63 on Gearbox in a barndoor?

[54DoubleDoor]

Does anyone know what mods are required to acheive fitting a 63 on box in a barndoor.

Was chatting at the weekend in Sunny Brighton and got talking about this conversion in my panelvan. It would greatly improve its driving whilst keeping it stock looking.

The area that is cloudy to me is the nose cone end? what would be required around there.. i'm not wanting to cut the chassis about though.

Cheers

Deano
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56 RHD UK Oval
58 RHD Oz Microbus

[sled]

I thought a barndoor torsion housing was narrower than that of a 63, so wouldnt that mean the spring plates would not lign up at all with the RGB's?
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drive your split.

[54DoubleDoor]

hmmm.. it is

but i was under the impression it could be done somehow... maybe i'm wrong.
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56 RHD UK Oval
58 RHD Oz Microbus

[sled]

well, you could either narrow the axles on the 63 transmission (far from cost effective) or you could build offset spring plates to take up the width differed, similar to the offset spring plates used on straight axle lowering kits.
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drive your split.

[EverettB]

The ones I have seen use Barndoor axles and reduction boxes on a tunnel-case center section.

A guy on the site has this in his Barndoor Deluxe right now.

I'm not sure about the nosecone, maybe just use the regular split-case to tunnel-case conversion/solid mount?
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[52panelvan]

Hi Deano,

I think its swap nose cone off Bd Box (thats the bit im not sure on).If not may be one of those adapter front mounts then for the back end get some aluminium spacers made up - 67Ben has some on his Bd (running this exact setup i think) and Clinton(Bergy) has just had some spacers made up - very nice too.

HT steel longer bolts and later split Spring plates used to match Red'n Boxes - job done and safely.

Pm Clinton or Ben for pics and details.

Cheers

Mark

[54DoubleDoor]

Hey Mark,

is there an issue with the rear torsion tube being narrower though... visions of spring plates bending out to meet the Reduction boxes spring to mind
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56 RHD UK Oval
58 RHD Oz Microbus

[52panelvan]

Thats what the Aluminium spacers are for, i think they are 2cm wide, they go between the spring plate and the reduction box to make the difference up and are drilled with the same bolt pattern as the later RDboxes (hence using later springplates). Then you use HT slightly longer bolts to pull it all tight. It all sits inline just fine.

[veskovici]

I thought that you can use before 67 Type 3 gearbox on barndoor and that axles are fit exactly to holes on the spring plates . Axle width is the same and holes clearance is the same. Only thing you have to modify is nose cone or to make adapter for front mount. Of course there is no reduction boxes and this is actually the way to lower your barndoor at the rear.

this is what I heard and even acquired before 67 type 3 gearbox for this purpose
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Oval 1954
Barndoor1954
Doubledoorsunroof

[low54]

Here you go deano
This is what the set-up is like this was done to my 54 before i bought it and it looks to have done a lot of miles like this i havent driven it yet so i do know what it works like i will have a look at the nose cone for you and see what is going on there.

[low54]

[streetwagens]

Hey Deano,

The '53 is running a later ribbed trans with bd reductions mated to it. Runs fine, takes a nosecone adaptor from tim Monkeyspinner to allow a later gearbox to be dropped in. You will need to grind some of the ribs down to allow the box to sit right. Still need to grind a little more on the '53, hence its 'wonky' look on the way to Germany.

If later reductions are needed, then you will require a pair of post '55 bus spring plates, and you will need to make some spacers up as Ben has above. This is due to the later bus having a wider torsion tube compared to barndoor. Handbrake cables will also need messing with, and dont forget, your track will be wider than stock. For this, you will also need to get the front mount and grind the ribs as above.
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To catch a fish, you must first think like a fish....

[barnduude]

[Monkeyspinner]

Yeah keep the later gearbox nosecone, a splitcase one won't fit the box anyway. i have the adapters in stock, they make the front end solid mounted but this doesn't seem to cause any extra noise through the body or problems.

you will have to either clearance the strengthening section between the frame horns or the gearbox in that area as Mr Steetwagens says and use a spacer so the springplate meets the reduction boxes as shown above.

what shocks are you running? you will have to make a top mount up for running telescopics...
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Ovalbugbarndoorsinglecabsplitscreencampert4

[barnduude]

[veskovici]

[Scotty]

One thing to point out when fitting a later style nosecone to an early bus is that the strengthening rib on the top of the nosecone fouls the top of the 'donut' mount housing. I chose to cut a slot in the mount rather than cut the rib off. I can always weld the slot up if I wanted to go back to stock. I have seen nosecones break that have had the rib cut off!

I had to clearance the gearbox central rib to fit my frame horn support tube:

I believe the later style support tube with the dip in the middle allows the box to fit without doing this, although I have no first hand experience of this.

It would seem the best way to get a late box with reduction boxes into a BD is (as Everett suggested near the top of the page) to put your BD reduction boxes and axles into a late box then everything will line up and you won't need to fit different spring plates.
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[Scotty]

[54DoubleDoor]

Thanks Scotty...

Does anyone know if the axles/tubes are interchangeable... Cause you can't get them outta the BD box with splitting the case.. wondered if there is anything different.

I assumed by keeping the barndoor axles/reduction boxes etc. then the adaptor wont be required either?

Running lever arm shocks too.. which would help in keeping them
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56 RHD UK Oval
58 RHD Oz Microbus

[Monkeyspinner]

I had a guy who came down to see me a couple of weeks ago in a 54 panel, he was running a late box with BD reduction boxes, shaft tubes etc, he said it was a bolt straight on conversion but i'm not sure what driveshafts he was running. i assume they were the BD ones but not sure. i have never had a split case box apart, maybe the driveshafts are the same once you actually get them out... i'm sure someone can enlighten us on this?
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Ovalbugbarndoorsinglecabsplitscreencampert4