lundi 16 février 2015

Making Up Your Mind About Ford Mustang Right Hand Drive Conversion

By Katina Brady


Apart from cherrying out a Ford Mustang, it is difficult for the purist to imagine anybody tampering with the iconic little pony. But that is just what some people do when they have a Ford Mustang right hand drive conversion. When a car owner gets a job or marries someone in a country where they drive on the left-hand side of the road, it can be a choice between having the car converted or leaving it behind.

The 'Stang was the first in a new genre of "pony cars, " sporty coupes that have a long front end and a short rear deck. The 'Stang, introduced to the American market in early 1964 (making it a 1964-1/2 model), was followed by the Pontiac Firebird, Chevrolet Camaro, Plymouth Barracuda, AMC Javelin and the Dodge Challenger. There are rumors that it also inspired the Toyota Celica and the Ford Capri. Later, came a more family-friendly model, the Maverick, or "Son of Mustang, " and then the Pinto, the baby of the family.

For such a classic car, moving the steering wheel from the left-hand driver's seat to the other side is tantamount to a sex change operation in a human being. No fewer than five major panels have to be removed, then guy in the shop has to drill out all of the spot welds. Next, he replaces them with new, right-hand drive panels that have been stamped at the factory.

Next comes the installation of the RHD of the instrument bezel, dash trim, and dash pod. Installing a Rack and Pinion (power or manual) steering column can significantly improve the car's handling. It's a costly move, but some people say it makes it easier to drive in places like the United Kingdom, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, and southeast Africa.

As might be expected, opinion is divided on whether such drastic surgery is worth it. On the one hand, if you have spent years and years and thousands of dollars restoring a classic car to its original condition and added a few performance-boosting enhancements, you are not going to want to hack it to pieces. On the other hand, making the switch will make it easier to overtake other cars on the road.

Others say that converting to RHD lowers the resale value of the vehicle. The "no" camp also think that the time it takes to adjust to driving on the left side of the road with an RHD car is negligible. They also point out that for the same money it takes to pay for the conversion, you could install a 500 hp blower and/or an epic suspension.

The Australian federal government regulates such major automotive surgery as the RHD conversion via its Vehicle Safety Act and the National Code of Practices. Before you commit yourself to the operation, it pays to look into whether similar protective legislation applies in the country to where you are moving.

Converting your car to right-hand drive is a massive undertaking, both structurally and financially. Take all the time you need to be sure you are making the right decision before the mechanic wields his scalpel.




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