Bob Donalds of Boston engine is the way I would go, given where you are
located. His reputation for good work and solid engines preceeds him
everywhere.

Though I opted to have my engine rebuilt by a local shop that I know well,
Bob's engines would have been the choice for me.

I would recommend his engines.

John Rodgers
"88GL Driver
Birminghan, AL

Mike Covello wrote:

> Dear Volks,
>
> I have an '86 Westphalia with 180,000 miles that I purchased this summer. I
> successfully made a couple of 400 miles trips without major incident. Bring
> the tach any where near the redline resulted in enormous clouds of white
> smoke out the back! Coolant has been disappearing from the tank without
> evidence of leaks on the floor.
>
> I had been blissfully ignoring the problem until it came time for CT
> emissions testing. The story is a long one, but I'll just hit the
> highlights. The bus failed and garage #1 replaced the O2 sensor and
> catalytic conververtor. After this it failed by a considerably worse margin
> and the bus now runs dangerously rich. Before this "fix" power was
> adequate. Now it stumbles at 3,300 rpm, makes little power and black smoke
> comes out the back. After 2 weeks the garage "gave up" and offered to put
> the old parts back on and refund my $.
>
> Garage #2 said that yes you have the dreaded coolant leak into the heads.
> In the interest of carefree cruising we started to investigate an engine
> replacement. VWofA wants $2,300 for a short block (no heads) and has no
> idea when it could be available.
>
> HELP! Is there a reputable engine rebuilder that you Volks can recommend?
>
> Mike Covello
> Storrs, CT
> 86 Westphalia