hey now,

got that spot fixed. went over to the friendly vw mechanic and asked him to
show me what was wrong, etc. well, he adjusted the carb   while i watched,
checked the timing....that seemed to do it. then he noticed the rubber boots
from (bare with me i've forgotten the name) from the metal pipes which run to
the carb are cracked. possibly getting air in through those. gonna replace in
2-3 weeks. with the carb and timing adjusted he checked the points on a whim
and then the dwell. don't think these had anything to do with the flat spot but
they were out a few degrees and he adjusted them. van runs great now.

it's nice to know a vw experienced down to earth mechanic who you can trust and
learn from....

jonathan