New member, hx van, what do you think!

[husky srt]

Hi everyone, I'm after some ideas as what I should do regarding restoring my van. I bought the van some 15 years ago and since then I have rebuilt the chassis and drive line. I have spent over $8,000 on the van so far with powder coating the chassis, control arms, inner guards, radiator support and door handles, windscreen surrounds and all the other removable black items. It has new body mount rubbers, steering and suspension, engine (been in for quite a few years now and still has not been started, may be stuffed) and I have boxes and boxes of new replacement parts. What I would like your thought on is when I bought it it had an HZ monaro front on it (GTS guards, twin headlight front) I know that after doing another HX that the decal on the guard dose not fit with GTS flutes. Shoud I get rid of the front and go back to single headlights/ non GTS guards? Unfortunately it has a sunroof in it at the moment that I want to remove, what do you think? Here is my ID tags off the van.

MODEL. HX8W M 70
BODY NO. 218695-A
TRIM. 1898-60A
PAINT. 567-15944
ENGINE L31 TRANS M41 AXLE GU4

small tag. 8M70TGL367817X


ADR TAG.

HOLDEN HX PANEL VAN A
11/76 AHX 18419A
GVW 1950 SEATING 2

I am interested to what you think, and would like to hear some ideas. Thanks for looking.
Cheers.

[husky srt]

Here are a few photos of my van. the first few are when I first got it back in 1998.

Scan0013.jpgScan0014.jpgScan0015.jpgScan0017.jpg

The following photos are taken when the chassis was done.

Scan0018.jpgScan0019.jpgScan0020.jpg

These last photos were taken the other day. It has been a while since I have done some work on it and it is covered in spider webs and dust at the moment. I couldn't take very good pictures at the moment as my shed is so full of crap.

004.jpg002.jpg003.jpg006.jpg008.jpg005.jpg

"HK1837" have you got this one recorded? Can you tell me the original engine number? What about chassis number?
Cheers

[Big Rob]

It looks great!

Leave it the way it is and get it going, and DRIVE IT! It's a classic with the GTS guards/Statesman front. That's it's history, don't change it. That's how I remember panel vans from the 70's, nobody had standard ones, everyone customised them much like yours.

Bring it for a trip down my way when you have some time.

And if you are dead set on changing it to a standard front, I'll buy the front and guards off you!

[husky srt]

Still a bit of work to be done yet. What about placement of the guard decals?

[Big Rob]

Leave them off. With GTS guards you don't need them.

[husky srt]

That's what I thought. But I still like the decal, maybe a small one instead?

[Big Rob]

It's up to you but I think it looks too busy with both.

I'm putting GTS guards on mine with side stripes, but no "Sandman". I have seen a few with both and it just doesn't look right. In my opinion, it's the way they should have been. They lost a bit of toughness when the GTS guards were deleted.

[husky srt]

I've seen them on the front of the guards before, but it makes the front look to heavy.

[Big Rob]

l.jpgYeah, it doesn't have to be how it came from the dealer, it has to look like it should have come that way. Like this one.

[husky srt]

That's it, maybe behind the doors like the HQ HJ has, but in the HX HZ style.