1.9 "built up" to 2.1?

[schortie]

Howdy all,
As you'll be able to tell soon enough, I'm new here and I'm in the market for my first Vanagon.

I spoke with a fellow today who claimed that a 1.9 engine in an '84 Vanagon was "built up" to a 2.1 during a rebuild. Claimed the crank and bearings from a 2.1 were used in the rebuild and so it is now a 2.1. I've heard of engine swaps but this is new to me. Is this a thing? Are there issues with this I should be aware of?

I am as green as can be with all of this, so I thought I'd come here, introduce myself (if I do get a hold of one you'll be hearing plenty from me) and pose this question.

Thank you all in advance for your responses.

[hdenter]

First of all, welcome to the insanity! My first piece of advice would be to peruse the stickies and frequently asked questions threads. Lots of things to learn. In response to your first question, yes, a 2.1 engine is basically the same as a 1.9 with the exception of a longer stroke crank and pistons that have a shorter wrist pin height. The case, heads and piston sleeves are basically the same. The 1.9 and 2.1 cases do have some differences. The 2.1 case uses better main bearings and some of the bolts for mating the cases are different sizes in different places. Anyways, good luck! Pay particular attention to the threads about what to look for and look out for when you are buying a van.
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'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
'85 weekender