I Mean How Hard Can It Be? Converting a Jaguar XJS from RHD to LHD
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- How hard can it be? Famous last words... However it shouldn't be too bad converting a Jaguar XJS from RHD to LHD. All the cars were prepared from the factory to be both right hand and left hand drive. In this first part I start removing everything that makes the car RHD at the moment.
Playlist of the whole build: • Converting a Jaguar XJ...
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#Jaguar #XJS #v12
Wow - not for the faint hearted ! Lovely to watch from the comfort of my living room knowing I don’t need to worry about the wiring. Thanks, fascinating videos 👍🏻
It’s not too bad. In the next parts you’ll see the wiring and it’s really just plug and play. The cars are built up in the same way just a reversed wiring harness
I think I've learned the most by simply observing your patience and confidence you can figure out the next step. You are truly unflappable! I'd be a pathetic mess! I'm so very impressed Sir Adam!
Thank you!
Adam you never fail to impress me with your willingness to undertake amazingly complex tasks on your own. This one is a real stunning job that had me fascinated from the start. Perhaps it's my age, (69) but I wouldn't fancy tackling that job. Maybe in my younger days but now I can sit in an armchair and watch you do it! This channel you have built I am glad to say has kept me interested from when you started. Thanks, and keep them coming!
My god, really I don't know how you do it Adam. Huge amount of work!! Can't be many people who have done this. Amazing.
It's not as bad as it seems. Pretty enjoyable so far
Good day Adam and I can only wish you all off the best. Definitely not one off the easiest jobs to take on. Can not wait to see what you pull out of the hat for us.
Great project. I admire your fortitude in taking this on. Good luck.
Thanks! It’s a pretty fun project actually
This is a crazy sick project. I like to think that I can do just about anything.... But looking at this, I don t think I could handle it. This is very ambitious, I'm hooked !
You are a adventurous man. Wow. Congratulations
Wow! This will be a great series! I’m looking forward to seeing all of this sorted out!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm a bit behind with your vids so I'm catching up. You are a brave man Adam. I think I would want some morale support If I attempted this job.
As always Adam . Never a problem , always a solution . I have absolutely no idea about the loom but l replaced the headlining on my XJS and as long as you recline the seats back it's very straight forward. Thanks Adam
Yes they're not too bad to replace
Excellant work
Thanks!
Hi Adam, when you have finished the main job, the head lining could do with some attention. After the main job it will seem like a relaxation task. Mine has already been changed by someone. Cheers Adam keep up the good work.
I have asked the customer and he wishes to do the headliner when everything else on the car is done
Adam, you got your work cut out for you with this drive conversion, but you also got this no problem! Great progress just in this one video so far, look forward to the next one. Thanks!
Thank you Mark!
I think I would prefer to keep it original, but guess it's the owners choice. Either way, you are very brave Adam!
It will be much more enjoyable for the owner after the conversion
Thats a brave move if you ask me. Good luck!!
Thanks! So far it’s been really fun. New harness is in
I did the same thing to my 1969 RR. Seemed to take forever!
So far this is going pretty well. The brake lines and moving all that over will take some time
😳
You've done to a RR? OMG!
Hi Adam. Fantastic video - I’ll be watching all the episodes with interest - would love to be helping you as some kind of apprentice. A couple of weeks ago I pulled the instrument binnacle out of my car (under supervision) and we changed the tungsten bulbs for LEDs - now I can read the instruments even in the dark! I also need to improve the way that the vertical panel in the footwell forward for the centre console is attached - it is currently “floppy” so I will need to pull it off, check out the fattening points and the existing fasteners and work out how to obtain new / extra ones. Anyway, I digress in my enthusiasm! Good luck with the project. Peter
This is going to be very interesting. Of course the steering wheel is already on the correct side for me but Im sure it is relavent going the other way. Good luck.
Interesting task! I've been driving my RHD Mondeo in Europe for 4 years now. Never had any issues. I guess it would make overtaking trucks easier!
Yes you do get a blink spot that isn't too fun when driving a RHD car here. This will also increase the value of the car here. Not that many want to buy a RHD car here.
Amazing work!
Thank you!
Amazing!
Thanks!
Hello Adam. What you are dooing ,I have done and there are serious problems like the wiring harnesses are diverent for left-and right hand drive cars, so that has to be sorted out.
Good luck and I keep waching you .
Maybe you missed it in the video but I have a complete wiring harness from a LHD car along with everything that is different on a LHD car. Just a matter of unbolting the old and in with the new.
Thank you! Next part should be up on Saturday
I think you have the desire to go back in time and experience what it was like as a Jaguar factory assembly line worker by undertaking this project.
That would be great!
Disassembly is always much faster than reassembly. These videos will soon prove the truth of that adage.
I guess you’ll have to wait and see. The new harness went in the next day along with a few other parts. Steering rack is being swapped over at this moment
It's gona be a lot of work. Looking at my BMW, it has the same large empty well forward of the firewall. Keep at it, you can do it. Good thing you have a parts car, left side drive. 👍
It’s not really too bad. The cars are prepared for it so it’s just a matter of moving a lot of things over and swapping others for another part
@@LivingWithAClassic I just rebuilt my AAV valve from guy in Lithuania. I heated it up with propane gas. Pressed it out. Cleaned all the carbon/grease/goop out of it. The repair parts were very nice quality. I lubed the piston lightly. My old one had scoring marks on it. My car has 66k miles. Great cond, like your Fathers. Keep us posted. 👍🍺
I've had various MGs and probably done all the tasks needed to do the conversion (dash out, new rack etc) so Im sure this is very doable, good luck! I'm aware that many old MGs TRs etc have been imported back from the US to the UK and had the change over done, what seems unusual is going the other way. i suspect you need to change the wiper rack and head lights as well.
