GMC Topkick left hand drive to right hand drive conversion?

[tewesy1]

Im in oz and am looking at a LHD GMC Topkick. Hard to find info on drive side conversions. Anyone know any info about this topic?

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Seems to me there is some sort of yahoo group for Kodiak/topkick owners?

 

[hot rod]

I've got a 2003 Topkick. I'm picturing the dash/firewall area, and I'm thinking trying to do a conversion yourself would be a major undertaking. The interior and dash would seemingly be the "easy" part, but the firewall/engine compartment would be a nightmare. The right side firewall houses the heater/ac which is a wedge shaped affair to clear the engine, and even if you could move it to the other side it would be shaped all wrong to clear the engine. And of course the opposite would be true to remount clutch and braking components in the other direction. You'd almost have to cut the entire firewall out and build from scratch. And then I imagine you would need a steering box and components from something right hand drive to work on that side.

I wonder if there were any Kodiak/Topkicks ever actually sold down there for right hand drive? As in maybe find a right hand drive cab in a junkyard to cannibalize or even potentially swap the whole cab? And along the same lines maybe steal an entire front axle and steering gear from any similar sized medium duty truck to swap out for the original?

Just brainstorming, interesting question.

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Do you remember the movie, "Corvette Summer?" Mark Hamil before he was Luke Skywalker. Great movie. Anyhow, they converted a Vette to right hand steer. You know how they did it? They used a chain and gears and ran it behind the dash over to the right side. Pretty good idea I think.

 

[hot rod]

I grew up out in the country, and they did not give the rural route postal carriers official Jeeps so they converted their own vehicles over to right hand. Most of the ones I saw were done just like that with a chain, but they kept steering wheels on both sides so they could be driven "normal" as well. The one postman always rode with his huge german shepherd on the "driver's side", sitting there right in the seat like he was driving the truck. Caused a lot of double takes.