Importing a cab with right side drive?

[carcrafter22]

Has anyone ever tried to import a right side drive cab for a bump?

I've been toying with the idea of turning my bump into a right side drive for many reasons one of which is because of my engine. What about just buying a dash thats right side drive?

[fordman]

the frame is going to to be needed more than the cab would. you have to mount the steering box and the engine off set is different than ours. the right hand dashes also are straight across the bottom of the dash . they look like a F600 dash instead of our curved bottom dashes.

[mk]

That's an idea I've been toying with myself. From looking through my '68 Canadian Ford truck parts book, which has all the rhd export parts listed, I've discovered that the linkage and steering box (guts are the same as north american box) are the main things you'd need to source from the land down under. The firewall and dash surgery could be accomplished here along with adapting the pedal assembly. An automatic trans would be most practical, used with a floor mounted Mustang shifter. A standard trans would have to be set up with hydraulic clutch like they do down under. Of course, the easiest way to accomplish the swap if money was no problem would be to find someone willing to strap a real rhd cab to a pallet along with column, box and brackets and rent a small corner of someone's sea-can. I'll check the book again but i don't believe the frame had any major differences except for the rh box mounting area which could be fabricated.

mike

[carcrafter22]

Frame is not an issue since I'm makeing my own Firewall is simple since I'm smoothing it. Steering box is easy since I'm changing the front end to AWD and will have to make my own connection to the aftermarket steering column. I just figured it would be much easier to buy the dash piece or whole cab. I guess it will be easer to look into fiberglassing it again.

[mk]

I guess a guy could try to adapt a rack and pinion from a rhd Jag or something and maybe get someone to cut the rhd dash out of a truck and send it over...


mike

[averagef250]

sweet could probably build you a RHD power rack for a reasonable price if needed.

[carcrafter22]

For steering I could use the steering box for the chevy chassis just swap it to the other side, some fancy fab work to change up the linkage and its done. Remember guys I'm going all wheel drive

I just figured it would be really cool to have all that room around the exhaust and since mine is on the current drivers side why not be really differnt and swap over to a right side driver. Isnt that what my truck has always been about anyway being different, twin turbo 3.9L diesel now with a supercharger going AWD with a 4 link'd rear

I'm getting more and more serious about this the more I think about it. I do have 2 cabs at home so I can always just use the bad one to experiment on I guess.