Hey, Good Job so far, Neil..
 Don't get too discouraged, just take a little break from the project and do
something  fun.  Then go back to it.

 Like any large, involved project, it takes lots of time to convert to a
different motor.  With any conversion, you will always have a large number
of "details" you must deal with.  Yours, you are learning all kinds of new
skills as you progress, and that is pretty cool.  Keep it in perspective,
too.  It's a Vanagon.  A vehicle that you plan to use, not race or collect
or re-sell for big bucks.  It's not 'rocket-science', it's just a lot of
piddley stuff that must be done before it will work again.

 You must know that if some of the "Pros" who do this  for a living can "get
away" with charging the big money for what THEY do, doing it yourself is
probably gonna come out at least as good as what you'd get from a shop or a
dealer..I'm not 'dissin' all mechanics and shops, but there ARE some pretty
poor businesses out there that seem to survive despite their lack of
knowledge and skill..At least you are learning what you need to know as you
progress..  Go on TV and watch one of those "Automobile Reality
shows"....Sheesh!  If those dunces can get huge money  for pimping out those
ugly ostentatious vehicles, swapping in another VW motor for yourself should
not worry you too much..  If George Bush can make his pals billions running
America for profit, a "normal" human like you can easily finish a motor
conversion...

  Step back, think about it all, take a short break, then get greasy
again...you'll soon be finished..the end is in sight..

  Don Hanson