
03-28-2011, 08:56 PM
I bought the car, got the wheels, and doing all the work on it. It's only her car on the title. This car won't be put done for the swap for at least 1-2 years while I collect parts so till then it's an ATX.
I would love to see something new on a red Stealth/3000GT. Red is so sad and boring.
I bought the car, got the wheels, and doing all the work on it. It's only her car on the title. This car won't be put done for the swap for at least 1-2 years while I collect parts so till then it's an ATX.
I would love to see something new on a red Stealth/3000GT. Red is so sad and boring.
it has nothing specific to do with the atx. i'd say the same thing to a person who just bought FWD and wanted to AWD convert it; 2 months later.
i STILL say that you should center-drive convert it; just like a mclaren.
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