Buggyman's RHD Recipe

I am moving to the St. Kitts where they drive
on the left side of the road.
How difficult is it to convert  to right hand drive?
Do they sell right hand drive vw's in Mexico? HELP!

Breezy45@aol.com

First, just a note: many years ago I bought an old IH mail delivery vehicle from the USPS with right hand drive. In Richfield, like the rest of the United States, we drive on the right hand side of the road, although that's probably just because the morons on Richfield Village Council haven't gotten around to fouling that up yet. So many more lucrative things on the agenda.

The only difficulty I encountered driving on the wrong side of the vehicle was buying beer at Atley's Drive-Thru, and that was solved by backing through the building.

But, assuming that the powers-that-be in St Kitts have all the acumen and integrity of the powers-that-be here in Richfield, you will have to convert your bug to RHD.

Here's what would be involved:

• Axle: All the steering stuff on the front end needs to be swapped lefttoright and righttoleft including the steering box. Should be able to use existing parts if you don't ruin them taking them apart.
• Front Wall - you'll see where to make your cuts. Steering wheel, brake actuator rod, and turn signal wiring for sure, and maybe the fuse box will require new holes.
• Pedal Cluster - see Clutch Tube and Accel cable
• Clutch Tube and Accel Cable - Hardest part would be finding a RHD pedal cluster. Maybe look around in St Kitts, eh? Fabricating a new clutch cable tube and accel cable tube is just a matter of trial and error for length. Make the tube snake more to snug up the cable. If the clutch chatters, change the length of the tube (usually lengthen).
• Master Cylinder - The master cylinder will have to migrate with the pedal cluster and so will the brake lines. If you are really careful, you might be able to reuse some of the steel lines, but I wouldn't plan on it.
• Turn Signal Switch - The wires through the front wall will all have to be lengthened, unless you plan on moving the fuse box as well.

Sounds like a project. I talked to the Buggyman about it and here's his alternative:

Sometimes the folks who deliver the mail here in Richfield use their own cars rather than an official vehicle. This presents the same difficulty that moving to St Kitts seems to present, but for a different reason. The postman must ride in the right hand seat to be able to reach out the window and place mail in boxes along the road. The automobile control mechanisms, however, remain on the left side of the car.

Old Les, for instance, up until he retired, was so adept an driving from the passenger seat that he would drive around town that way even when he wasn't on shift, making his wife ride behind the steering wheel but controlling that and all the pedals from the right side of the car. One time they got stopped in Brecksville and the cop gave the speeding ticket to his wife, refusing to believe Les' story of what really happened. This doesn't sound very safe and is not recommended, but would be the fastest and cheapest solution to your problem. If you adopt this approach, make sure you practice on both freeways and crowded parking lots before deciding you are an expert.

The rest of the postal workers who drive their own cars employ a device that allows them to use the pedals from the passenger seat. This is a mechanical linkage that duplicates the pedals in front of the driver but transfers the physical movement to the real pedals. These drivers still use their left hands to control the steering wheel.

But there's no reason why the same convention could not also be applied to the steering system. The Buggyman's recipe:

Remove the steering wheel from the column and fasten a bicycle chain sprocket to the bottom and reinstall. Fabricate another, albeit shorter, steering column on the passenger side. It does not need to penetrate the front wall, but it DOES need an identical sprocket mounted on the bottom of the wheel.

A length of bicycle chain between the two along with a bit of forethought about chain tensioning and half the battle is over.

Some thoughts on the foot pedals: a mechanical system to duplicate the brake and clutch pedals on the right side of the car will probably be dismal. Hydraulics would be the way to go. And since the brake system is hydraulic anyway, I would suggest just mounting a second master cylinder behind the new brake pedal, install tees (and maybe one-way valves) at all master cylinder outlets and run the pair in tandem.

The advantages to the Buggyman's RHD recipe are obvious - minimal alterations to the vehicle with preservation of the existing control mechanisms. When the authorities in St Kitts get a load of this setup and kick you out of the country forever, you need merely remove the bicycle chain and build a cover for the right hand pedal assembly with a chunk of plywood and you are back to your old life.

And whether the St Kitters allow you to stay or not, you would be all set up to start your own driving instruction school for that extra income just before the Holidays.

I just ask one favor of you. Don't mention this whole deal to anyone on the Richfield Village Council. Even if they can't figure a way to turn a buck on it, they would still be taken with the idea of changing all the Village streets to right hand drive, requiring anyone using those streets to be so equipped, and imposing commensurate fines for the reprobates who are slow to respond. Because it's a progressive idea, you know?

Back to the Junkyard

c 1997 Air Cooled Volkswagen Junkyard of Richfield, Ohio http://www.acvwjyro.com "Where Advice Is Always Free"(216)659-3638 This story may be distributed only if it is not altered in any way and is distributed freely without charge.