Club 80-90 Forums

Well it looks like its all a bit of a gamble,between doing it myself and bying a recon, after reading they are not always as good as they ought to be,especially the cheaper ones,that doesnt inspire confidence.
I am a stubborn sod and though a little nervous,i think i`ll carry on,see what i find when i open it up,see what parts i need and how much it will cost.Given that it can be done and some people here do it then i ought to get it done.
I do make some dumb mistakes sometimes though,i took of the radiator the other day and didn`t mark the pipes,so got to be sure of which is flow and return from engine before reconnecting.
Yes ghost i have read quite a few things you and others have said,and its good to read it all,sometimes conflicting.
Yesterday i went in the shed and cleared a lot more space for all the bits,best just get on with it,i know i can`t just rely on advice from here and other people telling me how to do everything.Trying to boost my confidence now
Cheers

I'm totally with you on this Verlog. As I'm stripping mine down (got two pistons out using the MM289 tool and now just have the case to split) I'm thinking that I am going to have to spend a goodly sum on parts as well as on any machining / balancing work that I have to get done. And that's with having 2 good heads and a crank case as well. At least if we do it ourselves and take a lot of care as well as checking out with people on here then we stand a chance of ending up with a decent reliable motor. I don't mind the prospect of spending out on quality parts too much - think what a genuine replacement engine from VW would cost even if you could get one.

I am going to post on my thread with pics tonight if thats any help to you (although there is plenty of other stuff on here).

Keep at it!

Oh dear,just wrote a reply and took so long i was logged out and lost it,duh.
Yes i am interested to see and might put some pics up of what i `m up to.
i can understand you spending out on parts for a real good vehicle. and i like to do things myself if i can,to know its good and save money.
My objective is slightly different,i have a nice enough to look at and not too rusty home converted panel van,but spending thousands on the engine isn`t really worth it for me,will be replacing what is deffinitely past it and keep what is within limts,looking to make mine good for another few years,doing a few thousand or so miles per year,if its a bit worn in places i can live with that.and hope to keep the cost down below the price of the cheapest recon.It might still come to that though if its all as bad as the camshaft looks,might be just posting a pic of the inside of a deceased engine,ha ha.I don`t think so though,i did a rebuild on an air cooled 1600 a few years back,with the main no 1 bearing rattling about with about .5mm clearance betwen outer of bearing and crankcase itself,it had a bit of clutch judder and oil coming out of main seal,but was still running. crank was ok and all fixable,tough as old boots the bottom end.
so yeah,take your time with it all and get the sealant right on the water jacket,all will be well,easy as pie,ha ha
cheers