Camshaft Bearing Cap Woes

I finally get round to cleaning and putting the head back together after getting it skimmed after the gasket failed the other week.

Everything was going great until the number 2 bearing cap fractured as I was fitting them - not 100% sure why this happened but think it maybe wasn't sitting fully down as I started torqueing.

Anyway, where do I go from here?

I'm guessing I've got the following 3 options:

Replace the whole head - I've read this is the recommended approach and understand the reasons why but would be a pain in the arse after I've spent time and money (granted not much money but being near xmas I could do without spending more) on skimming and cleaning up my current head. Does anyone have any cheap heads going spare?

Replace the Cap - Again, I understand the reasons why this isn't recommended but the biggest issue for me is that my local scrap yards don't have any 1990 GTi cabrio's in (or anything older than a mk4 now!). Anyone got any these going spare?
  
Repair the broken cap - just for giggles (as I had nothing to loose) I got the old epoxy on it and it seems to have got a good hold on it but I'm expecting it'll go again when I torque it if I fit it. and I'm guessing it wouldn't do the camshaft any good if it did hold.

Anyone got any experience of one going, or experience of fixing/replacing one that has?

Replace the cap - I'm quite sure if you supply the numbers off it someone will be able to help

The caps are machined with the head. The numbers on them indicate the position for that head.
The head is scrap unless you have the kit to machine bore another one.

lhasadreams said

The caps are machined with the head. The numbers on them indicate the position for that head.
The head is scrap unless you have the kit to machine bore another one.

Can you explain Why please ? I don't follow what makes the cap so unique. Yes I agree it is machined as part of the initial head, but with wear, tolerences 'move'.

The caps are a part of the original casting.
They are then align bored and separated from the head.
Hence each one being unique to the head and its position on the head.

You can try another cap from another head but the chance of them aligning and not binding or cracking is slim.

I thought that you might be able to swap them around until I spoke with Dave Crissel of All Stage Cylinder Heads (he is responsible for a huge proportion of polished and ported heads in the UK). It was a blunt, "the head is scrap without the caps"

I've got a gti cabrio head if you need one came off my sportline

I would certainly try a cap off another head before I would scrap the,head, chances are you will get one to suit, fit the cap, then with the timing belt removed turn the cam pulley to see that the cam is not tight and is turning freely, unless it,s tightening the cam I would say you would get away with it.
If your really fussy bring your old cap and an assortment of spare caps off another head to a machine shop and have them measure the old one and then see if one of the new ones matches up,
scrap the head would be a last resort.