Vw T4 SWB Factory Comby van

[adamss24]

Hi guys, as some of you might know i have bought a very tidy 2002 factory Combi transporter van, has many extra's bar AC and auxiliary heater (both can be retrofitted though if i ever feel the need !).
Very straight body with few blemishes, only needs lowering and a new set of wheels- got that covered already ! Van has elctric windows, remote central locking, tracker, electric/heated mirrors, a tasty Pioneer install with active subwoofer and Mp3 player, elongated gear lever, it has a tailgate,twin sliding doors, clean fabric captain seats upfront + 3 reclining seats in the back and is very low genuine miles !
The timing slipped- cambelt tensioner failed and the engine stopped right away, from spinning the engine by hand a few weeks ago it had no bent valves, lifters were all level with the head, it had a new camshaft and vacuum pump push rod last summer and the oil is very clean- it has just been serviced + Mot'd a few weeks before i got it !
Got the engine running but it had a faint metallic noise and whipped the head off anyway as i wanted to port and clean the head and upgrade the valve springs to twin set-up for less valve float at high revs. The engine is a ACV 102Bhp intercooled and it has 8mm valve stems- i was surprised at first but the head is built so stout it will easily handle double the power-which will come courtesy of a set of beefed-up injectors with race nozzles. That should provide plenty fueling as the VP37 has already a 11mm head. The only issue i see is the clutch- however that has been replaced not long ago + the ACV as a stronger box/clutch/flywheel compared with the lesser 88Bhp models.
The head has no damage, that i could see but i can see where the exhaust valves slightly kissed the pistons- probably an attempt from the garage that worked on it before i got-it the TDC they used was the wrong one and about 1 tooth off !
Spent a few hours cleaning the crud off the inlet manifold and head ports and it cleaned very well. I don't want to spend loads of time porting the head as the Mahle factory done a really good job from factory- just to clean the rough cast marks and smooth the bumps a little + match the inlet/exhaust to the gaskets !
So far the head is on my living room floor- will move outside for the porting job as it looks like it will stay dry and sunny today !
I have already bought PD 150 head bolts- need shortening and i need the old washers from old headbolts- they will need drilling out as they are smaller- not over complicated just fiddly ! I will probably use the old lifters as they are new (just a few hundred miles on them)- was thinking to use PD 130 black lifters as i allready have a set of 8 in my other head but i need 2 extra lifters. Went to Euro car parts and they only sell cheaper lifters individually so i will need to either buy them from dealer or buy a set of 8 if i want genuine INA lifters ! Will update the thread with pictures in a few hours...