re
"Next I check the point gap, since this is a wearing component.  Without
getting into the details you plug in the dwell meter and hope that you are
at the recommended 47 +-3 degrees (if I remember right). "

That's true for non-california air-cooled vanagons.
However.....california versions of the air-cooled vanagon came with
electronic igntion.
which is a Vast improvement.
I was actually kinda shocked the first time I saw an air-cooled Vanagon with
Electronic Fuel Injection but Points in the distributor !

Like VW saved 20 dollars per non-california vanagon in production that way.

I have retro-fitted electronic igntion from an 83 to 85 waterboxer 1.9
engine ...
distributor, igntier, harness, coil.....that works nicely too.

what fun vanagons are.
scott