Your Sandman (or van/ute) stories.

**Blocker** · 09-11-2011, 10:12 PM

Please post a van or ute story that you think is worthy of publicity. It can be anything from yester-year to yesterday, after fun, exciting and memorable stories that can resonate with drivers and car enthusiasts as well as non.

It could be something about your first date (no details whether you scored), trips, mistakes or just plain dumb-luck.
Better if the story is about you and your experience rather than 'I heard...'

Go for it!

**83 WB_Ute** · 09-11-2011, 10:35 PM

Last month, two of my mates and myself went for a drive in a mitsubishi express (L200)... needless to say, there wasn't much room left in the car with all of us cramed in...

So it was decided that we would use 1st, 3rd and 5th gears... I think that gives you an idea of how much room there was...

Long story short, we pulled out of a side street and started going up a pretty big hill... and second was needed, so 1st to 2nd... then 5800rpm straight into 5th (back to 1800rpm)... and it was unbelievable, the ute just pulled up the hill.... didn't even need to go back a gear... all from a stock driveline with 430,000k's on it...

**Vombil** · 09-11-2011, 10:40 PM

i know everyone has got or heard of a story like this...

Bloke i know bought a genuine HQ windowless 253 Sandman Van about 20-25 years ago for $800, gave it a lick of paint and drove it for a while before selling it for $1200!!!! Ill get some pics at some point and put them in spotto. When i told him it would be circa $25K all day long now he nearly shed a tear.

**V6HQUTE** · 09-11-2011, 10:55 PM

dad has told me a story for when he was a young fella, i local bloke had a white(i think) hz sandman, anyway he offered to sell it to dad for 3ish thousand (i think not sure on details ill have to ask dad and come back and edit) and dad said it was worth more and wouldnt buy it, if only he had :(, anyway until recently the ute has been sitting in a shed on old mates shed, and im not sure whats happened to it, i was told he gave it to some blokes to take to town and fix/paint it for him and hasnt see it since, will ask next time i run into him, also hz sandman shell i bought 300bucks, non matching chassie, non roller, body was stuffed, old mate found out what it was, basiclly told me to f-off, put it on ebay got 1200, bodys still in his yard minus plates

**playwme** · 09-11-2011, 11:10 PM

Back when I was at uni and living in student accomodation we thought a trip to the movies one Friday night would be a good idea. Unfortunately it didn't take long for 10 people to think that was a good idea. No problems though, I had a Sandman that would fit 10 no worries. On the way home I come over the hill on the main road to see a pile of flashing red and blue lights in front of me. Great time to drive through a mass RBT where every car was getting tested. Everyone in the back all hit the deck and hunched together lying as still as possible while I pulled up, left leg shaking like nothing else as I pushed the clutch in. I had one copper doing the breath test, one checking the front numberplate, one checking the rego label, and a fourth checking the rear. Luckily a reasonably attractive girl had called shotgun so they had no reason to suspect that there were 8 more people in the back. I mean why would a young guy with a panelvan and a hot chick want anyone else along on a late night trip out near the lake. They waved me off and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

**hzvan** · 10-11-2011, 12:40 AM

i had a windowless hx sandman with a 350 chev and the back was fully decked out with mattres trimed to suit the rest of the back
when i started going out with my now wife
the first date i went to pick her up from her mum and dads
came flying around the corner back up, stereo up loud and her mum and dad were out the front
i pulled in to the driveway and they had a bit of a suprised look on there face
the first thing i said was this is a bad way to pick your daughter up for a first date
then her mum says to me we used to have a hq panel van when we were young
so i left it at thought i dont need to say very much more

**Blocker** · 10-11-2011, 07:40 AM

Nice... keep'm coming.

**jennie285** · 10-11-2011, 08:38 AM

I think I have told this story on a thread last year but I will put it here as well.

Okay, well I hope none of you guys or girls are anything to do with the police force, but....when I had just started going out with Rodney.....we went to a party in my home town...and he had a few drinks, and I didn't so I could drive home.....we set off for the half hour trip home on the Newell...the Trots had been in Parkes that night and all the trucks and floats were coming towards us and Rodney said I was driving into their lights, and insisted he should take over the driving...so we changed over....he of course drove very fast in those days, and went around some bends doing 120kms, the police were coming towards us and pinged him..while they were turning around to chase us, I said "you are over and you will loose your license for sure as you are also speeding" I said I can swap as they can't see into the back of the van, so we changed seats, how I do not know, as we were still travelling, i said "put my seat belt on and get the seat forward so I can depress the clutch, to pull over....anyway the policeman asked me why I was going so quickly around a dangerous corner?, I made up some excuse about not being used to the car, the policemen then shone the torch into Rodney's eyes and said "just as well he isn't driving:

He paid the fine, and the only thing I have to say is it saved his license, and he will always owe me one...luckly we got married....

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