I found the problem and fixed it. It was..... (scroll down).....

Out of gas.

That's right, the stupidest mistake you can make in diagnosing a vehicle's
problems. That said, it was the extreme angle I had the right side of the
car hanging at, not just the fuel level. But when I jumpered the pump this
afternoon and was getting air bubbles in the fuel, it clicked.

This troubleshooting exercise is recommended for people who want to
understand a lot about the vanagon fuel system in a short amount of time.
Thanks for all who helped.

I still have one very loud lifter, so I need to run it a while more and
check clearances if the noise doesn't go away. It runs well, though. No
smoke from the exhaust, no bubbles in the coolant, and no leaks so far.

Jim