Hi Everyone:

I am very happy that my 85 Vanagon GL is running again. I had the case done by Boston Bob and replaced almost everything else with new. The engine runs GREAT. It passed CA smog with readings at the bottom of average scale, both at idle and at 2400 RPM.. I am very pleased. The engine is smooth as silk up to redline; definitely way smoother than most 4 cylinder engines.

Now for some details:
TSTAT HOUSING DESIGN 
You know the oring that is sandwiched between the tstat housing lower and upper? It seems to be very un-secure. I was driving for a few hours when it sort of "blooped" out the gap between the parts. I had torqued the bolts to the correct setting (or so I thought)... but took it apart and re-did it anyway, torquing the bolts to just 7 nm or 61 lbin.
Looking at the design, it really gives me pause: why do you think the o-ring is not completely captured between the two parts? In other words, why allow the ring to have the possibility of squeezing out?
Has anyone encountered a failure like this before? 

EXHAUST
If someone has a couple of exhaust support rods I sure would be grateful... the ones I need are the two on the left hand side, which  run out to the exhaust pipes. One mounts to a stud on the exhaust pipe at the cylinder head, the other mounts to the engine case. The are 90 degrees to the centerline of the engine, and are *not* the ones that run to the muffler strap.

The engine is a 1.9, the vehicle is an 85 GL....

Thanks!
Rio