after 2.0 litre air cooled engine for 77 kombi have been told price may vary? am i better off to re build existing engine

yes price will vary,
you could pick up a runner for 1k-2k but who knows what your gettin, u may be lucky tho
its not something your going to get cheap if you want something good your better off spending the $$ up front rather than constantly fixing the cheap deal engine.
i have a complete running still in car turn key mild 2ltr pretty much new looking at 6k. but who knows you may find better.

if you are into thinking about it, an EJ22 might be a better proposition for the money. custom Vee dub do a kit for roughly that price although there are ways to do it cheaper if you are tight but good with your hands. you could keep your aircooled 2.0l if you ever want to rebuild it. look up helbus in the post below. he did it to his and loves it.

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=38417&page=1 

A professionally built 2-litre engine will be around $4k from a reputable VW specialist, using as many new parts as possible (ie heads, pistons, cylinders, bearings, seals, etc), and they usually give a discount on exchanging your old long block. This is faster and more convenient than rebuilding your existing long block.

Putting a Japanese engine into a 1985-91 T3 Kombi might be feasible as they are not particulary collectable at the moment (though that might change over the next 5-10 years), and all the water-cooled hardware is already in place. But not for your classic T2 Kombi. Keep it VW-powered !

Not sure about Melbourne but I think the best in Sydney is Classic VW at Kirrawee - Gary is an ex-factory trained Lanock Motors mechanic and has been building VW engines for 30 years. He did mine this year and I am very happy with it. His specialty is Type 4 VW engines. His number is (02) 9638 4200. Probably on hols for a few weeks yet, though.

Phil, i've sent you a PM.

Suffice to say, watercooled into bays is nothing new and is def worth considering. if the missis ever relents and lets me buy one, it will NOT be type4 or 1 powered. I'd put a H6, commodore V6 or a toyota V8 in without even thinking twice. make a great tow vehicle and nice cruiser with the possibility of AIRCON and cruise controll too.

Fine for some people but not for me. And not what noddy was asking about.

A VW T5 TDI would go better, be more economical, roomy, comfortable and more enjoyable to drive than any modified T2. They come with air con and cruise control, and a 6-speed manual or DSG gearbox. And they go like stink! You can also get them with VW's 4Motion 4WD if you want. Of course they will cost more than a transplanted T2, but then you are buying a brand new vehicle. Otherwise second-hand V6 T4s are fairly easy to find and not that expensive.

Turbo VW kombis are another possibility of keeping it VW if you want performance (mega performance actually) - just ask Chris Fraser or Shimo.

just make sure you replace those nasty Non-VW tyres and stereo while you're at it too. :P