Van Authenticty. Warning - Highly Opinionated

[Gas On]

Gday.

Just wanted to get something off my chest... Now, to some this may be taken as highly opinionated from a vanner's point of view, so If you dont like that - dont read on. I dont not intend to recieve replys from `armchair experts'.

When I was looking for a van 12 years ago, all I wanted was a van. Holden, Ford, Bedford... didnt matter to me 'coz I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it and thats travel, pick-up promiscuous beautys, sleep comfortably, party, surf, fish, camp, lug heavy gear around, tow trailors, boats, move houses etc...

I found one 10 years ago to do exactly that, and it was my 1st choice what I wanted, a late H* van, - mainly because I've always liked the SHAPE of the Holden panelvan - so many nice curves on `em. It took 2 years to find, which gave me time to save a little extra to find something in sound / reliable condition.

Now, when I purchased, what I did not even question was if it was infact a `genuine sandman'. WHY? Because I simply dont give a shit... nor can I remember anyone actually caring about that 10 years ago. Remember... I liked those curves and the practicality of the vehicle. Of course I checked the VIN # tho, to confirm it wasn't hot.

I am also new to the NET. The last time I was on around 2000, There was two pages I found online about `Holden Panelvans', one was the `Black Hawk' build up (awesome) & the other I can't remember too well, but it featured a wiring diagram for the HQ, and an article on Identifing a Sandman - I still have a printed copy. That 1st initially got me curious but did not persue.

The last time I searched google for `Holden Panel Van' it came up with 170,000 hits. Great I thought. I then discovered that most of what I clicked on was related to enquiries about `Genuine Sandman Authenticity'.

I read many articles on web pages devoted to confirming van Authenticity.

What a load of f.n. b.s! All this hype seemed to have started around 2004/5. Thus marking the 30th + b/day of the panelvan. Is that what it takes to have a great aussie vehicle put off the road, restored & garaged in the quest for a profit? There are literally 1000's of vans being 'restored' in Aust; no doubt to original specs. Therefore, the market will be flooded & thus restorations aint worth bugger all.

Keep `em on the road I say... use them & enjoy them! ... And you might just find that by not touching them, your ORIGINAL van might just reward you more than you think when it's time to sell.

That times almost right for me due to the hype, as it turns out, 10 years later I discovered that my numbers match. No that doesnt make me appreciate it anymore that I already do, and yes, I would sell or swap it to upgarde to a cheap Winnebago

Thats my 2c, Vanners.

Cheers

[Shadowmax]

I completely agree with use them and enjoy them.

[wayne g]

Gas On

I agree - vans are to be used. As far as 'is it a genuine Sandman' - we own a van and it is/isn't a Sandman depending on who you talk to and what day of the week it is.

For us that does not really matter - we like the van, love taking it out for a run and enjoy tinkering with it. If the van is not in true original condition - well that is just life.

I think for the majority of owners that restore vans or even car, they do their best to uphold the orginality of the vehicle but sometimes there are compromises. Only true vehicle purists could pick most non-original parts. You only have to read other posts here that enlighten all of us.

[Absinth]

Gday.

Just wanted to get something off my chest... Now, to some this may be taken as highly opinionated from a vanner's point of view, so If you dont like that - dont read on. I dont not intend to recieve replys from `armchair experts'.

Are you a "Vanner" or a Sandman owner?

The last time I searched google for `Holden Panel Van' it came up with 170,000 hits. Great I thought. I then discovered that most of what I clicked on was related to enquiries about `Genuine Sandman Authenticity'.

I read many articles on web pages devoted to confirming van Authenticity.

And your point is????

What a load of f.n. b.s! All this hype seemed to have started around 2004/5. Thus marking the 30th + b/day of the panelvan. Is that what it takes to have a great aussie vehicle put off the road, restored & garaged in the quest for a profit? There are literally 1000's of vans being 'restored' in Aust; no doubt to original specs. Therefore, the market will be flooded & thus restorations aint worth bugger all.

Keep `em on the road I say... use them & enjoy them! ... And you might just find that by not touching them, your ORIGINAL van might just reward you more than you think when it's time to sell.

Thats my 2c, Vanners.

Cheers

You got the first part right... what a load of bullshit... How old are you? It is fine to have an opinion but don't try to force it on other people, there is enough of that crap on other sites and we don't need or want it here.

