Could this be a sandman - Chassis swap

[TwoTees]

As I said the opinion of 1 compared to the opinion of many.

I know this is a debate that may go on for ever but consider this.........

Firstly lets clear up what constitutes a Sandman? It is a GMH vehicle with a "unique number" stamped on the chassis, a GMH vehicle fitted with a body shell that has been fitted out to a Belmont/Kingswood luxury level, and then a further "sports" option package on top. All of these properties are documented in the Tag info that are fixed to the body.

Depending on where you live the local authorities use the GMH "unique number" stamped on the chassis to identify each vehicle and then they give it their own unique number.

So.........

Lets say I have a HQ Belmont ute. The least optioned, cheapest ute I could have bought from GMH. I run it over a gutter a speed and break the chassis. I find a burnt out HQ Sandman and buy its chassis to repair mine. Yes, its GMH "unique identifier" stamped into the chassis to differentiate it from the 2 million other utes out there has been changed and the relevant authorities need to be notified and paper work changed BUT........

Is it still a Belmont?

If it is no longer a Belmont, what is it?

Can I insure it as a Sandman?

Is it now worth the same money as a Sandman?

No! Its still a Belmont!

So why, if a Sandman has a chassis change, is it no longer a Sandman? It is a Sandman that has had its chassis changed and its original GMH "Unique Identifier" stamped into the chassis has been changed. So it is a non original Sandman.

Is it still a vehicle? Yes. Is it still a GMH vehicle? Yes. Is it still a GMH vehicle that was optioned up to Sandman? Yes. Just not as original as others.

[V6HQUTE]

As I said the opinion of 1 compared to the opinion of many.

I know this is a debate that may go on for ever but consider this.........

Firstly lets clear up what constitutes a Sandman? It is a GMH vehicle with a "unique number" stamped on the chassis, a GMH vehicle fitted with a body shell that has been fitted out to a Belmont/Kingswood luxury level, and then a further "sports" option package on top. All of these properties are documented in the Tag info that are fixed to the body.

Depending on where you live the local authorities use the GMH "unique number" stamped on the chassis to identify each vehicle and then they give it their own unique number.

So.........

Lets say I have a HQ Belmont ute. The least optioned, cheapest ute I could have bought from GMH. I run it over a gutter a speed and break the chassis. I find a burnt out HQ Sandman and buy its chassis to repair mine. Yes, its GMH "unique identifier" stamped into the chassis to differentiate it from the 2 million other utes out there has been changed and the relevant authorities need to be notified and paper work changed BUT........

Is it still a Belmont?

If it is no longer a Belmont, what is it?

Can I insure it as a Sandman?

Is it now worth the same money as a Sandman?

No! Its still a Belmont!

So why, if a Sandman has a chassis change, is it no longer a Sandman? It is a Sandman that has had its chassis changed and its original GMH "Unique Identifier" stamped into the chassis has been changed. So it is a non original Sandman.

Is it still a vehicle? Yes. Is it still a GMH vehicle? Yes. Is it still a GMH vehicle that was optioned up to Sandman? Yes. Just not as original as others.

i agree with you about the belmont, its still only a belmont, its the body and id tags that make it a sandman, and also this ute has a sunroof, they werent factory optioned were they, becuase the bloke i bought it off wants the sunroof, really if something happend to the chassie on a sandman, and the owner gets another, hes not going to say, i used to own a sandman until i changed the chassie, hes going to say i own a sandman.(full stop) and not mention the chassie

[Blocker]

I've seen this show before, but it's so good to watch again

[ambientgoat]

I believe the things is yes, there is a shell there that was once part of a sandman and for that sort of money it's a great find.

However before you throw your large wads of cash at fixing it, just understand that if you ever want to sell to a collector in the future they are going to check the chasis and tags for a match.

[Rico]

Well done on your purchase mate, enjoy dooin that up. As for the chassis debate: Im stayin the hell outta that cause I know sweet f.a. really. I too, was one of a few teenagers that was into cars, everyone wanted VS commodores etc, I wanted a HQ van with a filthy big V8...had to settle for a 6cyl Kingsy sedan, (HJ) still was an awesome car though!

[Vombil]

im with you Two Tees... all the way!!!!

To me the tags bear all the fruit. Anyone can grind and restamp a chassis (they can come and go- especially given they are prone to cracking etc), put the teeth on for hood lining and spot in some console mounts

[Robbo]

That's a great find, very few utes around anywhere. Enjoy the rebuild of both your utes, and the pride of ownership. Congratulations.

Cheers.

[wbute]

im with you Two Tees... all the way!!!!

To me the tags bear all the fruit. Anyone can grind and restamp a chassis (they can come and go- especially given they are prone to cracking etc), put the teeth on for hood lining and spot in some console mounts

If thats the case I am going home and putting the hx sandman ute tags on my WB ute and forgetting about doing a resto. Whats the point.
No way, the tags have to match the chassis.

[ozbox]

I've seen this show before, but it's so good to watch again

[ozbox]

all i can really say to the few that dont understand the basic principle of collectible numbers matching vehicles is ....:knockout::Chin: