The HJ Sandman continued on the popular but very short life of the HQ Sandman. Sales gained momentum as the popularity increased, young men wanted to be seen driving a sports ute or van and girls could only dream of dating a boy who had one.
Popular shows of the time like Number 96 and The Box only fuled the fire of young lust and wild passions that epitomised the culture of the time and the status of owning a Sandman.
The Sandman package comprised the GTS dash and GTS guards, full instrumentation, bucket seats, GTS stripes and Sandman graphics, plus V8 drivetrain (either in 253-cid or 308-cid guise) that transformed the basic ute or panel van into a sexy yet stylish, high performance 'shaggn' wagon'.