HQ Sandman - Consoles

**GNW1974** · 08-02-2011, 08:45 PM

I have read these comments with interest. All I can say is the 4/74 HQ Sandman ute I had in the early 80'sdidn't have retracting seat belts or arm rests. From this all I can assume is that it was a Belmont based ute and I hope this helps someone.

**mauser** · 08-02-2011, 08:49 PM

nice... but which console did it have... :-)

Did you have somewhwre to put ya beer while rolling a smoke...

Mauser

BTW any pictures of the beauty?

**HK1837** · 08-02-2011, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by mauser

Thanks mate. My van has never had armrests and they look like origional door trims to me.

There were people on Fastlane argueing about HQ Sandmans having the later console. I guess unless a photo of one shows up from a new one we will never know. :-)

Maybe Ill run into an old surfee who had one from new...

Another curly one that has surfaced on a board was that HQ Sandmans all had a black steering columes to go with the steering wheel. Mine has the chestnut one to match the interior so I guess Ill say that one isnt right.

Mauser

I'll have to have a look at the steering columns. Knobs were black, Dark Ash or Chestnut. There is no mention of any specific colours for the column pieces so one would assume they are the same as all other Belmont or Kingswood commecial with that trim code, but needs research.
HQ Sandman would never have got any different console to any other HQ, so if they had a different console so did GTS at the same time. Remember HQ Sandman wasn't anything special, just 5 x component options on an otherwise standard vehicle, plus 5 feature changes, some black paintouts, deletion of rocker moulds on Kingswood and a set of stripes in a box. People make out that they are some special thing that had this or that, where reality is they were the ancestor of a VG S pack ute (ie Sports Option).

**GNW1974** · 08-02-2011, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by mauser

nice... but which console did it have... :-)

Did you have somewhwre to put ya beer while rolling a smoke...

Mauser

BTW any pictures of the beauty?

Sadly I took the console out as it had been trimmed at the front to fit the underdash air con and it was always loose and annoying. The last time I saw it about 25 yrs ago it was hanging in my parents shed in the south east of WA and dearly would love it for my current project, even if only for interest and to get the correct style. All I can remember was that it was black, had the padded black arm rest and not much else I can think of at this time. Interior was Chestnut as was the steering column, Sandman Steering wheel, GTS dash with no clock.

I only have one decent photo and I plan to post it up this weekend. The is also probably a HQ ute down there as well with the original HQ GTS guards we fitted up for my brothers farm ute as mine had been changed to HJ guards. (They were in perfect condition). I do have a shot of it with the original guards but it is not of the whole car.

I also looked at and knocked back a HQ LS 350 Monaro in great condition for 2K in the early 80's, wish I had brains then.

**mauser** · 08-02-2011, 10:32 PM

If it had a padded armrest it wasnt a HQ one. It would of moved about at the back because the floor mounts are different between a HQ and a HJ,X,Z.

Mauser.

ps post the photo with the hq gts front.. :-)

**GNW1974** · 08-02-2011, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by mauser

If it had a padded armrest it wasnt a HQ one. It would of moved about at the back because the floor mounts are different between a HQ and a HJ,X,Z.

Mauser.

ps post the photo with the hq gts front.. :-)

Yes you are probably right, my Brother in Law had a history or doing up vehicles for his business so it may have been changed. When he had it originally it had the HQ GTS guards and was all signed up for his workshop. Also the memory is not as sharpe as it was so I may have also recalled that wrong as I took the console out not very long after I purchased it.

Unfortunately the photo has a person leaning on the outside and I am not sure if they would like me to post up their image. I never took many photos of any of my cars in the past.

**AN5590** · 09-02-2011, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by HK1837

Knobs were black, Dark Ash or Chestnut. There is no mention of any specific colours for the column pieces so one would assume they are the same as all other Belmont or Kingswood commecial with that trim code, but needs research.

My ute 5/74 has Chestnut interior, steering is column is Chestnut but has been painted black somewhere along the line - I'm sure by a prior owner..., same with indicator stalk. Console looks to be in the same boat ie: painted black... All dash knobs are black.

I am the 5th owner but have had it for over 25 years and it hadn't been messed with too much when I got it, but it is hard to know exactly what things should be like. Have included a pic of console, not sure is this is what is being referring to as a 74 inertia reel console or not, but I'm pretty sure that this would be the orginal console. Note that footwell trims from WB and gearbox boot is not original, also used to have viynl floor in Chestnut. Cheers

**Absinth** · 09-02-2011, 01:01 AM

Hmm, interesting thread.

