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MG Midget and Sprite General - Drop in value after conversion???

I am contemplating converting a 1979 1500 USA Midget from LHD to RHD. I am doing this just to get a better driver view of the road here in Australia.
Some people have thrown their hands up in horror when I mention the conversion, suggesting that it will completely ruin the car, and slash the resale value.
My mind isn't on selling the car, I'm just looking forward to driving it. But who knows what is in the future?
What is the opinion about this conversion, and would you suggest that the marketable value of the car will drop appreciably?
Wazza


w butler

I would say for safety reasons, LHD vs RHD, go ahead with it. The modification doesn't permanently affect the car and it can always be changed back if the future purchaser ever desires. (Save all the parts!)

Changing from rubber to chrome bumpers I throw my hands up at because the car can't be changed back because of the modifications required. One less original car for the future.

So go ahead and enjoy your car.

Clive Reddin

I cannot imagine it affecting the resale value at all.
Mick struggling with the wiring

I would have thought it would make it more valuable/saleable in a country where you drive on the left.

Also, there is no reason a rubber to chrome conversion can't be reversed.

Dave O'Neill 2

Do it to enjoy driving it and not sitting waiting to overtake!

Rubber to bumperless or chrome can not be converted back if it's done properly.
rachmacb

It would definatly effect the value over here in the usa....for the better.... i think something like that would be cool ... defiantly rare

But i wouldnt worry about value if you convert to chrome....that will easily cut the value by half... leave the rubber or go bumperless
Prop

<<Rubber to bumperless or chrome can not be converted back if it's done properly.>>

Why not?
Dave O'Neill 2

Go for it Wazza.
It's not like they are rare, priceless examples of the finest of the breed. RHD can at worst be worth the same as LHD in Oz, and I think a good bit more.
As you've discovered, there are a few minor differences in the engine bay but easily enough overcome. It's a car to enjoy, not an investment that's going to be worth millions in a few years.
Mike Allen

On a 1500 shell it's a lot more work/cutting/welding etc to go left to right, it's not like a 1275 or earlier one.
As it's much more permanent, go for the chrome/bumperless at the same time. The car will be a real mingle of parts then and totally unorigional, but so what.
I can't see why the value of the car wouldn't go up, provided you do all the conversion work to good standards. A 'real' chrome/rhd will always be worth more anyway.
RoadWarrior

I think that the left to right hand drive could be nothing but good, especially for the sake of safety.
What's all this talk of chrome bumpers,or bumperless? He doesn't mention it anywhere in his post, just asks for opinions on the driving position conversion.
I'm with Mike Allen. Go for it Wazza, you know it makes sense and as Mike says, the difference in resale value will be minimal.

Bernie.
b higginson

Lol Bernie - there wasn't originally - and everyone says he should ;)!

I'm just surprised that anyone would want to leave all that spare metal work doing nothing in an engine bay - it's all about the lightness yanno ;)!
rachmacb

Having watched a RHD driving in an LHD country, I agree with Clive's view; Do it right and save the parts. I can make a tiny case for having an RHD car in an LHD country IF you drive it regularly on road courses, since they favor RHD, being effectively clockwise.
David "I won't even mention bumperless" Lieb
David Lieb

I don't know about where you live, and I don't have the perspective of having visited the future where rubber bumper cars will be venerated as highly sought after examples of the greatest engineering minds Britain had to offer...

What I do know is that the 1500's are the lowest of the low in value for LBC's here where I live. Spitfire's go for more money if you can believe it. You can get a running example RB Midget (turn key & go) for less than you would believe here.

Maybe in that hypothetical future the 1500 cars will be the only thing that survived and there will be so few true RB cars that each and every one will be prized.

But I don't believe it.

Chop it up, make it what you want it to be.
Plop a V-8 in it and drive it like you stole it.

If you want a nice trailer queen find an RWA Midget or a Mk 1 and put way too much money into restoring it. Seems to be the popular thing over here.
Rick Bastedo

Clive reddin is the troll....hhaha

Your correct wassia never mentioned the bumpers, that was all clive....

What.a sick man, and you know he is laughing at us for his slight of hand

Good one clive....hahaha

Prop.... it was early in the morning
Prop

In the next 10 years it won't mather or be worth more.
After that?
Who knows.

When prewar mg's were 30 years old it would not mind if they had a ford engine (hell it was more reliable and powerfull)but now every one want's it original.
Even down to the cable brakes oposed to the better working but non original hydraulics.

