Pat,

I got 205,000 miles on the original engine in the 85 GL I had. Never
once had to crack open the engine. At about 201,000 I had to replace the
water pump. I currently have an 88 GL with a rebuilt 2.1L WBX. I now
have 75,000 on the engine and have had no problems but a leaking clutch
seal. There are good arguments for going to Bostig, or Suburu for power
- but that's a good chunk of money. A few years ago a list member by the
name of Robert Lilley rebuilt his 2.1L with extra attention so certain
things - cam, ports for oil pump, water pump, counter-weighted crank
(much debate about this) and other things - and he came up with an
engine that is still running with no problems to this day. His target
goal was to produce an engine with a modest increase in power, good gas
mileage, and an increase in longevity. I believe he succeeded admirably.
Boston Bob - ie Bob Donalds of Boston Engines - is a custom engine
builder of some renown, and at your request will incorporate some of
Robet Lilley's concepts into your new engine, should you decide to buy
one.  You might want to talk with him at least. There is much to be said
for having a basically stock engine, especially if it is well built up.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Pat Little wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> My '90 engine has decided to leak water into the cylinders and my mechanic says it probably isn't
> worth it to do the repairs since that would be about 2/3 the cost of a new VW engine. So, I am
> thinking about alternatives.
>
> I drove a diesel conversion done by a local company near Seattle but wasn't particularly impressed
> with it - pretty noisy and rough, not fun to drive. At $10,000 this would be twice the cost of the
> new VW.
>
> The other alternative I'm thinking about is the Bostig Zetec conversion. I looked over their web
> site and forum, and I talked to Jim at Bostig, and it sounds like a nice product. Cost about the
> same as the diesel, it seems. Before making my decision I'd really love to see one of these
> conversions and talk to the owner.
>
> Are there any Bostig conversions in the Seattle, or western Washington, or Portland OR areas?.
>
> Pat Little
> Seattle
>
>
>