Hj sandy ute or rep

[mr.jones]

Thanks mr.jones..To clarify I got the build date of 76 from it being stamped 'F' on the 'vin' same as 'J4' being Melbourne, we all just trying to help connect some dot's. Tell us blacksandy what is it that has you thinkin you may have a Yellow sandy? Pic's??

I understood what you were getting at , it is probably correct to say built in 76 model year

[Dick61]

F doesn't mean 1976, it means 9/75 to 8/76. GVW will be 2200kg. It could go either way, I have plenty of V8 auto HJ Kingswood utes recorded, lots are Sandmans and lots aren't. Absinth yellow was a common colour in HJ utes.

The only chances you have to identify outside of guessing on remaining paint evidence are:
1. If you can figure out either way if it was column shift or console shift, column is Kingswood, console in Kingswood XX7.
2. Look for evidence of approx. 8mm diameter or so holes through the front of the guards, both ends of the doors and in the back of the quarters for screws to hold the side strips on, the only way for these to be deleted was with the XX7 special vehicle package. Tailgate ends should be the same, but like the doors and guards it is hard to prove if the unboltables are original.

Picking the body as original to the tags will be a bit easier with this one too, as it was a TH400 which I've rarely ever seen anyone replicate a factory installation properly.

It would have to be console wouldn't it? I haven't heard of a TH400 column shift.

[Dr Terry]

It would have to be console wouldn't it? I haven't heard of a TH400 column shift.

Column shift TH400 was quite commonplace, my B06 HZ One-Tonner has it & I believe all bench seat HJ/HX/HZ Statesman DeVilles had it too.

Dr Terry

[Valencia]

My 308 in my van came out of a HJ Vacationer wagon with a factory turbo 400 on the column i actually thought it was trimatic until we dropped the driveline to my surprise which work out good for me anyway

[blacksandy]

F doesn't mean 1976, it means 9/75 to 8/76. GVW will be 2200kg. It could go either way, I have plenty of V8 auto HJ Kingswood utes recorded, lots are Sandmans and lots aren't. Absinth yellow was a common colour in HJ utes.

The only chances you have to identify outside of guessing on remaining paint evidence are:
1. If you can figure out either way if it was column shift or console shift, column is Kingswood, console in Kingswood XX7.
2. Look for evidence of approx. 8mm diameter or so holes through the front of the guards, both ends of the doors and in the back of the quarters for screws to hold the side strips on, the only way for these to be deleted was with the XX7 special vehicle package. Tailgate ends should be the same, but like the doors and guards it is hard to prove if the unboltables are original.

Picking the body as original to the tags will be a bit easier with this one too, as it was a TH400 which I've rarely ever seen anyone replicate a factory installation properly.

Hey HK1837 checked the lic papers gvw is 2200kgs. I will check the body molding holes tonight.

It has been changed from std if it is a sandman at all. It now has a t350 and 9" and a twin headlight front so it is a bit of a bitsa.

Thankyou

[HK1837]

It would have to be console wouldn't it? I haven't heard of a TH400 column shift.

As Dr Terry says it was common, especially in HJ. Column shift TH400 was actually standard fitment in most applications where you could option it, was only standard as console shift in a few applications which if I remember correctly were:

Caprice
LE
GTS
Sandman

Some like LE and Caprice it was the standard box, others it came either with the engine (eg 350 in HQ Statesman or 308 in HJ-HZ Premier/LS) or came if auto was specced with 308.

[Vombil]

ANYONE who has a column shift selector mechanism/linkages for turbo box please PM me!

[blacksandy]

I had a look today and it has the console bracket that has been cut off under the carpet.

But it also has had some trim holes that are spaced about 8" apart along the quarters welded up that you can see when iner side panel is removed.
HK1387 you said the holes would be at either end do the std trims have holes all the way along about 8" apart?
Mabey someone fitted non genuine trims at some time.

I also have org purchase papers/book that state sandman on them that match the body number/tags.
Could this just mean someone may have riveted the tags from a sandman on a kingswood ute or dose the console bracket confirm it as a sandman?
Did any other utes have the center console bracket fitted to them.

Thanks Tim

[HK1837]

If it isn't a Sandman it will have 2 x rear "console" brackets for the seat separator, so if it is the rear one you saw that is no help. It is the front one in front of the shifter hole that will indicate a Sandman.

Sounds like accessory or aftermarket strips. Originals only had holes on the ends, with studs in betwen. Studs are the same as the ones used for teh windscreen moulds or for the moulds behind the doors on Kingswood utes.

[Taily]

I had a look today and it has the console bracket that has been cut off under the carpet.

But it also has had some trim holes that are spaced about 8" apart along the quarters welded up that you can see when iner side panel is removed.

HK1387 you said the holes would be at either end do the std trims have holes all the way along about 8" apart?
Mabey someone fitted non genuine trims at some time.

I also have org purchase papers/book that state sandman on them that match the body number/tags.
Could this just mean someone may have riveted the tags from a sandman on a kingswood ute or dose the console bracket confirm it as a sandman?
Did any other utes have the center console bracket fitted to them.

Thanks Tim

Hi Tim. These practices have been documented before from at least one dealer around that time in NSW. What options/codes are on your dealer paperwork or could you scan and post a pic of the paperwork here? Many things are possible within the intervening years from new, so unless you personally know of every owner (and what they may have done to the ute while they had it) it can be very hard to really know for sure what components it left the factory with. It does seem that a HJ 308/TH400 T-bar Kingswood ute was a desireable thing at the time, a pity the only way to order one was to "get one made".