I assume post war midgets will go the same way and at one point people will start converting their K midgets back to original.

But that is not now........
Onno Könemann

I have a nice original-(ish) MK2 Sprite that I would not do anything weird to. It needs to stay in it's good old configuration and I really like it that way.

My 1500 has no front bumper, a chrome rear bumper, a Datsun 1500 motor and a Datsun 5 speed transmission.
Big 6x9 speakers in the back, homespun electrical with lots of relays and 12 fused circuits.

I fully expect it to be driven hard for a long time and eventually rust into the ground. Then I'll put that power plant into another and keep on going.

Not sure I want to live in a world where the RB cars become trailer queens. Good thing I'm getting old and probably wont live that long!!
Rick Bastedo

Ha, so my RWA RHD car is more worth over the big pond. Too bad that over here in the lower parts of the world it is estimated lower for insurance. And I do still like to creep up on people on the highway and sit quite close to them and stare when overtaking :O
Alex G Matla

Wazza... Just do it... RHD is far safer here in Aus.

1500s are not common here, so make it as you want it and enjoy it... :-)

Mark.
M T Boldry

<<I assume post war midgets will go the same way and at one point people will start converting their K midgets back to original.>>

I'd better hang on to my 1275 engines, then!
;oP
Dave O'Neill 2

Im sure most of us will have moved on to a higher spirtial plan when are cars become worth anything of real value... so might as well make life fun for those that will come afte us....no point making it easy for them
Prop

I'm driving a RHD frogeye here in Canada, doesn't bother me in the least, I have no real issues except in parking garages, the ticket machines are a bit of a stretch.
RUS(59SPRITE)

I have some of the original oil in my gear box and the original specification air in the tyres. I only drive it wearing my original underpants and never use the screen wash, since that would deplete the original water.

NOT.


unfortunately the original (1500) front half is from a different car to the original (1098) rear half....so that really does diminish the value, actually it slashes it a rather more than moving the steering over to the correct side!

Show your advisor a print of this thread. just make sure they're sat down before they start reading it.

robnrrugby

Wazza
Interesting what people read into things

The talk about rubber/chrome bumpers came from where ?

Having driven a LHD Mustang for a few months in Tassy
(RHD country the same as the rest of Oz)
It's just plain dangerous and frustrating, If you get behind a slow truck or bus that's where you stay till you get double lanes somewhere. You just can't pass unless you have complete faith in your co-pilot

Here in Tas. you can't register a LHD car for normal use and in my opinion rightly so
To register a left hooker here it has to be 30 plus years old and can only get vintage or special interest rego. both of which have restricted usage

Make it RHD and enjoy it safley -- cheers Willy
William Revit

Overtaking isn't much of a problem in a Midget, half the size of a Mustang. You can easily look paast the lorry and still be in your own lane :)
Alex G Matla

Alex

Maybee -- maybee not

A metre of car poking out in the oncoming traffic, just for a look -- not ideal
Willy
William Revit

I never thought of that... that would apply here in the usa as well with a RHD car

Solution would be some big RV side mirrors hanging off the side.... that might hurt value
Prop

Gee, I go away for a few days and all of a sudden I seem to have opened Pandora's Box with my thoughts on chrome bumper conversions.

True, he didn't say anything about a chrome bumper coversion, but I did.

I had heard from others here and there and read on here that changing from rubber to chrome required some modifications to the car that can't be reversed. As I'm not interested in changing, I haven't looked into the matter very much but let's just say we can all agree that for one reason or another, they just don't bolt onto the car. What changes are required, I'm not an expert on but it had something to do with the front bumper mounting area and frame area at least, right?

Personally, I like old cars and I like them to be original. If any modifications are done, they aren't permanent so they can be converted back again if desired. Changing from LHD to RHD is not permanent as the car could be converted back since it was made both ways. Chopping the body etc to drop in a V-8 if one desired doesn't sit well with me, however it is that person's car, it just means one fewer original car for the future that's all.

There are folks who spend a fortune making a hot rod using car parts from who knows what. Some people drool over them, me personanly I'm not into that. I can, however, appreciate the engineering and skill that goes into building one, it's just not my scene.

Anyway, that's just me, others may agree or disagree and that's fine. The bottom line is that we are here to help each other because we all do like our Midgets or what have you a lot.

Gee. Prop, me a troll? Somewhat harsh I feel but I won't lose any sleep over it.

