Hi,
I wouldn't sand the mating surfaces at the bell housing ..
not at all.
I might file off nicks and imperfections say, with a very small fine file...
and clean the surfaces really well...like with carb cleaner, lacquer
thinner etc...

I don't like the idea of unevenly worn forks where the TOB sits on the
crosshaft.

1/8th inch difference would be like '5 miles' ...quite off.
1/16th's of an inch is too much even.
You could file or grind  one side down to match I suppose ...
I would be concerned about if the metal is a hardened surface there, it
won't be any more.
More of an emergency repair almost I'd say.
Depends on how bad it is .

there are brand new reinforced cross shafts available..
though getting the old one out can be a real bear sometimes.

heck ...a few times I've seen the lever so fused onto the cross shaft I
had to cut it off with a torch.

what fun we're having though.
scott

On 5/13/2012 6:31 PM, pickle vanagon wrote:
> When I took the bell housing off today I found the oil slinger was
> completely loose.  I guess it's good I took it off!
>
> My plan is to fix it in the way suggested here:
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=342440
>
> I will try to look back at the pinion teeth and see what I can see.
>
> I looked carefully at the clutch fork for the uneven wear that sometimes
> occurs.  I can see that the wear is a little bit uneven, but just a
> little.  How much unevenness should I tolerate?  Is sanding down the less
> worn one to match a reasonable alternative to replacing the fork?
>
> Just one more question... should I do anything to the mating surfaces of
> the bell housing/transmission other than clean them?  I.e., is some very
> light sanding a good idea?
>
> Thanks again!!
> Wes
>
>
>
> On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 2:12 PM, Daryl Christensen<daryl@aatransaxle.com>wrote:
>
>> If you are brave..look closely at the pinion teeth way back inside and see
>> how its wear pattern looks...Nice and shiny is what you wanna see.
>>
>> Daryl of AA Transaxle
>> 425-788-4070
>> "On the cutting edge of Old technology"
>> 86 Syncro Westy w/Turbo Zetec in the trunk
>> 90 Doka Tristar w/2.5 Subie
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>> pickle vanagon
>> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 10:13 AM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: removing input shaft seal
>>
>> Ok guys thanks for the advice.
>>
>> Ill remove the bell housing and use RTV.
>>
>> Other than the oil slinger, is there anything else easy I should check
>> behind the bell housing?
>> Thanks again!
>> Wes
>> On May 13, 2012 11:13 AM, "Daryl Christensen"<daryl@aatransaxle.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>   Don't worry about the gasket..We haven't used them for years and
>>> always use RTV instead. Just pull it off if that's your preference and
>>> do it the easy way. Also you can check to see if the little slinger is
>>> still solidly in place as a loose one will cause leaks.
>>> T o repl the seal with the bell hsg on, you will need a seal puller to
>>> pry it out and then a longish tube that will go over the length of the
>>> input shaft to tap (hammer) it back in.
>>>   Any time you have to put in a seal and cant see the rear side after
>>> its installed, you should put some grease in the back cavity where the
>>> little spring is at to keep it from popping out from the force of the
>> hammering.
>>> Daryl of AA Transaxle
>>> 425-788-4070
>>> "On the cutting edge of Old technology"
>>> 86 Syncro Westy w/Turbo Zetec in the trunk
>>> 90 Doka Tristar w/2.5 Subie
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>> Behalf Of pickle vanagon
>>> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 6:25 AM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: removing input shaft seal
>>>
>>> How hard is it to remove the input shaft seal on the transmission
>>> without removing the bell housing?
>>>
>>> I realize the bell housing is easy to remove but I don't have a gasket
>>> for it and can't really afford to wait for one to come in the mail...
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks for any tips!
>>> Wes
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>