Canada speed MPH or KPH ??

[viv w]

Hi All,

 I'm rebuilding a Chrysler G70 and a Nash advanced 6, both are right hand drive 1926 models and when I aquired them the speedometers were missing on both cars. The Chrysler was built in Canada, the Nash in USA and I have spent a lot of time researching the parts books.

 My Nash parts book shows that the right hand drive cars came equipped with a kilometer per hour speedo and I have been lucky enough to find one on ebay. The Chrysler parts book shows that both KPH and MPH speedo's were available, but does not tell me why there were the options, I have found an Mph speedo for the Chrysler, but as it was built in Canada should I be looking for a Kph one?.

 This has got me thinking.  Canada's speed limit today in Ontario is in kilometers per hour, but has it always been in Kph or not?

 Are there any history buffs out there that might know if Canada was in MPH or has it always been Kph.

Thanks

 Viv W

[29pickhupp]

Canada made the change from mph to kph in the late 70s I believe

John

[joespoolhall]

Hello,

 

Canada did go to kilometer per hour in 1977 when switching over to the metric system . . . . you would be looking for MPH for your 1926 car . . . . 

[nsbrassnut]

Hi

 

You could be looking for either speedometer for a right hand drive car.

 

"Standard" models for the Canadian market would have been left hand drive with mph speedometers. The last provinces in Canada to change from driving on the left of the road to the right of the road switched in 1923.  All used imperial measure and miles per hour until the change to  metric in the 1970's.

 

Several companies with assembly plants in Canada also were able to tap into "favoured nation" status for exporting to other countries in the British Commonweath, such as Australia and New Zealand. This route had lower import taxes in the destination country then would have been applied to US build cars. For example, Ford of Canada built and shipped both left and right hand drive Ts and As from the Canadian factory.

.

So if it is a right hand drive car it could have been factory equipped either way depending on where it was shipped to.

 

Drive Safe

 

Jeff

East Coast of Canada

 

 

[8E45E]

Do you have any idea where those cars were sold new?   I would almost conclude they were export models to a RHD country, such as the U.K., South Africa, Australia or New Zealand, or possibly even Japan at the time.

 

Craig

[Chrycoman]

Canada switched to metric in 1978.  Thus all 1978 model cars came with metric speedometers.  Chrysler, though, built their 1977 models for the Canadian market with metric speedometers.  Guess they figured as they could do it, why not.  Going to need them in 1978 any way.

 

British Columbia was the last province to switch to LHD.  The prairie provinces were always LHD.   Ford of Canada built a small assembly plant in Vancouver before WW I and shipped RHD model T parts to the plant for the BC market.   All parts were shipped painted and ready for assembly.

 

If these RHD cars were built for any country in the British Empire they would have MPH speedometers.   Can't think of any RHD metric countries off hand, except Japan. 

 

Bill

 

[viv w]

Thanks guys for your input. In Zimbabwe we metricated in 1970, so I guess most of the British colonies may have done so at that time. I think most of the RHD cars were exported to the colonies, where we had MPH.

Viv.