wiki
Wiki Home \ Right Hand Drive pt. 2

Right Hand Drive pt. 2

Last Updated: Feb 24, 2015
View Photos

Again Im not responsible for your vehicles, Im only doin this for fun, im not a professional, etc...

This section will deal with the the firewall..

To start, carefully decide where your goin to cut, decide what you want to move over to the other side, I decided to cut around the metal that pushes out a little bit...



Next smooth the edges of the piece you just cut out, so it is easier to move, hold, and trace around..



Trace your cut out on a piece of cardboard, which will be a little easier to trace on the sheet metal because it is flat...



Trace your cardboard cutout on the sheetmetal, (I used 16 gauge). Cut/Trace a little larger than the "actual size" so you can grind down the the exact size.. You will notice that I didnt later haha...



Here I am testing my filler piece again, making small adjustments at a time..



When you have your filler plate the right size, start removing the paint on the edges of the firewall...



Start with a couple tack welds to ensure the right fit, then once your sure, DO NOT WELD A BEAD ON SHEETMETAL, just do a few tacks around the parameter, and let it cool, come back a few minutes later and do another set of tacks, repeat process untill you have completly tacked around the entire piece... ( Some people recommend cooling metal with a wet rag, but I dont advise this, speed cooling causes your metal to warp)...



A small filler piece will need to fill this small gap...



Its pretty much the same process with the new side, but what you want to do is make sure before hand that your steering wheel will be centered to your seat, so make sure the bottom circle in the firewall piece is centered with your seat... also keep in mind pedal placement, be sure to all full pedal travel and nothing in the way.. I cut a little extra with intentions of filling this P shaped area ( the p shaped area stuck out a little bit), cutting that extra bit will allow me to keep the hole flat and flush with the rest of the firewall...



Here I am mocking up a FLAT P-shaped filler piece



Once your fillers are welded in completely you can grind them down and/or caulk them to prevent moisture seapage, but im goin to just primer them for now...



Here I primed the other side, (interior)...



The inside, both sides...



And I primed the outside firewall filler pieces...



After letting the primer dry, I put my brake booster and pedal cluster on, (and layed my carpet back down)...



I then put the steering column in the new location, I removed that upper steering column support from the old side, and will be attatching it to the new side another day, when i know of the exact location, (which means tighting all the nuts and bolts)...



Because of where I cut out my original firewall piece, I missed a bolt that is attached to the firewall, so (with the pedal cluster on) I marked its location. I will remove the pedal cluster to drill the hole, so I can get a new bolt up throught there...



Here is the hole I drilled...



Now finally you can reassemble everything and enjoy sitting in the passenger seat while you dirve your truck ...




I still need to reinstall that upper steering column support, smooth the tack welds on the firewall, apply a sealant on the welds, attatch linkages (brake/clutch/ throttle), make a dash, etc.

It will all come soon.. weather and paycheck permitting

AGAIN I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU TRUCKS!

*sudkrap 3/11/2007

If you have questions just ask...

Credits

Created By: sudkrap

Page 1 of 1
minitruckrmuthafkr   +1y
What about your E brake?------------------ Looks killer.---------- big props on the tech write up. -------------- ps i need some help putting up my pics of my mazda i hate computers. to much for me to understand. later Josh
v8mazda4ever   +1y
excellent work how long till its all done, so we can get pics of the finished work.
sudkrap   +1y
Im hoping to be back on the road/ with transmission by like the first week of june... I def want to be ready for the weak show season we have in montana
toms87   +1y
bump...any more progress??
_juice_   +1y
no shit ! i wanna see an update please!!!!!
looks awesome tho!
dhpmike   +1y
Id like to add to this a bit. If anyone is doing this and wants to switch to a rack and pinion, you can get a first gen Tacoma rack and flip it around. The fittings for the power steering can be hooked up to a small block chevy. I had this exact setup in my 88 Mazda with a 350
Page 1 of 1