The car has been registered here so the headlights have already been changed.
Yes it’s very doable and really enjoyable actually
Ska bli mycket kul och intressant att se hur mycket jobb det är att byta från RHD till LHD. 👍👍
Det är en del men absolut är det möjligt. Hjälper om man haft isär några XJSer redan
Massive task there Adam made difficult by the small size of the cabin, would it not be more helpful to remove both front seats for better access?
I will remove them later for the parking brake but so far it's been better for my back being able to sit in them
I've done just about everything to an XJS, but won't even try that one. Good luck with that.
Honestly it isn’t too bad. It’s just like stripping out the interior for major body work and then put it back together in the opposite way
@@LivingWithAClassic You'll have to change the dash over to a left hand drive configuration as well.
Hi Adam ....I have been a long time subscriber on my TH-cam premium account .
I am doing the opposite to you !
I'm converting a 89 convertible from left to right hand drive .
I bought a slightly fire damaged Xjs in Florida and shipped it to Perth in Western Australia and 2 years later trailered it 4500 km to Hobart Tasmania.
I have partially completed it but too many other projects get in the way .
I have 2 xj40 sedans , a 90 and one of the last 94 xj40s .
Also a one owner 87 xj12 with 37,000 km on the clock that was literally a barn find .
A rare Caufield Jaguar 85 xj6 and two other series 3 xj6
I have others as well
The conversion is not hard , just fiddly . I shortened the instrument harness , you may have to lengthen it .
Brakes are easy .The brake pedal is offset to the opposite ....the hand brake is a pain !
If you have a donor harness just use the plugs it makes it easier.
I think you will need longer power steering lines.
I wish you all the best ....you are correct it is logically not that hard , after all the Poms designed it RHD but needed it the easily adaptable to LHD since that was 90% of the market.
I converted a Cadillac 20 years ago ....never again !
The nice thing is all the holes and brackets are there....at least you don't have ABS by the looks of it ...I took the ABS out as it is only a supplemental system and not covered by Australian design rules.
So good luck , I'll keep watching .
Cheers Mike
Thanks Mike!
I’m lucky that I was able to pick everything from a LHD car so it’s just a matter of removing the RHD stuff and bolting in the LHD things
Are you going to replace the heater core and a/c evap? It wil never be easier.
Neither of them are leaking so we’re leaving them. I asked the owner but he didn’t want to
Next video: Converting a Jaguar XJ-S from RWD to FWD :)
It's a bit sacrilegious since it's a very early car, and keeping it original and getting a heritage certificate, would have been my thoughts.
It’s not an early car at all, 1983 HE. Are you thinking of my very early 1975 pre-HE?
@@LivingWithAClassic
Yes got them mixed up haha
Thought so haha
This car isn’t particularly rare except that it’s pretty rust free. It will be nicer to love with as a lhd here for my friend who owns it
@@LivingWithAClassic
Sounds good 👍
Carefully label the position of all the screws, nut, bolts and washers you remove. You will undoubtedly need them later when reassembling everything for LHD.
They are all organized off course. My photographic memory comes in handy when doing these things though. Easy to remember where things go
Adam. Let me know if you want to sell your RHD dash timber panels. Mine have flaking clear coat. Enjoying this project immensely.
I will be using them on the LHD dash, just flipping them over
Are you not allowed to drive the RHD car legally? I’ve often driven cars from the UK to Europe and never had any issue with the steering wheel on that r/h
You can drive them here no problem. However no one wants a RHD car here and you do get some pretty bad blind spots when driving. This will improve the driving experience of the car here
Given the number of North American cars heading back over the pond, I suspect you will have little problem selling the RHD associated parts to somebody doing the reverse conversion.
I think so too
Not a bad job once everything is removed interesting vvid did a lhd swap on a talbot sunbeam in the late 80s on a friend's rally car all the best donny
No not bad at all. The nice thing is that it isn’t a job where you get dirty and it’s pretty relaxing
@@LivingWithAClassic yes sitting in nice comfy seats beats bending over a engine bay ir climbing under a car
My no 41 is converted from rhd to lhd.
You must be barmy 😂 Good luck 👍
Haha well it’s a fun project
@@LivingWithAClassic define fun! 🤔 😂
interesting BUT WHY ?
Can you show us a manual swap sometime? 😂
Yes I will be doing one on my 1975 XJS. Will probably be next winter
@@LivingWithAClassic I'm excited to see it, then. There's like zero manual XJ12s over here in the states but I dunno if I could go back to driving auto fulltime.
Where you from sri
Famous last words? XD
I think not haha. It’s going really well so far
As someone else has stated, this is not going to be a project for the faint hearted. A lot of labor and fiddly work will be involved. You have too much time on your hands to even consider doing this conversion. All your other projects will now go onto the back burner as you spend the next 6 months discovering which parts you failed to harvest from the donor car. I hope you didn't scrap the donor car yet.
Well I’m already pretty far into it. Should take 2-3 weeks to get it all done. That’s with working on other cars as well on the side. It’s not really that huge of a project
Ambitious is an understatement. I can’t help but feel this is a huge waste of your time. LHD cars are a dime a dozen. I’m watching because I love challenges. Good luck.
Well it’s a fun challenge and the owner is paying me well to do it. If I find it fun and it pays the bills it’s worth it.
Also this car is worth about 3x as much when it’s LHD here compared to RHD
You mentioned that the instrument pack would be refitted in the LHD position but it’s an MPH speedo. Won’t you take the opportunity to change that instrument to KPH? Of did I misunderstand ?
I think I would have driven it as rhd
Well it’s a fun challenge plus I’m getting paid to do it. A fun job to get paid to do
@LivingWithAClassic I admire your resolve and it will be interesting.