It sound very much like it.

I think that the paint number should be 568-15949, which is Absinth Yellow.

A bucket seated base model panel van in Absinth Yellow, T-bar auto with black interior with full-length headlining, sounds to be very Sandman.

I believe pop-rivets for a 75 HJ is correct.

Dr Terry

Edited by user Saturday, 9 December 2017 11:00:06 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

It could be a Sandman, but just as easily not. 6/75 it shouldn't have a GTS dash, GTS dash was silver. If it was a Sandman it should be a black fascia, however the U17 sports dash was optional on all HJ. Same with the rear headlining, rare to find it outside of Sandman in HJ but it was optional as part of the Comfort package.

The only really obvious thing (leaving obvious signs once removed) a HJ Sandman van had that couldn't be had on a HJ Holden van was console shift. Being an auto makes it hard though as a bucket seat HJ Holden van with column auto got a seat separator which uses the same rear bracket as a console, so it is very hard to tell.

6cyl Sandman are virtually non-existent today. By the middle of HX they were virtually unsaleable and GMH dropped the 6cyl for HZ. A 6cyl auto example is like probably 1 of maybe less than a handful built. So while this could well be one, the chances are pretty low. If it is one it is the first one I've ever recorded, and it has to be an ordered car as well if the rear axle is right (GU4, 3.08) as an L20 M40 HJ van should be GV4 (3.36). But if it ordered it could easily be a HJ Holden van optioned with L20, M40, GU4, XS6, B47 and U21, and someone has put a console and T-bar into it. Or it could actually be a HJ XX7 optioned with L20, M40 and GU4. XS6 is reclining buckets, B47 is comfort package (full headlining and carpet) and U21 is the sports instruments. The things a Sandman got that weren't available on a HJ Holden van are: console shift, sports steering wheel and fluted guards. Note that in 6/75 either the Holden van or the XX7 van were standard with LD1 (173) and GV7 (3.55) rear axle with drum brakes. The XX7 got an M20 4spd standard.

Also many errors in the data given, see below:


HJ pANEL VAN
06/75
8HJ25847A
GVM 2155Kg
SEAT 2

80M70LEL3312109J (too many digits, probably 8M70LEL312109J)

HJ8WM70
15827-A (digit missing, should be 15xxxx)
1886-19v
568-15940 (LAST COULD BE AN 8) (should be 15949 as already pointed out)
Eng L20
Trans M40
Axle GU4 (probably is GV4)

Edited by user Saturday, 9 December 2017 12:21:38 PM(UTC)  | Reason: spelling

I'm not 100% sure when the black dashes appeared. Early HJ all had the GTS's fascia if optioned or standard with the U17 instruments, however it changed during HJ where Belmont, Holden and Kingswood got a black fascia and Premier and Deville got a woodgrain fascia. I thought that was before 6/75 but if that fascia is original to the car then might have been a fraction later.

Does it have armrests? Initially Sandman didn't have these, but in either 5/75 or 10/75 it was added to XX7. Not sure which month as the documents have revisions in both those months and it wasn't there prior to 5/75.

Thank for the replies all. One more thing though if i may. Am i right in thinking that HQ & HJ Sandman had fluted guards and HX & HZ did not? Or is there another method of determining which model will have them or not?

So is that all HQ & HJ Sandman had fluted guards?