[Vwdiesel] Banana Rabbit--Bad news...

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

Things you may/will likely find from the top down:
  You may have acquired the mulit-piece cam option.  It's rare but does 
happen.
I've seen it on heavy impact collisions and I've seen it on a light impact.
  Bent/broken tappets/lifters/hocky puck holders.  The old unstoppable 
force and 
immovable object scenario.  Valve stem pushes up and puckers the center 
up since there's gap between it and the shim.  Pull shims and check for 
cracks 
radiating from the center.
  Bent valves.  They may have the head slightly tipped to the "S" shaped 
stem.
Often the exhaust valves' stems are worn enough you'll want to do all new 
exhaust valves and all the seals anyway.  Since you've gone to all the 
trouble 
to tear into it.  Then there's touch up the seats.  Mandatory if you 
replace the 
guides.
  Guides.  If a valve is bent, it's usually bent enough that it has become 
almost 
one with the guide or the tip has mushroomed a bit and will score the guide 

when removed.  It may split the bottom of the guide.
  Guides will be ok so long as they arent broken scored by removal or come 
out 
with the valve that's stuck in it.  Then there's the wear check
  Pistons:  I've never seen a piston damaged by a valve collision.  A bit 
of a mark, 
or slight intent but a couple swipes with a file and maybe a little sanding 
to 
smooth it off and you're good to go.  Most of that is from running some 
previous 
time, with the valve timing off, most likely.
  Bottom end is most likely just peachy.

 Upon reassembly it's probably good to have a machine shop do the seats and 

face any valves you don't replace.  Up to you if you want to just go back 
together 
or rebuild the thing, but if you end up replacing a few valves...
  Then there's stem length.  When you put in a new valve, grind the seats 
or 
face then the stem length will change, usually longer.  If you don't want 
to use 
really thin shims (or it's hydraulic) then you need to grind the stem 
length to 
get you back in the ballpark of original stem projection so you use 3.70 or 
so, 
shims again.  This takes time to partly assemble, measure, record, grind 
square, 
most of the way, re-assemble, measure, grind then finally assemble the 
head.  
You do need a valve spring compressor and the V-8 head, big C clamp type 
won't work.  It's a bar and lever for these.
  It's not bad to rebuild one and takes more time to do stem length than 
the 
rest.  Oh yeah, guides are easy to replace, relatively. They drive out, 
lube and 
drive in (or press).  You either need the proper drift and/or an 8mm 
reamer.
     Loren