BUGA Community
General Category => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: GeoffM on April 12, 2018, 08:01:40 PM
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Hi , I'm Geoff from Womina near Warwick Queensland. I am ready to convert my 1978 CF Van Long Wheel Base to 350/350 Engine Trans combination. Any help with this mods would be absolutely appreciated.
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Welcome bloke. 350 Chev is one of the better options for a motor, as it's the narrowest of the small blocks, so you don't have to have a giant engine cover. The easiest way to go about things is to cut off the stock engine mounts, swap left to right and reposition them at the back of the crossmember angled backwards. This gives you plenty of room for big radiator and thermo fans, as cooling can be an issue in a Bedford. With the correct sump you can lower the engine as well, improving the handling and making for a smaller engine cover. It's a good idea to make the engine cover two piece, so the motor is easily accessible. Reinforce the floor around the engine cover with angle iron, which will also help seal up the engine cover (generic door seal rubber can be used here).
When mounting the engine, remember to angle it backwards a couple of degrees, so you can set up the driveshaft with different pinion angles, to avoid vibration. Turbo 350 is a good transmission choice, but if you have the extra bucks, Turbo 700 makes it a lot more drivable with the extra gear on the highway.
For disc brakes, most people use HQ, and power steering conversion is possible with a Ford Transit rack. If you use the search function, most of these options have been covered on the site.
Hope this helps. Don't know how strict the engineering rules are up there, but you shouldn't have any troubles if it's done properly!