.
not really, .. why do you think so?
I'd say just rebuild the wheel, yes, most are 36 hole, it's not a problem,
you're building a new wheel, not re-spoking your existing stuff.

get a new rim, 36 hole,
hub in hand, shop will help you get the right spoke length,
or build it for you.

a few spacer changes can reduce some width.

Note the ratios in the hub ,
sturmey's 8 speed, for example, 1:1 is low/1st, all others are overdrive gears
so external cogs will need to be low, requiring a small crankset gear too.
AW3 1:1 is in the middle, a reduction gear, and an overdrive gear,
on either side of it .. 3/4 & 4/3

some help with math:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/internal.html