Greetings all

[carnut1100]

g'day there mate, another Aussie Transiter here!
I have done HEAPS of stuffing around with a SWB Mk1, there is a project thread with pics around somewhere...

We have lots of Mk5s here. Quite a few Mk4s, but Mk3s are very thin on the ground.

For the stud pattern, on mine I have a Castlemaine Rod Shop disc brake conversion using Falcon discs and HQ Holden calipers. Cost about $150 for the kit + calipers and discs from a wrecker another $100 or so.
That gives Falcon stud pattern and good brakes.
I have a Falcon diff too. Mine is a bit short and needs deep dish wheels but I am building a new diff for it with disc brake rear off an EA Falcon wagon.
What I am doing is lengthening the diff by using the long axle from a spare diff to replace the short axle on the diff going in. Not hard, then fit new spring perches and all done.
Choice of ratios, LSDs, etc and in every wrecking yard.

[panda007]

Maaaaaaan!! that sounds wicked and is just the kind of advice I have been looking for!!

Is it just me or is it uncommon to have a mk2 with sliding doors? I have seen a couple ( not many) here in australia, but they all seem to have just normal doors and they seem to have a rear opening door too.

Mine just has two sliding doors and it has never had any seats fitted in the back.

Also, its registered as a panel van, and my rego is 248 dollars for 3 months... is that normal? Or is there a way I can convert it from being registered as a commercial vehicle?

[carnut1100]

Can't really help with the rego.
Lots of Postie vans with sliding doors, mostly long dead now.
Vans with no side load door got sliders. Have seen a couple with sliding driver door and swinging passenger with a rear door too.
Minibus like ours got swingers all round.
Getting thin on the ground nowadays.....

For the Falco conversion, if you look at a Falcon diff you will see one axle tube is longer than the other.
Now, if youstrip out the diff and all the bits you can cut the tack welds and press out the axle tube, removing the short one and replacing ti with a long one. That's a lot of work though....
Alternatively you can figure out where the spring perches will go ( measure the witch of Transit spring mounts, work out how long the diff will be with two long axles, calculate the new spring perch positions) and cut the short axle tube off there.
Take a spare diff and cut an axle tube to the right length so it will be the same length as a standard long axle tube.
Get a piece of tubing, old tailshaft works good, and get it machined to the inside diameter of the axle tubes as a sleeve. About 6 inches long is good.
With this in place and the axle tube slid over the top, there shouldbe about a 3mm gap between the ends of the axle tube for full weld penetration. Also holes about 8mm diameter are drilled around the axle tubes about 2 inches from the cut ends and you do a plug weld through these to give extra hold to the sleeve.
Tack it up then fully weld right around. Make sure the axle tube end is aligned so the brakes will be sitting right way up when you are finished....

Use two long axles and you are done.
A drum brake axle will accept discs easily, or just get an XF wagon with LSD centre and discs already on it, or like me an EA wagon diff ( but no LSD sadly...) and go for it.
Cut the old spring perches off the Transit diff, and sit the new diff in them while they are bolted to the springs. Centre the diff in the van.
Use a spirit level or a clinometer to make sure the flange on the front of the diff is at the same angle as the rear of the gearbox, they MUST align.
Tack the axle tube to the spring perches then take it out and fully weld.
Make brackets for Falcon handbrake cables and plumb up the brakes.
If you are going from drums to discs make sure to remove the residual pressure valves.....or buy shares in a pad manufacturer!
Ideally convert to Falc discs at the same time, and run a XF disc/disc master cylinder.

For the disc conversion, you need brackets that adapt HC calipers to the original backplate bolt holes.
You also need a spacer collar behind the wheel bearing.
And new bolts etc.
I got it in a kit from CRS but it would be ridiculously easy to make. If you have access to a lathe and know how to run it.
Using XY discs they bolt right on, later discs which are one piece with the hub need a small amount of turning on the back to relieve a clearance issue. I found some XY discs.
Runs standard Transit wheel bearings which fit right into the Falcon hubs.
Original brake hoses work, but will rub on the shocks and eventually wear through so get some longer ones made, around $30 each at a brake shop.