CF Bedford Van

[Holden202T]

no this gasket is entirely staino, not just the fire rings! you might be right with the hose clamp!

[delcowizzid]

whats the track width of the beddy diff commodore diff with HQ offset wheels not wide enough

[Holden202T]

so i have so far:

bedford diff is 1725mm drum to drum

commodore diff is 1570mm disc to disc

i can make the commodore 1670mm with two long axles

so i am hoping i can get something slightly wider as i know the commodore offset is normally in more than other wheels, and the current bedford wheels stick out too far but im not sure what a stock offset is for them, i have a stock rim under the back of it but not yet to get it out! (more interested in sitting a 304 on the crossmembers )

i guess if i can get rims in commodore pattern with custom offset that might be ok.... will just have to do some measuring and also see what the engineer will accept and i would prefer non custom wheels, they are cheaper

[vlad01]

you could use a VR-VS diff. they are about 15mm wider than the previous models and might give you the best foundation to work on.

[Holden202T]

hmmm ... I have a feeling the diff I measured was a VR one .... but that said I have a VS donor car so I can measure it and see if its any wider than the above measurements.

I had kinda hoped the crewman was a few inches wider again and hense might be the ticket, anyways, we'll find out sooner or later!

[Holden202T]

Today has been very productive, I've managed to find out how hard it is to get a motor in and out of a Bedford without a hoist!!!

the V8 is in and a rough cutting out of the floor done to make it fit, will need a bit more tweaking next time the motor comes out, but enough to get it in there!

I'm thinking I will cut the cross-member mounts off and move them back 1-2 inches because this will mean the gearbox mount lines up perfectly, and also the sump is just hitting on the rear of the cross-member, and it will also give me more room at the front for radiator etc.

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[The1]

haha, gonna be a beast, little hidden turbo and some fatties at the drags?

[Holden202T]

lol! no turbo, N/A cubes for this one only! if 304 isn't enough i'll make it bigger!

as far drags, probably not, we'll see once its on the road I guess! I have a set of slicks on the Gemini that will bolt straight onto the Bedford if needed

[budwizer]

Ahh very good on the progress! the engine crane certainly helps!
but I do love the stool on wheels at the back for the trans! guessing you didn't have another trolley jack?

as for the crewman diffs, the initial research I did into them for a project I was going to use them for indicates a lot of the issue with them is actually that the pinion angle is to high and that the oil level isn't sufficient enough to cover them adequately which is why they only seem to flog out on the crewmans and not the ford irs equivelant. so what people have been doing is either over filling them through the breather hole or cutting and welding new mounts on them to bring that pinion angle down.
hopefully that helps a little with the decision, if it infact proves to be correct

good luck with the remainder!

[Holden202T]

Heheh yeah I do actually have a small trolley jack but that chair meant I could move it more freely than trolley jack then just steered it with the jack under the cross member!!

Definitely next time I'll be doing it on the other side of te shed and using the engine lifting frame to support the van so I have clear space around the front!!