Conversion from LHD
Does anyone know of a garage in UK that will undertake conversion of LHD G Wagen to RHD. I know it'll cost, but want to consider it as an option.
Ravin
I have just started studying the feasibility of such a conversion for my father who would really like a new one in RHD. I have found one company who do conversions and have sent them an e-mail on whether it is possible to do such a conversion on a G-Wagen, they have not replied to me yet, but when they do I'll post their reply. The name of the company is Intercep.
Ok, I have found another company that may be able to convert G-Wagens from LHD to RHD, they are called conrico and they build custom 4x4's. I sent them e-mail and damn me did they reply quick, here is what they said...
Good afternoon,
I am familiar with the G Wagens as we supply them to government agencies overseas. We also supply armoured G-Wagens. Regarding RHD we have a factory in Germany with whom we have an exclusive arrangement, which is currently looking in to the cost and feasibility of this conversion, but you will understand this takes some time. What we do not know is what the likely demand would be, and on that basis lies the cost analysis. Furthermore the speedo is calibrated for kmh and not mph, and would have to be altered to meet UK specification. Apart from that, the vehicle would be EU compliant in any case in LHD version.
With regards
I am sure there will be no problem with MPH as the U.S. G-Wagens use MPH speedo's and they can just use those parts. As for demand, who else would be interested in a RHD conversion? As it says they havn't quite figured the process out so its not serious yet. Their web page is
http://www.conrico.com/parts/vehicleconversions.htm
Thanks, Adrian.
What type of G are you thinking of converting. A new cdi, 461 or an older one.
I know that the turbo diesel engines can not be converted because the turbo fouls on the steering column and the break booster fouls the head. The V8 petrol may be posible as that is still basically the same as what was made in RHD from the factory.
I reckon it would be a serious amount of money for a new one.
Roly, thanks for the info, that really sucks :cry: , do you know if there is any way of completely re-engineering things the wrong way round or is it just not feasible without a serious cost. I have heard of conversions being done to new G55's and G55K's in Indonesia, but have no evidence to back this up. Damn it, a G270CDI is a neat little package and would have been good, would probably be the most popular G in the UK market if Mercedes sold it here. I will still ask these guys to investigate it though, maybe they will come up with a solution, who knows, here's wishing :wink: .
No problem Ravin, anytime.
Adrian.
Just a spot of lateral thinking (there's a pun in there somewhere), why not stick with lhd ,
however, from personal observation , or the lack of it , getting onto roundabouts is not ideal but better visibility from "G" than most other cars.
Biggest diffulity obviousley overtaking ---especially in 300GD --- but lack of acceleration aside it does help to see ahead before committing, what are the practicalities of using a camera mounted on or about right hand side wing mirror I know that "backeye" reveresing cameras are not ideal as they are wide angle but such systems are clear , reliable and affordable .
Marcus
Hi there, If you are going to go ahead with your conversion then I would love to get your left hand drive headlights. I've just exported mine to Canada where I will be in need of a set.
Will look forward to talking to you. Drop me an email here or at chicoutimieo@hotmail.com.
Thanks,
Gordon
What I wonder is how many people would it take to convince Mercedes to build a run of RHDs. After all it is not like they don't have the tooling...
Especially since Gs are suddenly becoming trendy in countries like Japan and Indonesia. I know that someone did try and approach them about this about a few years ago but I think that was before taking into account all the asian countries...
I too would like a pre 1999 G500... where are all the RHDs? Surely there must be a few floating around the UK?
What I wonder is how many people would it take to convince Mercedes to build a run of RHDs. After all it is not like they don't have the tooling...
Especially since Gs are suddenly becoming trendy in countries like Japan and Indonesia. I know that someone did try and approach them about this about a few years ago but I think that was before taking into account all the asian countries...
I too would like a pre 1999 G500... where are all the RHDs? Surely there must be a few floating around the UK?
I would think that if we had, say, 50 firm orders with a £ 20,000 deposit each I would think that Mercedes would take such a possibility seriously.....
The problem is that at least Japan is not so fussy about LHD so they buy the cars anyways.
Regarding your last comment the problem is that if you'd phone Milton Keynes to ask them where can you unload your G or buy a newer one, they'd always direct you to one place.... you know which one.
Cheers
would think that if we had, say, 50 firm orders with a £ 20,000 deposit each I would think that Mercedes would take such a possibility seriously.....
I'll go with that. Where do we send the cheque?
David
As all body shells since production are virtualy, if not exactly the same, surly the simplest conversion is to obtain a cheap used G in rhd and swap all your bits to the rhd shell having first stripped treated and repainted the donor shell.
Any company that has to think about the conversion of a km speedo to mph on a G, shouldnt be worth considering. when I compete on the continent I swap my head in about 10 minutes. Recaliberate indeed, hogwash and balderdash
Bill Moss
I would love a lhd manual if anyone wants to swap/sell
JOIN THE GWOA
This website and forum are provided for the benefit of enthusiasts and owners of all Mercedes Benz off road vehicles, in particular the G Wagen. The costs of development, upkeep and provision of the site are met entirely by the annual subscriptions of club members. If you are using the site and are not a member of the G Wagen Owners Association please consider joining. You will have access to areas on the site that are not open to non members, to club trips and meetings and to technical assistance. In addition your contribution (only £25 annually) will help us maintain and develop our website for future users.
Who's new
- Jaffa_JIM_23
- Wrabstar
- GG
- KTMSCANIA22
- 280ge
thanks Adrian, I'll check them out. I'm planning on getting a pre 1999 G500 either LWb or SWB from Germany if I can confirm a decent price for conversion
Ravin