Very first HQ Sandman

[HK1837]

Byron, Why do you think there is no blackouts on the beaver panel of the PV in the pictures?

The tailgate is hanging all the way down on the short hinges. The tailgate bottom lip is sticking up covering and sight of the beaver from the picture. The blackouts, I thought, went across the bottom where the bumperettes are and as such the lip bit going into the rear of the cargo area would still be the body color. In fact on this photo the vynacote cream extends past the opening. It also looks to have no upper tailgate rubber for aesthetics. I can't see the tailgate straps and hooks hanging on the sides either.

It is a Belmont van and the taillight surrounds are body colour and thats it for black I thought. The seats do have the wooden backing plates painted in cream as well. I did notice the console might be chestnut and any pictures I have seen of non-30B Sandman interiors have the black console to go with the black steering wheel.

It also looks a bit like it to me that indeed someone ran around the van picture with a razor blade and stuck it on the copy because the tailgate to bumperetts are too straight an edge.


Mauser

You could be right, they may be obscured. I just thought there would be some tiny evidence of them.

I think the razor idea is right, as the van looks identical to the 11/71 brochure van except for the seats and console shift.

[buickzz]

I have the brochures in front of me now.

The photo of the inside of the rear of the van in the HQ Sandman brochure (dated January '74) is the same as the photo in the December '72 commercial brochure. The van colour is slightly different. The photo angle is the same. It is unlikely that they would have got the exact same angle on another van. The colour difference would be easiily achieved even in the 70's (and was probably unintentional). The interior photo from the Sandman brochure is exactly the same as the interior photo of the GTS interior as included in the August '73 general brochure with the exception of the seat insert material. Including the small splash of red in the lower left corner. Again the photo angle is exactly the same including the steering boss insert being vertical. The light area behind the seat in the GTS may have been coloured out in the Sandman brochure as you can still see the door pillar line in the Sandman brochure. This would not have existed in either a ute or a van.

I am left with the original theory - the sandman photos in the brochure seem to be mock ups. Let the CSI investigation continue.

Mauser is correct, the console has a blanking piece in the rear to cover the hole as his photo shows.

Byron, by flat topped console I did mean the console without the full length depression/cavity rather than the earlier version that only held the seat belt buckles.