Yessiree!  Very happy for you.

Just got our '87 back yesterday from the trans shop -fixing my "fix"
on the O rings and seals.

Nice recovery, Roger!  Just in time for Buses by the Beach.

On 5/15/10, Roger VanTill <motelvw@gmail.com> wrote:
> It's alive! Fired it up this morning and all systems are go. Purrs like a
> kitten and the new transmission shifts like butter. I'm a proud and happy
> man right now. My wife wants to go camping tonight.
>
> On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 11:32 AM, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Roger, how do I know?  Been There Done That.  I feel your pain.  Maybe
>> someone has a good used AMC head they can sell you.
>>
>>
>> Ken Wilford
>> John 3:16
>> www.vanagain.com
>>
>>
>> Roger VanTill wrote:
>>
>>> And the winner is............Ken Wilford! I took a good look at that area
>>> and I can see the hairline crack. I'm f*cked! Due to unemployment and a
>>> future Zetec install I couldn't afford to get new heads. They looked fine
>>> and were only seeping at the gasket.
>>>
>>> Time to cry in my beer and figure out what's next.
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 8:08 AM, Ken Wilford
>>> <kenwilfy@comcast.net<mailto:
>>> kenwilfy@comcast.net>> wrote:
>>>
>>>    Roger, if you reused your old heads then what you have is a
>>>    hairline crack at the head nut.  This is a common failure with the
>>>    OE VW heads as they have a thin spot right there and can crack
>>>    upon retorqueing.  That is why I very, very rarely ever use them.
>>>     I always use the AMC heads which are brand new, but also they are
>>>    beefed up in this area to avoid this problem.  Most of my
>>>    customers come here from at least 2 to 3 hours away.  I don't want
>>>    them to have any problems because unlike a local shop, I just
>>>    don't have the "luxury" of taking chances and having people come
>>>    back.  So I decided a long time ago that if a customer comes in
>>>    with heads that have any cracks between the valves, and we are
>>>    doing a head gasket replacement, I will always recommend new AMC
>>>    heads.  I have never had one single problem with them over the
>>>    past 12 years of doing head replacements.  Many happy Vanagons out
>>>    there still purring down the road.
>>>
>>>    Just my opinion.
>>>
>>>
>>>    Ken Wilford
>>>    John 3:16
>>>    www.vanagain.com <http://www.vanagain.com>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>    Roger VanTill wrote:
>>>
>>>        I rebuilt my 2.1 this spring. Was very careful, read
>>>        everything I could,
>>>        watched Ben's videos, etc. Got the motor and new tranny
>>>        installed. Filled
>>>        the system with coolant this afternoon. It's sitting there,
>>>        not started yet,
>>>        unpressurized. I've got a coolant leak coming from one of the
>>>        upper center
>>>        head bolts on the driver side. Tears are still falling as I
>>>        write this.
>>>
>>>        Yes I sanded the bolts flat and cleaned up the mating surface
>>>        on the head. I
>>>        used the yellow goop that came with the gasket set.
>>>
>>>        Should I just drain it, remove the leaking cap nut and reseal
>>>        it? Do I trust
>>>        the other 15?
>>>
>>>        Looking for advice and a pat on the back to tell me it'll be
>>>        alright.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>

--
Sent from my mobile device

Pete
'79 Westy "Aardvark"
'87 Westy "JoesVan"
WWW.Busesbythebeach.com