I am sure this topic has been covered before but I can't find it.

I have been lucky enough to spend a few weeks in Hawaii for work. While here I have seen loads of Camaros and Challengers. Awesome looking cars and they are quite cheap. I got all excited about maybe importing one until, yep you guessed it, I saw the prices quoted for RHD conversions.

Ok, here's the rub. I know it isn't a simple process. There's a lot more to it than just relocating the steering wheel and pedals and making a new dash. But the quote I had was for $33,000. Some even more.

Now seriously, can anyone explain where that type of money goes....

look, here is a few sums that I thought of. please feel free to correct or add. Lets assume labour rates are $200. I think this is very pessimistic so I cannot think of anyway they can justify over $30,000

Strip dash, interior and engine bay - two days $3200
New steering rack and brackets $5000
New dashboard $1000
Complete new manufactured heater box $2000
Relocate steering wheel, airbag, pedals two days $3200
Relocate brake booster etc one day $1600
Refit everything two days $3200
Modified exhaust $2000
Miscellaneous such as computer reprogram for airbags etc $2000

That still only totals $23,200

Have i forgotten anything?

So in summary, can someone please please help me find a way of doing this - I want a Camaro lol

Edited by user Monday, 23 July 2012 2:48:31 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

That's great advice and I have been thinking of doing most of the work myself. I love the 68/9 models.

The figures I was looking at however were for the new Camaro. I should have mentioned that. the thought of that classic looking car but in a brand new form is very appealing. if you have looked at them I am sure will agree they have the real feel of an old car but brand new (does that make sense?)However, I have almost resigned myself to finding a good 69 and converting - A good restoration would be less than $33,000.

There's supposedly a lot of common design (engineering) between the Camaro & the VE, so there would be opportunities to use VE components in the swap - or at least mildly modified VE parts, rather than expensive one-offs.

There's also the issue of compliance - have you looked at how hard it is for you to get compliance on your own? These workshops (depending on the state) have to be accreddited for this sort of work now (to cut down on the shonky guys) and that comes at a cost - so some of that is being recouped in the high profit margin. I'm not even sure if an individual can obtain compliance on a new or near-new car anymore.

The conversion people have to change a whole lot of other stuff over to meet compliance too - which does cost money (but still doesn't account for the excessive bill). Things like:
- headlights (beam cut-off is the opposite way)
- seatbelts (although this might be a jap thing rather than all imports).
- fit anchorage points if the car doesn't have any (a lot of imports, even modern, don't have them).
- rewire the tail lights & blinkers on a lot of US product.

And there's minor changes you need to sort out too - like mph/kmh on the speedo, the radio station tuning steps don't line up with the ones used in Oz (and it's not a simple radio swap option anymore).

I still can't see how they can justify $33K though. Even if you slugged every customer $5K to cover the compliancing, I'd suggest it's still only a $20-25K job in real terms. But I guess it's a captive market with little competition, and who knows what sort of collusional links may be hidden within the industry.

Me too. We got excited about the new dodge challengers. You can get an 07/08/09 one for around 20k USD. But a mob up in QLD that import them and do the RHD conversion sell them for around 140k or so.. Would love to get one but somewhere between here and there someone is making a lot of money. Prob half goes to the govt in import taxes....

Heaps of stuff like this -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebay...ucks&hash=item2c66c3956c

I looked at bringing a 2003-5 Corvette over. Until I heard the price of a conversion. Say the 'vette was $35,000 US. By the time it was landed here, GST, Import Duty, and the conversion. And GST on the conversion, and the shippinp. Came to north of 80 thou.

The old days of a chain behind the dash conversions are long gone.
I know you're talking of a late model, but in Qld if it's over 20
years old, you can keep it LHD. Which is what I've done.

Initally it's a bit of a head****, driving a LHD car on our roads,
but you'll soon get used to it. The missus still goes round to the
"passenger" side though!

Cheers,