Gearbox query

[Ken B]

Hi all.
I hope to be purchasing a mk1 transit LWB very soon. However to be able to put it to the use I intend, I'm looking to upgrade a few bits. However the thing that is confusing me the most is the number of different gearboxes fitted to Transits over the years. MT75 seems to be the way forward, but i keep reading about needing adaptor plates spacer plates, needed to attach these gearboxes to pinto's and the like. I will actuallly be using a Zetec E (mondeo) power unit which for those that didnt know, is the last of the Ford petrol lumps to use the same gearbox b/housing pattern first seen in the 105E Anglias. Which brings me nicely back to the question.
I've seen this gearbox, and at first glance to me it has a different bell housing pattern to all the diesel boxes I've looked at, and looks almost identical to the "normal" Ford pattern. Its allegedlly from a twin cam transit which I'm presuming is the same dohc fitted to the last of the Sierras. Now i didnt realise they even fitted the dohc to the transit, and secondly, would I or do I still need this spacer/adaptor plate i keep hearing about. Incidentally the Sierra DOHC and the Zetec E both have the same b/housing bolt pattern.

Any opinions thoughts would be appreciated, before I part with my hard earned or go barking up the wrong tree.

[rover]

No adapter needed if its the dohc petrol box, the one used on the pinto powered Transits was actually the same as the diesel ones, hence why it needed an adapter plate.

Please keep us informed of how the engine swap goes (with plenty of pics would be good!), I for one have fancied going Zetec for a while in my Mk3, even though I'm a Pinto man at heart, spares are getting silly expensive now

[Ken B]

Hi many thanks for speedy reply. Just waiting for the finances to get into place then hopefully its all systems go. I will of course post plenty of pics and will ask many more questions I'm sure once we get into gear(no pun intended).
The pinto whilst is a great engine, is just too big and heavy and as you say, prices are starting to rise. To get sensible bhp from them now costs too. 2.0 Zetec blacktop is £100 and is about 136/138 out of the box. Furthermore, I've also discovered the Zetec has the same piston spacing dimensionally more or less as the old Kent x flow, and that as we all know was fitted in the Mk1's, so a Zetec shouldn't be too much of a problem.