I swear. The Covid lockdown must have everyone believing weird sh*t they just make up in their heads or something.
Engaged with someone (not the hose clamp guy) that swears up and down that G-body 442s ALL came with body side moldings as standard equipment. This is total nonsense. (Note: 83/84 H/O W40 option listed B84 as N/A.)
This is a falsehood. Misinformation. Whatever you want to call it. Look at just about any factory documentation involved with ordering a 442 and B84 is listed under optional equipment. W42 did NOT require B84. There's no documentation I've ever seen requiring B84 with W42. But you could order it on your 442 if you wanted. Like them or hate them, the point is, the body side moldings were optional. Not required. Some people are ok with them. Some people loathe them. I happen to think they're decent and have no qualms.
While it seems most 442s had body side moldings, some did not. I believe most of the promo pics of the 85 442 did not have the moldings. In this pic, they even got the photoshop out to get rid of the tab on the front fascia hanging down over the front bumper center. So they put a VK3 license plate holder up there, although VK3 didn't always make it onto the SPID.
The B84 option was indeed, just that...an OPTION. In 1985 and 1986, the Cutlass Salon had the W42 option available. AND- the B84 option available as well. 1987 442 was based on the Supreme body, and had the B84 option available too. If the car had it, it was listed on the window sticker. And an option price was present. The only required option for 1985 that was listed separately on the window sticker was C60.
In 1985, the B84 option was to be lower body color unless it had a vinyl roof (not available on 442). If the car came with a vinyl roof, the body side molding matched the top color. Hence, ALL 1985 442 came with silver/grey body side moldings but only IF the option B84 was checked. Why? The lower body color was code 12 silver. And interesting note on this, however, is that looking at the dealer ordering information book for 85, the Cutlass Salon says the moldings came in BLACK in some obscure location in the book. Hmmm. Turns out this was inaccurate as well when it came to 442.
For 86 and 87, however, a new change was in. The B84 option color was shifted to the upper body color, unless again, the car had a vinyl roof, then it matched the vinyl roof. Vinyl roof was N/A once again with W42, so NO vinyl roof 442 were made. Hence, the B84 option color matched the upper body color.
These are the facts.
This 85 car is like <3000 mile survivor. A forum member here owns the car now. Look ma, no moldings.
And the window sticker for said car above- hmmm. No B84.
Ok, got that off my chest. Just venting. Now get off my lawn!
Engaged with someone (not the hose clamp guy) that swears up and down that G-body 442s ALL came with body side moldings as standard equipment. This is total nonsense. (Note: 83/84 H/O W40 option listed B84 as N/A.)
This is a falsehood. Misinformation. Whatever you want to call it. Look at just about any factory documentation involved with ordering a 442 and B84 is listed under optional equipment. W42 did NOT require B84. There's no documentation I've ever seen requiring B84 with W42. But you could order it on your 442 if you wanted. Like them or hate them, the point is, the body side moldings were optional. Not required. Some people are ok with them. Some people loathe them. I happen to think they're decent and have no qualms.
While it seems most 442s had body side moldings, some did not. I believe most of the promo pics of the 85 442 did not have the moldings. In this pic, they even got the photoshop out to get rid of the tab on the front fascia hanging down over the front bumper center. So they put a VK3 license plate holder up there, although VK3 didn't always make it onto the SPID.
The B84 option was indeed, just that...an OPTION. In 1985 and 1986, the Cutlass Salon had the W42 option available. AND- the B84 option available as well. 1987 442 was based on the Supreme body, and had the B84 option available too. If the car had it, it was listed on the window sticker. And an option price was present. The only required option for 1985 that was listed separately on the window sticker was C60.
In 1985, the B84 option was to be lower body color unless it had a vinyl roof (not available on 442). If the car came with a vinyl roof, the body side molding matched the top color. Hence, ALL 1985 442 came with silver/grey body side moldings but only IF the option B84 was checked. Why? The lower body color was code 12 silver. And interesting note on this, however, is that looking at the dealer ordering information book for 85, the Cutlass Salon says the moldings came in BLACK in some obscure location in the book. Hmmm. Turns out this was inaccurate as well when it came to 442.
For 86 and 87, however, a new change was in. The B84 option color was shifted to the upper body color, unless again, the car had a vinyl roof, then it matched the vinyl roof. Vinyl roof was N/A once again with W42, so NO vinyl roof 442 were made. Hence, the B84 option color matched the upper body color.
These are the facts.
This 85 car is like <3000 mile survivor. A forum member here owns the car now. Look ma, no moldings.
And the window sticker for said car above- hmmm. No B84.
Ok, got that off my chest. Just venting. Now get off my lawn!