I always thought arm rests were standard in Sandman but then I remembered they were an optional extra on the HQ SS which is basically the sedan version of a Belmont Sandman. So it stands to reason they were probably optional on the Sandman as well.

This console (top pic) was removed from a HQ Kingswood ute quite a few years ago and is the same style that was in my Barbados Green HQ 202 Sandman back in 81. My van was completely original when I bought it off it's original owner. It didn't have inertia seatbelts but did have arm rests. Note I have swapped over the lid and shifter surround with the HX Statesman console (bottom pic) as I wanted a HJ Sandman console.

Interestingly though, my boss back in 81 bought a HQ one tonner off his Cabinet maker mate that was ordered new from the factory with 253 and manual console shift, sports dash, carpet and arm rests. The tonner didn't have inertia reel seat belts but it did have the long slot style console in it.... I distinctly remember however that it didn't have the floppy buckle release belt but rather the stiff wire type like later HJ,HX,HZ.

--- Updated ---

Originally Posted by AN5590

Have included a pic of console, not sure is this is what is being referring to as a 74 inertia reel console or not, (Yes that is the inertia belt style console) but I'm pretty sure that this would be the orginal console. Note that footwell trims from WB and gearbox boot is not original, also used to have viynl floor in Chestnut. Cheers

Are you sure about the vinyl floor mat???? Part of the Sandman package was carpet. Byron can confirm this but I recall that if a console shift was ordered then floor carpet was a standard inclusion.

On another note...... is the black lid console correct for a Sandman ???? or should it have the chrome fishscale finish the same as SS and GTS ???? Byron?? I really can't remember what finish was on the console of mine way back then..... the HQ Sandman brochure pic shows the fishscale but it could be a pic from the GTS and just used in the brochure for the Sandman.

**GNW1974** · 09-02-2011, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by Absinth

Hmm, interesting thread.

I always thought arm rests were standard in Sandman but then I remembered they were an optional extra on the HQ SS which is basically the sedan version of a Belmont Sandman. So it stands to reason they were probably optional on the Sandman as well.

This console (top pic) was removed from a HQ Kingswood ute quite a few years ago and is the same style that was in my Barbados Green HQ 202 Sandman back in 81. My van was completely original when I bought it off it's original owner. It didn't have inertia seatbelts but did have arm rests. Note I have swapped over the lid and shifter surround with the HX Statesman console (bottom pic) as I wanted a HJ Sandman console.

Interestingly though, my boss back in 81 bought a HQ one tonner off his Cabinet maker mate that was ordered new from the factory with 253 and manual console shift, sports dash, carpet and arm rests. The tonner didn't have inertia reel seat belts but it did have the long slot style console in it.... I distinctly remember however that it didn't have the floppy buckle release belt but rather the stiff wire type like later HJ,HX,HZ.

--- Updated ---

Are you sure about the vinyl floor mat???? Part of the Sandman package was carpet. Byron can confirm this but I recall that if a console shift was ordered then floor carpet was a standard inclusion.

On another note...... is the black lid console correct for a Sandman ???? or should it have the chrome fishscale finish the same as SS and GTS ???? Byron?? I really can't remember what finish was on the console of mine way back then..... the HQ Sandman brochure pic shows the fishscale but it could be a pic from the GTS and just used in the brochure for the Sandman.

My ute definatley had Black Carpet and the colour of the door trim colour looks the same colour as the ute I had, (even though they had been retrimmed). The dash pad colour looks identical as well. I did buy a new fascia from Dempster Holden in Esperance WA as the original one had some holes drilled in for the spotlight switch and looked untidy. I can quite clearly remember ordering it because I thought the parts would be unavailable even then. It was just the plain Black fascia but under the dash lights at night had a beautiful sheen to it from the pattern on it. (i think it cost about $115)
I also bought 2 of the Hex bolts for the horn pad and remember the cost, $1.15 ea which I thought back then was outrageous to a lad on about $200 per week.

The seat belts were black, but in the identical format as the photo.

**ozbox** · 09-02-2011, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by HK1837

HQ commercials don't even have the holes in the body for intertia reels. 1974 plated HJ have them but they are filled with grey body putty.

byron hq commercial ran the seat belt holes at the bottom of the pillar not half way up so putting car type belts in was a straight bolt up except for hq coupe..