Chuck,

In the US older is better when it comes to cars, in my opinion.  All
modifications after the mid '80s were to meet government requirements to
reduce emissions by infinitesimal increments, and all added more
complexity, precision, and cost to the designs and did nothing to
improve performance. In fact, they probably degraded it somewhat.  When
you are talking millions of cars, infinitesimal increments add up, but
the few Vanagons still on the road have no significant effect on the
health of the planet, so do what works.

I am convinced that cars made since the mid 90's are not repairable, and
must be disposed of when they wear out due to their complexity and cost
of repairs.  What a waste of resources!

The early cooling system plumbing is much simpler, but there is no
provision for the oil cooler.  You will have to leave it off or rig up
an external system.  So, it is your choice!

Stuart, off soapbox now.