Sounds like an upgrade! I'm envious of the space you have, has to be nice to have all that room for work and storage.
I'll add another update here on the work I'm doing, since keeping these updates rolling seems to be helping me stay motivated with this project.
I had to spend a little time stripping down my spare parts TDI engine that is donating a couple used pistons. This came out of a later year TDI and I had picked it up a while ago mainly for some electrical parts I needed for something else (ECU, harness, etc). The engine had a timing belt break at highway speed unfortunately, but otherwise was in decent shape. It is a second generation ALH code 1.9 TDI that has a different external block and head architecture, but the rods, pistons, and a few other internal parts are interchangeable with the earlier type 1Z/AHU TDI engines like the one in this van.
Once I had freed up a couple pistons from the parts ALH (with valve impressions but they measured out OK), I dropped the pan on the van's engine and popped the middle two pistons out. Next, I'm going to do my best with crocus cloth and a hone to get the bores cleaned up as well as they can be, and throw these whacked ALH pistons in and button it all back up.
This engine is now a bit of a science project, running damaged pistons from one engine in another engine's damaged block.
Not even going to put on new rings, since I don't have much hope for a great ring seal here either way, just hoping for enough to run on all 4 and move the van around under its own power for now. Planning to reuse the headbolts this time too, as Tom Bryant always suggests, to add another experiment. Only brand new part going in here will be a head gasket. We'll see how this goes. Best case it runs well enough to get a little use out of it, worst case I hopefully don't have much to lose other than a $20 head gasket and the time I waste messing with it.
