i am getting ready to put a plug and play (i hope) 2.0 into my car. i would like to know what seals and gaskets i should change . i am going to put in new valve cover gaskets. mainfold, and both push rod seals. also exhaust gaskets. what else should i do? should i change the seal on the oil cooler? this engine had leaks but i don't know from where. also i am missing a couple of exhaust head studs. are they still available new?

Those exhaust studs are my undoing. I'm constantly dropping those things it seems. You will need to pull the exhaust and put in a helicoil or step stud. I can't do that well (they pull back out), so I get a local VW guru to do it.

As far oil leaks, when I changed my oil cooler seals, it leaked like crazy- and had not before. Try to determine if those are leaking before you try to replace 'em. That job is a bitch anyway, and I've done it twice now. The oil temp sender on top of the motor often leaks through the body of the sender. Is the engine in the car? If it is out, I would definitely do the cooler seals and temp sender too.

Transmission seal, front and rear main seals. Yes do oil cooler. They're not even that easy with the engine out.