hx sandman in nz?

**nzv8er** · 15-11-2012, 05:37 PM

Thanks for all the comments guys, the photos are ten years old(jeez has it been that long?) and since then a mate has owned it until I recently acquired it and it has deteriorated a bit. I'm with you Innuendo, plan is to hang the bonnet in the man cave and lose some of the airbushing in body tidy up, replace perspex window in back for glass, change wheels, lower it a bit as it is in the clouds at the moment, refresh engine, among other things.
How do I tell if engine is original?

**Innuendo** · 15-11-2012, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by nzv8er

I'm with you Innuendo, plan is to hang the bonnet in the man cave and lose some of the airbushing in body tidy up, replace perspex window in back for glass, change wheels, lower it a bit as it is in the clouds at the moment, refresh engine, among other things.
How do I tell if engine is original?

Engines are date coded in the casting. Date codes here

OK, so shes a little old in the paint. Lose the fake tear outs murals on the quarters (with guns). Bonnet to the man cave. Sills to the weeds and shiny new (old school) wheels.
Your photos look like it was in a car yard showroom when shot?

Regards, Smooth

**thatotherguy** · 15-11-2012, 07:11 PM

excellent van just the way they should be ..restoring is boring , i would just lower it and give the wheels a good polish they will look heaps better . if you still dont like em go for something like centerline autodrags but its your van so your choice . the most important thing is just drive it and enjoy it and dont pull it apart and leave it in the shed for another 10 years

**nzv8er** · 15-11-2012, 07:14 PM

Thats what I was thinking and GTS 5000 murals on fenders(can't see in pics). Yeah it was, I took these photo's to show a mate who then bought it. Now I've bought it off him. Running like crap, did compression test and 5 & 6 cylinders are below min allowable. Did sandmans come out with 14 or 15" rims?

--- Updated ---

Originally Posted by thatotherguy

excellent van just the way they should be ..restoring is boring , i would just lower it and give the wheels a good polish they will look heaps better . if you still dont like em go for something like centerline autodrags but its your van so your choice . the most important thing is just drive it and enjoy it and dont pull it apart and leave it in the shed for another 10 years

Point taken. Less show van, more go van!

**thatotherguy** · 15-11-2012, 07:17 PM

14 inch but tyres are getting hard to get now so most go for 15 inch now

**HK1837** · 15-11-2012, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by nzv8er

Thanks for all the comments guys, the photos are ten years old(jeez has it been that long?) and since then a mate has owned it until I recently acquired it and it has deteriorated a bit. I'm with you Innuendo, plan is to hang the bonnet in the man cave and lose some of the airbushing in body tidy up, replace perspex window in back for glass, change wheels, lower it a bit as it is in the clouds at the moment, refresh engine, among other things.
How do I tell if engine is original?

I'll what I can find re engine.

If you don't like the wheels 15" rally rims look good. I wouldn't lower it too much - makes them impractical and they look silly. Plus it affects the drivability of it. The proper way to do it is to fit Hadfield lowered stubs with STD height springs.

**nzv8er** · 15-11-2012, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by HK1837

I'll what I can find re engine.

If you don't like the wheels 15" rally rims look good. I wouldn't lower it too much - makes them impractical and they look silly. Plus it affects the drivability of it. The proper way to do it is to fit Hadfield lowered stubs with STD height springs.

Thanks HK1837, maybe hate is a strong word for the wheels(cheap narrow tyres don't help).
Won't lower it much just front seems higher than the back at the moment, are stubs available to NZ.
Also it doesn't have power steering and was thinking of changing that to make it easy for the mrs.

**HK1837** · 15-11-2012, 09:27 PM

Make sure you get the HQ (shorter) steering arms when you buy a steer conversion too.
CRS will ship stubs to NZ but they aren't cheap. If you are lowering it a bit just use lowered springs. If you plan to go a long way, lowered stubs are the go.