Unfortunately the Vanagon resistor is actually up inside the blower housing
and I can't really see any way to get to it without pulling the dash and
opening the housing.

The other thing I would like to add to this discussion is that removing the
dash isn't as difficult as everyone says.  I let my helper do it on an '85
Vanagon the other day.  The first time he removed a dash (from a parts van)
it took 15 mins.  Removing the blower housing took another 5 mins.  Breaking
open the housing took 2 mins (someone had already opened it in the past and
then reglued it shut so I am sure this helped).  So in less than 30 mins we
had the dash out and the heater core and blower motor out.  (One piece of
advice, that I have heard on this List before, is to buy the Vice-Grip brand
pliers for the steering column bolts.  It took them out with no trouble.)

One question to someone with an earlier Vanagon for comparison.  My '85 had a
metal plate on one side of the heater core.  The metal plate had holes in it
but I could see that it probably restricted the flow of air over the core.
My question is, is this a standard thing or was this something the PO did?
Why would you want to do something like this?  Thanks in advance.

Ken Wilford
Van-Again
John 3:16