This site was set up purely for Sandman owners to get together and talk about their Sandman. Some have original unrestored Sandmans in drivable condition, some have Sandman bitsa's, some have Sandmans they are restoring and some have nicely restored Sandmans.....

Everyone on this site owns a Sandman for a different reason, some just enjoy driving their car, some are just rebuilding their Sandman so they can enjoy driving it, some are fully restoring their Sandman because they enjoy doing the restoration and then trailering it to shows when finished, some are fully restoring their Sandman because it was a clapped out bomb and needed restoring.... whatever the reason it is their car and they can enjoy it in the way that they want... who are you to tell people how they should enjoy or use their car???

I seriously doubt there are 1000's of Sandmans being restored or that the market will be flooded with restored Sandmans..... Restored and garaged in the quest for a profit.... that's the funniest thing I have heard in a long time..... Fully restored cars that are restored correctly are worth big money because it costs big money to correctly fully restore a car....

Personally, I owned a total of six Sandman vans from 1981 to 1989, I enjoyed driving them and did all the things in them that a teenager to mid 20's would do.... I went to the drive in with nice girls, camped on the beach for weekends of surfing with mates, carried my tools around in it during the week, modified them and really enjoyed owning them. In the later years I chopped two down into utes and stripped two as donor part cars.

Now I own a Sandman because I enjoy restoring cars and still like Sandmans. For me, I get the most enjoyment out of restoring it back to completely original condition.... I enjoy the hunt for the correct parts and get a thrill when I finally procure that long sort after part at a bargain price.... or sometimes at almost any price. I enjoy taking a worn out piece of crap and and restoring it back to pristine condition, I enjoy the sense of achievement I feel when I repair that rusted and dented panel or make up a new wiring harness and it all works..... driving and using the car when finished is just a bonus.... it is also unlikely I would even get my money back on it let alone make any sort of profit...

The whole point of this site is to gather as much information about Sandmans as we can and to help Sandman owners attain what they want out of their Sandman.

[kaido17]

nicely said absinth

[HZSandman]

I value all opinions and encourage everyone to have a say without putting others and their beliefs down in the process. If we all thought the same we would be pretty bored with each other. But we need to remember to respect everyone's views.

That said...

I bought my Sandman especially because it was a Sandman. A non Sandman Holden Van was never an option to me. I remember someone saying that it costs just as much to restore a special release car as it does a normal car but the special release will always be worth much more once finished. It costs a bit more to purchase but is worth heaps more at the end of the day. Not to say that money was my driving force but one day (not real soon) I will sell it and move on to something else in life and you may as well make good decisions at the start.

I love the idea of the Sandman from back in its day. Love the stripes, the GTS bits and the appeal of the surf culture of the day. We love getting out and driving it down to the coast or the drive ins where we are always the most comfy in the place.

They are hard to ID that's for sure but so are fine art works and the real thing is always more in demand. Call it ego , prestige, privilege or whatever you want but most would take the real thing every time. GT vFalcon, Monaro v Kingswood or Sandman v kingswood I know what I would rather.

Still love a good resto replica just as much to look at but would rather own the genuine article.

Just my opinion though and am happy for others to disagree (in a respectful way)

:smile::smile:

[Gas On]

A few points to note Absinth.

1) I dont answer to nobody
2) Your just wasting your time, you know Byron is doing a sound job of collecting the info to produce a useful publication which you should promote, instead of saying "Can I have tag info for my records". Talk about b.s.

Note that I asked no questions therefore do not expect a reply from a so called expert.

[Blocker]

Gents have a nice civil discussion or take it up in private message, otherwise this thread gets locked.
Personal abuse and/or provocation wont be tolerated.

[Gas On]

No worries, boss.

[agr071]

When i bought my HJ Sandman, i didn't even realise it was one.
I was just told the the tags were taken off it because the previous owner had died (whom i knew), and his fiance wanted the tags as a momento.
I was just going to customise it and get some normal tags for it.
BUT i found out what the tags were and chased them down, and hence i have them now.
This van will be returned to it's former glory, with a slight touch of customising in the rear.
Also for now it'll have a HZ Caprice dash until i get the $$ to get the GTS dash for storage, along with the single headlight front i already have and restored GTS rims in the shed.