Cheers to you all.

Clive Reddin

WOW . . . geez Clive you sure did end up in the eye of the hurricane. And funny enough, you must have read my mind because I also want to go to chrome bumpers at the same time :-)
I had a talk to a panel beater/welder about the process of cutting up and welding the right side of the engine bay to get the master cylinder and steering column in there, and it was he who "threw up his hands".
Quite frankly I am not worried in the least about losing market value, I just want a car to drive safely. And moving into harms way to get a clear look around the truck in front was one of my major concerns.
William is correct, even if he is from Tasmania ;-) :0, that overtaking is a real "life threatening" action.
And the change to CB is quite dramatic, the "horns" at the front of the car have to be cut back to allow a chrome grill, and you have to weld "knobs" under the rear lights to get the proper look.
My biggest worry is the $1000 it is suggested it will cost me to get an engineer to certify my modifications as safe to venture out on the roads.
Thanks for your valuable contributions, and I hope everyone enjoyed this robust discussion.
Wazza



w butler

That last photo wasn't my car, but it shows how you need to weld on the knobs under the rear lights to get the correct look.

This photo shows the area that needs to be cut back from the front horns to let the grill sit inside the front cowl area. I could keep the piece cut off if someone wanted to weld it back on to go back to RB???

Wazza



w butler

Mate, I think the car will be worth more if it is properly converted to RHD. I wouldn't stress about it. (Same with the bumper conversion just quietly!)
AndrewF

LOL Wazza - you have to take a whole lot more than that off!!!!!

I am having problems downloading photos from my phone at the moment, so I can't show you exactly how much. And no, you can't just weld it back on ;)!!!!

I am STILL very anti taking off rubber to put chrome on - as it's pretending to be something it's not - and for the extra money, then, I don't understand why you wouldn't get a chrome one in the first place! There are other alternatives if you want to keep bumpers but not have the steel content - and you don't even have to do all that backend work!!! There's some ruddy awful conversions/bumperless cars on the market at the moment - so please, at least do it properly! (That's to everyone else out there ;)!)

As for the price - yes, at least that - and possibly more - if you're having to pay a garage to do all the work for you.

As for the original question - I think I said days ago that it's dumb saying that you'd drop value for the conversion - anything that makes driving safer has got to maintain the value!
rachmacb

Hey Wazza, I am interested in how it is you got a lefty anyway, given I would have thought it easier and potentially cheaper to find a RHD in Australia? By the way, I am in the 'convert to RHD' club.

Murray
MK McIntosh

Wazza,
There should not be any cutting involved in converting to RHD. The hole for the pedal box is already there and has a panel on it. Likewise for the hole for the steering column. You will need a RHD steering rack as well as a RHD dash... Dunno what all else, but someone will chime in.

Here in the USA we have a slight advantage, because there is a tiny market for the parts to convert to RHD in order to make the car look "properly Briddish". OTOH, I can see no conceivable reason that an Aussie would ever want to make their Spridget look "properly Mercan".
David "not a poser?" Lieb

David Lieb

I was under the impression that early LHD cars had all the necessary holes to convert to RHD but later ones did not.
Dave O'Neill 2

G'day - there's been lots of lively debate over this one.
The reason for all the cutting for LHD to RHD conversion is that the late model 1500 Midget was manufactured differently to the earlier Midgets.
The majority of the MG 1500 cars manufactured (about 90%) were exported straight from England to the States, so the bodywork reflected the "majority" purchasers.
This being the case there is no allowance for RHD master cylinder or steering column on the US version. As I have a US imported car, I have to go down the cut/weld process.
From what I can gather there are only about 30 "proper" 1500s in Australia, and they are all probably private imports.
My thanks to Colin Dodds from www.spriteparts.com.au here in Australia for this info.


Murray, I bought the car from California as I was really keen on the 1500 Triumph Spitfire motor - and trying to buy a car from England with some body left from the rusting was extremely hard. The cost of the car and importing it was WAY cheaper than buying a 1275 CB car here in Oz.
When I finish with it the car will be quite unique, and I will have had a lot of fun.

My thanks to the forum for all the great input.

Wazza
w butler

I guess I have never looked that close at a 1500. My RWAs all had both sets of holes, so I never figured that some Brit would think it made sense to make two different versions of the shell.
David "How does that saying go about giving a Brit a piece of metal???" Lieb
David Lieb

This thread was discussed between 29/04/2011 and 05/05/2011

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