Congratulations on a successful repair!  With an oil pressure gauge you
can be pretty secure in estimating bearing/engine life.

The first sign that a bearing is getting to the critical stage is a drop
in oil pressure on a long hill climb where you really put the engine to
work.  If oil pressure typically runs in the 30s at cruising speed and
then drops below 18-20 psi when climbing in third gear (or under 12 in
fourth) at 50 mph for a half mile or so start saving for the rebuild!
For those of you without a gauge, the oil pressure buzzer ('86-on)
coming on under these circumstances tells you the same story, only it's
worse.

Accepted normal oil pressure for the Vanagon is 10 psi/1000 rpm under
any driving condition.

I ignored this warning sign (and several others) and made it about 7500
more miles before blow up.

--
Stuart MacMillan
Seattle

'84 Vanagon Westfalia w/2.1
'65 MGB (Daily driver since 1969)
'74 MGB GT (Restoring sloooowly)

Assisting on Restoration (and spending OPM):
'72 MGB GT (Daughter's)
'64 MGB (Son's)

Stripped and gone but their parts live on:
'68 MGB, '73 MGB, '67 MGB GT