Survivor HZ van, 3 on the tree 253 V8 manual, Perth

[limegreenmetallic]

image.pngimage.jpegimage.pngimage.jpegimage.pngimage.pngimage.pngHi everyone, our original HZ van is for sale. 217,000km, 4 months licence.
This is a genuine unmolested example. Only extras are dealer fitted mud flaps, steel sun shade, tow bar and one side window per side and has its hand books, including guardian maintainence manual as well, showing Sydney Atkinson motors in Perth as the selling dealer in 1978. Adelaide built and all numbers match the tags and engine, body and chassis to book. L32, M15, GV4 253 3 speed manual 3.36 ratio non LSD Salisbury diff.
Base model HOLDEN commercial, no Belmont badges by then.
So it has as you'd expect, no armrests on doors, no night/day rear view mirror, black fascia ( no choke hole for V8 has auto choke), no interior light switches on front doors, rubber floor mat, painted taillight surrounds, no rubber on handbrake, no insert on steering wheel horn pad, NO power steering etc etc, those who know all the differences will get my drift. My concessions to originality was to swap out the temperature light gauge incorporated with the fuel gauge to the Kingswood style item so as you can see the temperature as it warms up, and I've fitted a genuine fan shroud and the overflow reservoir and factory bracket as per Kingswood spec, as you guessed it, another item missing from the base model. It has a four core radiator also as pictured.
Have been through van from front to rear.
Radiator serviced, cleaned out pressure tested and new cap, running Penrith pink long life coolant.Ross Radiators. New GMB water pump, thermostat and housing/ neck to top hose, new hoses and clamps, new fan belt. Block flushed and brass drains cleared to ensure full flow around engine. New Monroe GT gas heavy duty shock absorbers, new tie rod ends and idler arm, good bushes in the control arms, new ball joints, new disc rotors and pads, new master cylinder and complete brake fluid flush, new rear shoes. Shim wheel alignment from WA suspension, 4 good tyres. Driveshaft reconditioned before I got it from Veem engineering, new heavy duty standard clutch and pressure plate/thrust bearing from Veales, refaced flywheel at Perth brake parts, new clutch cable fitted, rat trap adjusted, re bushed so easy shifting and no jamming of column shift.
Carburettor Exchange in O Connor reconditioned the matching original WW stromberg WW 2 barrel 23-3112 manual carb, replaced and set the automatic choke and reconditioned the factory distributor and fitted new vacuum advance unit, new points and condenser, reset the advance curve, new cap and leads etc.
The standard alternator has been replaced by an early 55 amp unit.
All emissions gear is there from canister to carb, pre heat stove on standard exhaust manifold with pipe to original air cleaner, factory steel choke pipes from intake manifold to auto choke, steel fuel line as original from remitted AC fuel pump, with round steel gauze filter at carb still. All vacuuming and emissions hoses replaced.
Original bench seat retrimmed in correct grain brown vinyl including its fold down centre armrest.
Dash pad has no cracks, glovebox door/ latch all works fine with original HZ keys with black head that locks the glovebox and tailgate as they did.
Engine was reconditioned at Maddington head factory in December 2007 by previous owner and runs like a clock, although no receipts for it.
Heater works amazingly well and was flushed with engine and new hoses and Gates by pass tap fitted.
Has immobiliser.
Replaced the bonnet lace rubber, the weather strips on both front doors, the top and bottom tailgate seals as well as the top gate window seal.
Has 85% original paint, acrylic Palais white.
As you can see, it's all been done after finding the vehicle on a front lawn in Perth in 2011 in long grass with a flat battery and a broken bonnet pull cable it had a snapped indicator/flasher/dip switch stalk which allowed the headlights to be on full beam and flattened the battery, licence expired, yellow plates handed in.
I relicenced it over the pits after all the said works in October 2013 and have a full folder of receipts.
All fluids have been changed regularly since including filters.
Runs great, especially out on the open road, with the 3.36 ratio, roundabouts and school zones are just a gentle acceleration in top gear and as they were, smooth cruise through. Out on the highway, acceleration from 90 to 120 is brilliant for overtaking, motor is super smooth and no rattles, run right down to 20kph under brakes at lights in top gear before needing clutch, no problems, just as we remember them. RTS is great, never been on rough roads or smoked in. Never seen hard work as rear floor is not dented or scarred. Upon previous owners purchase receipts in Perth 2005 van was only showing 105,000 km.
Hard to find good original vehicles with no problems, no leaks, could get in and drive anywhere with confidence, drive it home.
VIEWING AND DRIVING WILL SELL THE VAN
Phone
0457172574
$25,000 open to reasonable offers

[Innuendo]

That a neat old bus.

..., running Penrith pink long life coolant.

I'll have to get me some of that Penrith Pink! It's probably a lot like Penrite

[Vombil]

whats body like mate? id imagine rust and needs paint if it 40y.o and 85% original? thanks

[playwme]

whats body like mate? id imagine rust and needs paint if it 40y.o and 85% original? thanks

Gee, that's a bit negative. Plenty of good original ones out there without rust.

[Valencia]

Gee, that's a bit negative. Plenty of good original ones out there without rust.

And for that fact it want to be

[limegreenmetallic]

Sorry guys, answered on the other page, HZ for sale section, learner driver on this site.
I work regional in WA, statewide and from Albany to Kunnunurra I've seen many original paint commercial vans still on the road, a lot worse for wear than this one, but true daily drivers, oxidised paintwork from the harsh sun, never worn mag wheels, old faded number plates, and history all over their bodies, windows down, 35-45°, still towing trailers, some with, some without side windows, inspiring, wouldn't owe anyone a cent, workhorses are still out there on the back roads.

[limegreenmetallic]

I drove into Tom Price one 48° afternoon and there in front was a HZ Sandman on the hoist at the service station workshop, and another in Katanning last year in the local garage, 2 days ago a green van in the Midwest moving thru.
It's almost 2017 and they won't be making Holdens here anymore, those days of finding good clean original ones for cheap are just a memory. Keeping the opening prices high is to preserve the integrity and aim for those that appreciate a basic van that isn't pretending it's a sandman, and hoping it stays this way, column change and bench seat, Australian made.

[Vombil]

Gee, that's a bit negative. Plenty of good original ones out there without rust.

not really dude. he said he found it neglected with long grass growing around it on someones verge. perth will rust these old girls in a matter of months, not years.

[DionP]

Haha, my 3rd car at age 18 was a Sandman Panel Van......in Tom Price........and we owned the Shell Servo. Mine was a HJ, and this was 1986/7, but great to here stories like this one. Those dry Pilbara inland towns were great for preserving cars as nothing rusted at all

[limegreenmetallic]

Yeah I enjoy seeing them out there in their natural habitat, they lie around everywhere out in the remote areas, see them all the time.
Here is a wagon that gave me a heap of parts last week.
Unable to load pic, but went back after work and late afternoon downpour was imminent, could see it, smell it, sense it.
43° and humid, sitting on roof inside upturned car gently removing the factory AC system with thunder rolling and lightning beginning to flash and 12km of red dirt track back to the seal road, evening darkness closing in quick under black clouds.
Did I panic, no, got it all out, drops of random rain, wind gusts, dust in air, and if it opened up, the red dirt would've just stuck to 4WD tyres and we would be going nowhere.
But half an hour later we were back at camp checking over our prize!!
Enjoy that sort of shit WA gives you out in the bush, we knew it was dicey as even the indigenous who were drinking out there in the nowhere had already bailed.