>From: mark drillock >There is no one cutoff point. There were different improvements made at >different points during the 85 model year. >All 85s have the much improved sliding door. >During the production run the parking brake was greatly improved, the >cooling system pipes changed to plastic, and the front lower control arms >started being solid metal not stamped. >Also, most 85 models have power steering and a tach while very few did >before 85. Other improvements were made to the electrical systems. >Most of this is subtle improvement except the sliding door and parking >brake. Anyone who had both types would know they were different.
I will have to check the control arms and the coolant tubes, but mine does not have power steering and did have a clock. Also my multiconnector on the back of the instrument cluster is setup like the later models no wire changes needed for the tach, except to run a wire from the coil to the front. I still have noe done that since putting the tach cluster in. My van was bought in Germany and then imported a few years later. I wonder if this has anything to do with it. I pulled the carpet and pads underneath this past weekend and found a German news paper from '88 under it all.
Michael Knight '77 Westy Deluxe, "el Verde" '85 Vanagon GL, nameless |
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