HQ full roof lining???

[Innuendo]

Hmm, Adelaide build, 253, 4 Speed.

Interesting, thanks for posting the details.

[playwme]

Hj colours seem to have been introduced late in the HQ run. I've got a 9/74 Kingswood sedan in Jade Green Metallic.

[Alien DNA]

Funny how much contradictory evidence Holden has.....the van in question is Sept in Absinth, yet the colour chart shows Absinth effective in October

Byron must be pulling his hair out somedays!!




I'm also fairly sure rooflining wasnt an option for HQ vans

But saying that, i spoke to a guy today where his brother bought a brand new chrome yellow hq sandman and was decked out in the cargo area!! Sadly no pics are available.

"Yes. it was 2 inch foam covered with the yellow carpet with black edging. the sides, wheel arches and rear tailgate also had the yellow carpet with the black edging. Looked really good with the yellow curtains."

[Innuendo]

I'm also fairly sure rooflining wasnt an option for HQ vans

But saying that, i spoke to a guy today where his brother bought a brand new chrome yellow hq sandman and was decked out in the cargo area!! Sadly no pics are available.

"Yes. it was 2 inch foam covered with the yellow carpet with black edging. the sides, wheel arches and rear tailgate also had the yellow carpet with the black edging. Looked really good with the yellow curtains."

Evidence seems to suggest that this interior would have been dealer done. Holden have claimed to have tried to introduce a "floor cushion" and side panels but the bean counters said no. Although one was done to show the concept (outside of "De-Van"). Whether this ever escaped Holden I don't know; but very much doubt it. At least a couple of dealerships were decking out Vans.

Swap over colours along with other bits (maybe the roof lining?) certainly happened at end of runs, some as approval or promotional vehicles.

[HK1837]

I have the documentation showing the changeover of paint lines from HQ to HJ. They changed a certain number colours a week and most had to be changed over prior to volume HJ production. Only Dandenong kept some colours as they were making LH Torana which stayed in the old colours until about November or thereabouts. Other plants were instrucyed to send unused old paint to Dandenong.

That matress was Leo's idea, but the conservative boss canned it. He thinks the aftermarket people working on it ran with the idea.

[HK1837]

Scott's van is a new one to me. It probably isn't the last HQ Sandman, but it'd be in the last few. I have another Elizabeth HQ van (non-Sandman) recorded later with chassis number 61494, body 126015 and PSN L286254. Unfortunately GMH have no HQ Elizabeth records past about July 1974 so we'll never know how many HQ's were made at this time at Elizabeth.
I do know that the first completed Elizabeth HJ is a 202 3spd van completed on 16/9/74, its PSN is L286623, but by no means the first Elizabeth assigned HJ PSN which is L286435 - a 202 4spd cab chassis (possibly the HJ brochure car).

[ABSINTH74HQ]

Wow! that only left 364 Q's after mine, and less than a 2 week period it could have been built, before they changed over to HJ's.

[HK1837]

I think they were still assembling HQ's in the ELizabeth assembly line but I imagine they'd have finished building HQ bodies in the body plant prior to changing to HJ.

[GNW1974]

I looked at a late build HQ Ute in Adelaide about 3 years ago which was a late build 8/74 (if I recall correctly) which was a L31, M21 package, 2 seat compliance and Belmont. It was for sale for 7K without the original driveline but had GTS Guards. I was very keen to investigate, test drove it but decided it wasn't genuine because it was Absinth Yellow, r a HJ colour and I thought something was suss. It wasn't till some many months later whilst reading posts here about how Holden often bought in the new colours at model changeover that it most likely was a Sandman or a very strong candidate. Sadly by then I had thrown away the compliance plate details but there is someone here in SA driving a very nice HQ package, maybe not even knowing what they have.

[ABSINTH74HQ]

For nearly 20 years I didn't know what I had, well not how special it was anyway!
Next big challenge is to piece her back together as close to factory as possible.
With all these anomalies, that's going to be fun