Hi Don.
You don’t mention the size of transition plane you have. Like James indicated, the old timers used jacks and fore planes to do roughing work which requires pulling the cap iron away from the edge because of the fair amount of camber on the blade. Some of the old wooden jacks and fore planes, like one I have just restored, don’t have a cap iron at all and work perfectly well for rough work. If the plane is to be used for more of smoothing or really fine work you can make a replacement cap iron with the additional length you need. I really like my transition planes but they do require a little more maintenance than metal bodied planes, but no more than the old woodies. They were very popular with carpenters because they offered the adjustment advantages of metal planes but the lighter weight made it easier to pack them up and move between jobs. They don’t get as much attention as the metal planes nor do they command as money (in my area anyway) but they can be used to do great work.
Have fun