I would sure rather swap engines than do a head.  BTDT for both.  Head
needs to be done carefully and there are too many potential problems for my
taste.

Larry A.

On Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 8:44 PM, J Stewart <fonman4277@comcast.net> wrote:

> Well, there is a lot more involved in swapping engines than just a head,
> and I'm hoping to do this in one day, maybe a weekend. Plus, I was taking
> it on faith that this engine was in really good condition, after all it is
> kind of hard to assess the condition of an engine when it's already out of
> the vehicle, like a compression test for example. Plus, my current 1.9
> still runs so damn nice I don't want to give up on it just yet. Jeff Jeff
> Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> > Just curious, why didn't you just swap engines? Path of least work!
> > And, you really need to both sides if you intend to continue to use
> > this engine, or you'll be doing it again soon on the other side.
> > Stuart
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> > Behalf Of J Stewart
> > Sent: Monday, February 03, 2014 5:17 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Cylinder Head Cleaning/Checking Question
> > Those here who know me on Facebook too know that my right cylinder
> > head which used to drip a little coolant on very cold nights has
> > turned into a gusher. I've known this day was coming and feel lucky to
> > have made it this far (10+ years). Right now the van ('85 Weekender)
> > is just sitting in the garage. A few years back I bought a "spare" 1.9
> > from a young man who was selling off his deceased fathers Vanagon
> > collection (Vanagons had finally killed him) He said his dad had told
> > him this engine was the best of all the ones he had and was keeping it
> > to go into his Vanagon someday. Tonight I pulled the right head off
> > that engine and it does appear to be in very good condition, there is
> > just a tiny bit of pitting, and none near the outer sealing edge. I
> > want to get my '85 back on the road ASAP, so my plan is the clean up
> > this head and have it ready to swap out as quickly as possible. My
> > question is, what is the best way to clean it up? I want to get it as
> > clean as possible before installing it on my engine in the van. I've
> > also noticed there does not appear to be any cracks between the
> > valves-well at least that I can see, I wear contact lenses and my up
> > close vision isn't that great, so I'll check it again in the morning
> > with the naked eye before I put my lenses in. Thanks, Jeff
> > Jeff Stewart
>