Unfortunately, he doesn't have anyone like you nearby.  He could replace the
head, but if more is needed then it's a bunch of expensive new parts for
him.

Have you ever thought of having a couple of crates made?  You could probably
do quite well on the east coast with both full and partial rebuilds!

At least the bottom half only has 65k on it, but I'd do an oil analysis
before I'd fix only the head.

Stuart

-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Haynes [mailto:d23haynes57@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 7:19 PM
To: 'Stuart MacMillan'; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: RE: Replacing the Head Gaskets (Maybe the Head)?

A full engine rebuild may not be necessary. I gave some diagnostic tips and
what could be lurking. As you noted a full rebuild may not be the value
thought. With good diagnostics, it may be possible to repair just what is
needed and move on. I regularly repair engines that have failures like this
including replacing a single piston and or cylinder. I have a number of used
ones here. Measure and weight to match up the set and move on. I've also
replaced single heads.

While there are those times that a part just fails most times engine
failures are the result of a support system failure. Either now or in the
past. Cracked heads are one of those symptoms.

Dennis