[Vwdiesel] Engine rebuild, stiff crank

[Martin K]

I am in  the process of rebuilding a rebored engine block (reversing the
order of disassembly) with the eventual aim to reunite it with its head.
My first hitch is when I gradually tighten the big end bearing caps the
crankshaft becomes slightly more difficult to turn and when I reach the
specified torque 65nm the crank is  stuck stiff.

I am attempting to follow whatever information is in the Bentley book on
the this procedure.
The shells (reused) with the lube hole are on the block, the caps are
placed according to their number. Is their a knack to doing this successfully?

Martin