You've just reminded me there Oli, the only way i could get a pedal on my series Land Rover, drums all round, was by removing the shoes and clamping the slave pistons in tight with a bunch of G Clamps, that stopped the blinking pistons moving out constantly druing bleeding, ended up with a lovely pedal.

Might be worth adusting the rear shoes up solid for bleeding purposes and see if the pedal improves after bleeding with them tight against the drum, if it improves then the rears might need further maintenance...edit...it seems you haven't checked out the rear brakes, thats where i'd be looking first..

Edited by gordonbennet on 19/08/2014 at 22:23

If the sump is rusty, trying to weld it may cause a larger hole as the metal will be thin and weakened. Plus you can't be sure you've totally sealed it until you refill with oil.

You shouldn't need to remove the engine to replace the oil pan. If you raise the van on the chassis jacking points, whether it be on a two post ramp or axle stands, you then support the front crossmember with a jack and slacken the retaining bolts and drop it down by 4 to 6 inches which should give you enough clearance to remove it. I can't remember if the engine mounts are attached to the crossmember, but if they are, you'll need to support the engine from above with a hoist which will allow you to raise the engine slightly as well, giving you extra room for the sump.

Good luck with it.