Help with identifying this van please.

[sundowner]

I am new to this forum. I own a HJ van which I purchased from the original owner about 5 years ago.
This van has not been molestered in any way, and comes with ALL of the sandman features, except the paint black outs. It was also delivered without the decals, as the original owner says he didn't want them. He was in his early eighties when I purchased the car from him. The cars details are as follows.
Model HJ8WM70
Body No 178200-A
Trim 1887-19V
Paint 568-15950
Engine L20 Trans M20 RRaxle GV7
Built 12/75 BHJ 46408A GVW1860kg Seating Cap 2
8M70LFL33297OJ
Tyre placard sticker in glovebox part no; 9941013
Any advice would be appreciated.

[hqgts]

Others will know better than me but chamois with black interior is an unusual combo... Cant say ive seen it before... Its a possibility... You would need to check for other things like full length headlining, and centre console brackets Plus the usual bits such as gts Console, gts steering wheel, rally wheels etc.

[sundowner]

Thanks hqgts for your reply. As I mentioned this van has all of the usual sandman extras, including full length head lining, full gts instrumentation including original centre consol, etc. The original owner, whom I still see a couple of times a year, swears he ordered a six cylinder sandman without the decals when he purchased the car. Unfortunately he no longer has the original paperwork.

[hqgts]

It sounds like a good thing, full lengthheadlining puts it in the highly probable category, Byron will come on and run his expert eye over it.... Does it have a single or twin headlight front?

[Innuendo]

These is no problem with the fact it's a 6 Cyl/4 Speed nor the fact the stripes were not in place. Ordering this way was common.
It should have fluted guards and single light front (meaning single 7" headlight each side).

Regards, Smooth

[sundowner]

Hi Smooth. Yes the van has original fluted guards, not welded in ones, and single head lights as per HJ.

[mauser]

I think unless its had a body swap with a Hx/Z (The firewall would be wrong) the only way to get a full headling/console mounts etc in a HJ was a Sandman. No Kingswood vans in a HJ.

Well done.

Mauser

[hqgts]

Ambulance pack in HJ had full length headlining and twin headlight front (its why i asked) but being an L20 i doubt it was an ambulance pack anyway.

[HK1837]

Certainly ticks most of the boxes for a HJ Sandman. It actually has an optional engine, the 3.3. Standard at this time was a 2.85L. Does it have front drums? These were also standard on HJ Sandman until 3/76 when discs became standard on most HJ.
Stripes are a no brainer. These were dealer fitment so they just weren't fitted.
The console brackets are the dead giveaway - if it has those factory fitted it is a Sandman. Note that HJ front bracket is different to HX-WB. Except for the GTS guards everything else on HJ Sandman was possible for factory fitment on a HJ Holden van, including the full headlining (although virtually unheard of outside Sandman in HJ). Blackouts were mandatory on Sandman, if it doesn't have those it has either been repainted or it isn't a Sandman. They can be buffed off though, but hard in some spots!

As Al says Chamois with black trim is pretty uncommon. I only have 4 x Sandmans like this, 3 x HJ's and a HX. All vans.

I have 14 x 6cyl HJ Sandmans recorded, and another 9 x possibles. 13 of the 14 are 202, 1 x 173. All 9 possibles are 202.

[HK1837]

Ambulance pack in HJ had full length headlining and twin headlight front (its why i asked) but being an L20 i doubt it was an ambulance pack anyway.

Not in HJ Al as far as I know. Only when it was exercised on a Kingswood van in HX/Z, or if B30 comfort pack was optioned on a HJ non Sandman (carpet and full headlining). I don't think too many people went for this due to cost. This was the only way to get carpet in a van, and dealer would have just fitted carpet at a much lower cost.