OT: 16V 2.0 Pickup lives, sort of... Need help ASAP..

[mr.utility at highstream.net (David Utley)]

Hello all,
  I actually have some 16V qyestions to ask, wooohhoooo!
  The vehicle in question is an '82 p/up with a Passat 2.0 16V and Scirocco
CIS-E FI...
  Okay, my friend Don and I got the pickup to run, despite the P.O.s best
attempts to put the thing together wrong.  The thing would start and run,
but you really had to work with the throttle to get it to accelerate, and
the sucker is SO LOUD...  Since it would not accelerate easily at all, we
began to look at the timing.  After removing #1 spark plug and checking for
TDC (esp since the marks at the flywheel could not be seen), we saw that the
cam was retarded by one tooth.  We fixed that and reinstalled, and ran it
up.  It ran much better, but it still was not right.  We then checked the
timing, and saw that the dist. could not be advanced any more because there
was no more room left in the attachment slots.  Also, the timing mark on the
cam gear is not -precisely-pointed at the mark on the valve cover.  It is
retarded  about half a tooth.  These two things lead us to believe that the
cams themselves are not timed properly.  Does that seem like what is
happening here?  The trouble that we now experience is that the thing still
does not want to rev like it really should.  It still sputters a bit, esp.
if you mash on it from an idler...

Don wanted me to ask you all if this was worth the effort of re-timing the
cams...  I think the answer is yes, but I too am interested in what all you
think needs to be done...

Any answers are appreciated, especially the quick ones, as we will be
attempting to put things right starting noon Sunday, central time...  Thanks
very much for your time!

Cheers!
   David Utley

PS--  A first!  Although I have 7 VWs, I will for the first time have 1.5
running vehicles, woooooo-stinking-hooooo!  :)