Congrats to your accomplishment! Just wonder are you a mechanic yourself, or
how do you manage to get all those tools/gears to finish such a major work?

Thanks. I am certainly no mechanic, but I have been working on cars since I
was 12 (48 now) when a woman gave me a '62 Beetle convertible. I've always
worked on my own cars, rarely ever take one to a professional mechanic.
Worst job ever was replacing the heater core in a '78 Chevy van-the entire
%$#! dashboard had to come out to access the heater core! Second worst was
replacing the front axle beam on a '77 Westy-that took 5 weekends!  I
started working on VW's again in the late 90's when I bought a '75
Westfalia that barely ran. I took it a "professional" VW mechanic who
wanted $2,200.00 to get it running right. I couldn't afford that, so I
brought it home, got a Bentley manual and started reading and tinkering. I
got that van running perfectly for under $200.00. The type2 list and the
Vanagon list are probably the best resources out there. Over the years I've
acquired tons of tools, including a MiG welder, air compressor and paint
guns (I've also painted 2 Westy's, a '67 Split Window, and a Karmann Ghia).
It's just a hobby, one that my wife sometimes wishes I'd give up! Her dad
bought the most basic Ford 4 door sedan every 10 years, and always in
white. Every time she complains, I tell her "you knew I was a car guy when
you married me". I've mainly worked on air cooled VW's, I owned an '84
Vanagon a few years ago and got rid of it because it drove me crazy, but
here I am again with another '84.   Jeff