The problem prone WBX valve adjust issue is one more good reason to be kind
to yourself and transplant a better powerplant.I went thru a week of
adjusting the valves on a friends Vanagon after replacing the heads. First
they were too tight, then too loose, and finally after 1/2 turn, they were
quiet. But, it won't pass emissions at idle. A valve is probably out of
adjustment.

I have a 2.0 Golf engine from a 95 Golf in my 82 Westfalia and you don't
have to go thru all this valve nonsense when you change the head, which is
easier, BTW.

Reliability, power an economy is what this engine is all about. Not the kind
of power that will transform your vanagon into a hotrod, but there is more
than you have now in your WBX.
Merging into traffic is effortless, not so on every WBX I have driven.

And, the 2.0 I-4 turns out higher mph for the same rpms as a WBX.
In either the manual or shift.

For example, in both the 85 Automatic Westy and 87 manual Westy currently
available to me, 70 mph is 4000 rpm=I was surprised to find that the manual
has the same rpm as the auto.
For the I-4 2.0 powered manual shift Westy-70 mph is 3600 rpm.
And at 4000 rpm-80 mph. 10 more mph for the same rpm.  

Robert
1982 Westfalia 2.0 Golf lll engine
Seattle