[JP Noonan]

To D. Kretz: Check out the tech section (not the tech articles) Waynes answers your question, you don't need them and in fact they may give you sealing problems. As for the space... This involes building an engine correctly. Check out Tom Wilsons book "How to rebuild air cooled VW engines" I think Borders has it (I bought mine through Barnes and Noble online). If you leave out the head gaskets and your comp ratio becomes too high (after, of coarse, checking deck hight with a false cylinder head and dial indicator) then you can place a base shim between the cylinder and block. Check out Bob Hoover for more info like useing only one shim of the right hieght and not to "stack" shims.

To M. Richard: Take a caliper and check the ouyside diameter of the jugs. Compare it to the inside dia. of the head. The 96mm 1.7L has a smaller size than the 1.8 and 2.0. You can cut a 1.7L head to accept a 1.8 /2.0 jug but a 1.7L jug will be too small for 1.8/2.0 heads. All type IV engines have the same block (called the "spiggot" bore) hole size so any jug (cylinder) will fit in any block.