Robert Cardo and Dennis Haynes have pretty much summed it up.

I might just add that historically on some engines,  when the rings are
replaced along with a valve job, it is wise to do a bottom end overhaul
because with the top end like new it's going to put some heavy loads on
already worn parts on the bottom end and they will fail a lot sooner. So
it would pay to do it while the engine is down and apart. I can't speak
to air cooled engines but this doen't seem to be the case with the WBX.
The crank and case for the WBX is very stout,  and you shouldn't have
any problems unless you have a really high mileage engine in the first
place.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Michael Edwards wrote:

> I just got some quotes from my local mechanic and wanted to run them
> by the
> list for some feedback.  He looked up repair times on the computer,
> not sure
> of the source, but I know it is a common practice for mechanics to
> look up
> common tasks for quotes.  Anyway, he had to pull the heads to fix a
> corrosion and leak problem.  This job came in at 10 hours.  Apparently,
> removing the heads required removing the engine.  I also need a new
> set of
> rings and he said this requires splitting the case, a 7.4 hour job.
> Obviously, now is a better time to replace the rings so I don't loose the
> labor already invested in pulling the engine and heads.
> However, I thought changing the rings could just be done by removing the
> cylinders.
> Does this sound right?  Do you really have to split the case to change
> the
> rings?
> Also, why is it necessary to remove the engine to remove the heads?
> I guess I should go ahead and put in a clutch while the engine is out.
> Anything else?
> Any feedback or references to information sources appreciated.
> Thanks,
> Mike
>
>