Torchd you should take a road trip to Libby's place for a crank nose upgrade.
http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=11008.0http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=15010.0and a few more... "alt AND pulley" are good search terms.It's a good upgrade... all that belt bouncing is the system torquing and un-torquing the belt, all the while putting strain on an already weak crankshaft sprocket key and keyway.
Now *that* would be a road trip!!
I'm not sure why Vince did it that way, but I will say that IMO it is not necessary. Belt and suspenders? It's a fashion I wear frequently...