LHD or RHD

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wazza.csi

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Hi Guys, I have just shipped my 2x E9,s to Canada from New Zealand, 1 Car RHD 73 CSI is in Great Condition 66k original miles, has a bit of Damage in the rear where some idiot tried to lift it with a forklift and a little bit of rust in the sills but not much anywhere else, 2nd car is a LHD parts car quite a bit of rust in the front but rear of the car is really good, I am looking to stay in Canada for minimum 7 -8 years, My dilemma is do I build 1 car from the good body (rhd) and convert it to LHD, Am i going to loose any value by changing the car from RHD to LHD! I have 90 percent of the parts to build it either way!
Cheers Warren
 
Hi Warren , the only thing I would throw into the mix is that the number of RHD csi's was limited to 207 ...I daresay a good number of those are no longer with us . Hope all goes well with your new home. Cheers, Simon
 
Aussiecsi said:
Hi Warren , the only thing I would throw into the mix is that the number of RHD csi's was limited to 207 ...I daresay a good number of those are no longer with us . Hope all goes well with your new home. Cheers, Simon
Click to expand...

207 late model beginning with a 4 serial number. After your stay in Canada are you heading back to the long white cloud ?
 
Keep the RHD '73 CSi RHD and fix the damage and rust. You wrote it's the better car why would you want to convert it to LHD? If you want or can afford it repair both cars then you'll have a LHD car with no conversion thus retaining both of their values. Simple solutions are the best ones. :D
 
Lhd/rhd

Warren, Interesting. I presume that the RHD is a Series 2 car, probably imported into UK and one of the 435**** sequence. If so, this means that it left the factory as RHD as distinct from the Series 1 cars which were converted to RHD by BMW Concessionaires in Dover. I would say that your way out of the dilemma is a no-brainer; you should retain the RHD in its present form, particularly if it is an exemplar model in original colour and matching numbers. Here in UK they are an appreciating asset. Further, the transition from RHD to LHD is a big undertaking. Not immediately obvious are the changes in front sub-frame, servo arrangement and this sort of stuff. There is also the advantage of being able to maintain your options in relation to the LHD parts car in the future, particularly if the shell is sound.

Let me know what you decide. Incidentally, I was faced with much the same dilemma (in reverse) some time ago and I am pleased that I went the way I did. Best, John
 
I have converted a CSL from RHD to LHD recently, and it was a huge job! Front suspension, brake system, steering, pedals, the dashboard and the dashboard metal support must be replaced, lights, wiring, and at lot of brackets here and there must either be removed or be replaced. My advice is to keep the RHD original.
 
Chassis N0 is 2264670, is a 1973 was sold new in Hong Kong. So I am guessing it was converted, The LHD Car is too far gone and has no engine or gearbox. I have the complete front subframe steering, brake booster, and everything else I need to change it to LHD, I am not looking for a concourse car, looking to build something more along the style of Paul Cain's
car., I have also contemplated using E28 Front and Rear Subframes, Suspension and Brakes!
The plan is to be in Canada for minimum 7 years so I would prefer to drive a LHD car! And I do intend to drive it!!
Cheers Warren
 
Just to give you some idea! About 15 years ago I bought a LHD BMW E21 in NZ, I stripped the car on Monday morning and drove it home in RHD form on Friday afternoon, I know there will be a lot more work on the E9 but I will be stripping the car to a bare shell and will have a LHD car to compare in the same garage!
 
Correct the car from Hong Kong is RHD but is a 1973 build, therefor it was converted to RHD in the UK, which now makes a lot of sense to me as the Wipers are set up as they would be for a LHD car, I have a good look at both cars today and it appears that the change to LHD will not be very difficult, I have a complete LHD Front subframe, Brake Setup, Dash support frame and the original firewall cutout for LHD Steering and Brakes has just been covered over.
Warren
 
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