Date:         Fri, 9 May 2008 11:10:33 -0700
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: VanagonmModel year designations
Comments: To: "John (Gus) Gramling" <jgramling@BPARCH.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <81F58DF1075E2645A2138D321F2E5E7116C0B7@bpants-1.bparch.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

You got it right.
They use up the 'old model's' parts until they're gone.
That's why you see 'early 85's' with metal coolant pips,  and stamped lower
control arms, the 80 to 84 style ones.
  PS btw, starts as an option in 84.
( 83.5 Waterboxers, the first ones, have the 3 bosses for mounting the PS
pump bracket to on the heads, but they are not drilled, taped and threaded.
But it's also not hard to drill and tap those 83.5 heads to accept a PS
bracket'

The 'model' year *usually* stars before the model year.
85's start getting made in 10/84 is my guess. A manufacture date of 9/84 is
problay an 84.
THE DIFFEINITVE way to tell the real model year is by VIN. Forget right now
which didgit, a letter - here it is - an F in the 10th didgit or postion of
the VIN is an 85.
Regardless of date of manufacture. That's 'the way' to really tell the year
model.
The B in the 5th position of the VIN means it's a gasoline vanagon.
Any diesel vanagon has a G there.
For the year.....( letter in the 10th position of the VIN )
1980 = A
1981 = B
1982 = C
83 = D
84 = E
85 = F
etc etc.
you better believe they use up the old parts all right !
you probably have metal main cooling pipes too, not plastic ones.
The plastic ones are not necessarily better either.
scott
www.turbovans.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
John (Gus) Gramling
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 9:32 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: VanagonmModel year designations

And that reminded me:

I had an '85 GL 1.9L WBX whose door jamb plate read "Date of Mfr:
10/84"... It had power steering, but the front stabilizing links were
the dog-leg shape, not the later straight rod-shape. Always figured the
Factory was using up the parts bin stocks in transition to the new
model, but there was also evidence of front-end damage on that van, so
it could have been a collision-shop Frankenstein.

Gus
'90 GL autotrans

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Giasson, Pascal (DNR/MRN)
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 5:08 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: VanagonmModel year designations

And there were early '84 (like mine), and late '84 that take different
front wheel bearings.  I'm not sure what else is different though.

Pascal
'84 Westy
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Paul Guzyk

I like to call 84 Wolfsburg Westy campers 84.5's since they had a lot of
features that appeared as standard on 85's, power steering, nicer dash,
tach, captains chairs, brown tables, better spice rack, etc etc.


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