In general the aluminum cases of the type 4 based air cooled engines and the
water boxers hold up much better than the magnesium based beetle engine
cases. The 2.1 engine cases also seem to have les main bearing issues than
the 1.9. However there are still many things that can happen to an engine
case to make them poor candidates for rebuilding. They can warp, crack,
twist, etc. If a facility does not have the equipment and skills to measure
or align bore then they be inclined to promote the thought that those
procedures are not needed. The cam bearings and lifter bores are also areas
that need careful inspection and may require repair. The head studs are also
a common source of failure and should be replaced as part of any serious
overhaul. There is nothing wrong with these procedures if done properly. No
difference than boring out the cylinders on parent bore engines. Measuring
and machine work is part or many rebuild.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Kenneth Lewis
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 3:40 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Oversized main bearings?

I was under the impression WBX cases seldom need line boring because the
journals are so improved over the air cooled version..

Ipso facto, might  THIS case have sustained abnormally high abuse and a
replacement is in order?  Might be cheaper than over-sized bearings.

Ken

On Tue, May 22, 2012 2:13 pm, Ken Olsen wrote:
> I've got my 1.9 waterboxer open and it needs new main bearings. The
> case appears to have been line bored to 0.5mm over. The local guys are
> telling me there are no bearings available (i need 0.5mm on the
> journal, 0.5 mm on the case). Anyone know of a hidden source for
> these?
>
>