Pour some ATF into the cylinders through the spark plug holes. That helps loosten the cylinders. The , with the head about a half inch off, hit it HARD from all directions with a rubber mallet. 
They'll come off. 

-craig

On Oct 6, 2013, at 3:17 PM, Tom Carchrae <tom@CARCHRAE.NET> wrote:

> My head removal is going ok so far.   (84 1.9L)   I have spent relatively
> little time on it so far, but am keen to get the job finished before too
> long.
> 
> Only minor exhaust wrestling - one broken stud (although with an ample
> amount remaining to grip and remove).  I will replace with all new
> fasteners; I would love to get the van-cafe set, which seems like a deal
> for $18, but the ~$50 shipping to canada makes that pretty expensive.  :/
> 
> I have the heads loosened, but not fully removed.  I'm now faced with the
> typical cylinder stuck to head issue, and after some tapping and poking
> with the tools I had on hand, I am going to buy a suitably sized pry bar to
> stick in there behind the tabs.  That all seems pretty straightforward.
> 
> On the driver side, I have not removed the water pump or thermostat
> housing.  Do I need to?  It is attached to the head with a very short
> rubber tube, that does not feel very flexible - I had originally hoped I
> could slide the head off and that rubber would bend a bit and come off but
> I'm not sure about that.
> 
> When I pulled the driver's side push rods, the bottoms of them appeared to
> have black stuff cooked on to the metal, not serious amounts, but the other
> side's push rods were all shiny and clean looking.  Is that suspicious?
> 
> What I can see of the heads looks a bit crusty, but hopefully I'll get a
> better view soon when the cylinder sleeves are un-stuck.
> 
> The rubber seal (looked like a thin rubber band) around the end of the
> sleeves were badly damaged on one side.  I also pulled out a chewing gum
> sized wad of some strange blue stuff - looked nearly like blue-tack - or
> maybe blueberry bubble gum?!?...  There was also a lot of sealant around
> the waterjacket seal, which seemed normal, but was a different colour (more
> white-coloured).
> 
> The engine is still in the van at this point.  I may drop it out, but will
> see how I go.  I bought a VW engine bench stand mount just in case.  As I
> understand it, the worst part of leaving the engine in there, aside from a
> sore back, is getting everything lined up when it is vertical, and it
> sounds like grease will work well as a temporary 'glue' for any gaskets
> that don't get sealant on them - and probably a pushrod tube holder
> (styrofoam and duct tape?).
> 
> Enjoying the job so far.  We'll see, I may be cursing a bit more when I am
> re-assembling.
> 
> Tom