Right hand drive XJ - info and pics of what's different/odd

[YELLAHEEP]

Just bought a RHD XJ to part out (really bad unibody cracking, blown engine) and thought I'd document some odd/interesting differences.

The subject:





Figure I'd start with the "driver's" side. Some things different of note:

-AC/Heat control is a mirror image of ours. Hot/cold opposite of ours and the fan switch is on the right side.

-Obviously, the dash bezel and layout is a mirror image to ours, but the gauge cluster is laid out the same as ours, not a mirror image.

The floorboard and under dash:



Not sure if that foot rest is OEM, but I imagine it's a good idea since the trans tunnel is closer on the right side - keeps your foot from moving under the brake pedal.

The gas pedal doesn't have the same amount of movement as ours does - not sure if it's been bent/damaged, but the throttle only opens 2/3rds of the way. Seems like the rise of the floorboard for tire clearance keeps the pedal from moving down far enough.

You can see that the wiring harness comes through without using the junction box/fuse panel we're used to seeing. The fuse panel is actually that tan/greenish box just under/behind the lower trim panel.

Kinda odd to see the hood release over on this side as well.

Found this odd too. Not sure if the Postal contractor flipped the seats in order to make it easier to fold the seat forward or if this is original:



Can you tell what's missing here?



It's mounted over here, but not with a factory looking bracket..... Wonder what they did with the spare normally in an RHD XJ? Maybe it was a delete as part of a Postal vehicle order?





Yep, the wipers are backwards.......



I removed the gauge cluster and found it marked with this and a couple stickers on the back in Japanese..... I've parted out a ton of XJ's and never found one like this.

[YELLAHEEP]

Lots of oddities in the engine bay:



-Spring loaded belt tensioner where the AC would be
-Alternator is mounted higher over the steering box
-Fans are reversed
-PS pump bracketry is non-adjustable
-PS hoses run across the engine
-AC is down on the other side, in the space where our steering box is
-Transmission cooling lines go into the radiator tank on the right side opposite ours













One very screwy looking track bar.......



I had never seen tow points like these. Maybe gov't order option?






Other than these things...... just another XJ.... with hideous unibody cracks.... I guess rural roads can take their toll!

[YELLAHEEP]

Here's the trim tag. Anyone able to tell me if this was manufactured in the US or overseas?




Had to keep a memento......

[carves]

Originally Posted by YELLAHEEP

Here's the trim tag. Anyone able to tell me if this was manufactured in the US or overseas?

1st Position ..... 1 = USA

11th Position ... L = Toledo

Have found made in japan logos on the RHD 97+ dashes over here ... Maybe chrysler didnt want the US market to know they had to import gauges ...

Footrest is common in RHD 97+ ... not sure about pre-updates.

Spare wheel is factory fit on rear right hand corner - bit better brackets than in your photo tho ... thats probably a bodgy replacement. Some were still left rear corner fit too.

The red heater hoses look after-market ... All the ones Ive seen lay along the engine length as usual.

Pretty sure the towpoints are stock. They arent winching recovery points just tiedown/tow points.

Yeah ... aint that useless, auto gearbox, in-radiator, heat exchanger just the best thought out idea ever ... They must have thought all RHD exports were going to eskimos ....

[YELLAHEEP]

Thanks for the info carves!

I wonder if the unibodies were constructed and shipped from overseas then the assembly happened in Ohio...... Maybe there wasn't any real re-tooling needed to put them together on the assembly line. The only real major difference appears to be the firewall/cowl. Everything else is pretty much bolt up.

[5-90]

It's not like the Toledo plant couldn't build RHD. Dispatcher, anyone?

I'd like to see if I couldn't get that spring idler/tensioner from you - I've got some experimentation in mind (and I've already deleted my aircon, since it froze up...)

Thought that thing was a top-mounted Delco SI series at first glance...

[kastein]

Both my original and replacement 91-96 gauge clusters had a stamping indicating they were made in Japan, but no Japanese writing that I recall.

EDIT: yeah, those red hoses are aftermarket... the factory ones are form-fit just like the LHD ones. I seem to recall from a recent CPS thread by an RHD owner that the OEM ones cross over the top of the tranny tunnel and were making his marginal CPS cut out when he turned the heat on (this confused everyone till it came to light that he owned an RHD XJ), but I could be remembering this wrong.

[Ben_Dyer]

So what exactly are you taking the jeep for?

[SteveT]

Do you think you could use this wiper assembly, to do the cowl filter mod on the driver's side, with a much straighter shot to the intake?

[jmcleish]

depends on where the heater intake is. if they swaped it no. and if they didnt it would be interesting to see where they put it because i think if yuo did that it would hit the intake fot the heater.

[90xj06]

i see a lot of right hand drive wranglers and occasional xj. in new Hampshire they use them as mail trucks.