At 01:09 PM 12/1/96 +0000, you wrote:
>
>     Finally now I have come upon enough time to get to work on 
>rebuilding the 1.9 engine for my engineless 85.  Disassembly starts today.
>     My plan is to go the whole nine yards, main, rod and cam bearings, 
>pistons and cylinders, every gasket you could think of, oil pump etc.  I 
>want this one to run for a good long time.
>     My first question is this:  Where do I buy parts? 

  I found a local (Portland, OR) VW parts distributor with competitive
pricing.  If you call them, mention that Scott Maurer recommended them. They
are Halsey Import Parts Distributing, 1-800-792-0081, FAX (503) 256-3155,
local voice (503) 256-0182.

>     Secondly, what information do I have do have in my hands before I 
>order these parts.  I am supposing that there will be a cartain amount of 
>crankshaft measuring, but is there anything out of the ordinary?

   Your cam gear has a number on it. You'll want to buy a camshaft with a
matching number or risk a whinning engine noise at high rpm (I'm told). 

>     Third, heads.  I am thinking of at least getting valve guides and 
>seals, but I'll have to see them to see what they need. 

      The 1.9L has no valve stem seals. My valve guides, to my surprise,
were within wear specifications.  

>      Finally, any random advice, horror stories or neat tricks would be 
>appreciated.

     Bob,

     Take any advice I might offer with a grain of salt. I have 300 miles on
my rebuilt 1.9L. It is my first experience rebuilding an engine. 

     If you don't have one, get the Bently manual.  With it and a gap guage,
you can compare most of your engine parts with VW specified wear limits.  

     I had a VW shop with a press remove my cam gear from crankshaft. I
recommend it. I was then able to replace the main bearing behind the cam
gear.  The cam gear slipped back on easily after a few minutes heating on a
gas stove top (Karen was not pleased).
I had little wear, but replaced the distributor drive gear due to the effect
wear has on timing.
     
    Good Luck,

Scott Maurer
1984 Vanagon GL
voice (503) 281-4362