Value of a Sandman or The Never Ending Story

[Valencia]

At the end of the day there worth what someone will pay for them simple
good luck with the sale

[Taily]

Where do you stop is dead right. I started off doing some cleaning-up of the interior carpet and dash pad etc, then looked at a few areas of the outside where the paint on a previous small body repair in the late 70's was showing its age. Then I took a good look at the whole thing and thought even though it was straight enough and only had two small rust repairs needed about the size of a 5 cent piece each that it could really do with a tidy-up across the board.....

Started into it, found a few things like painted-over blackouts and other things that seemed odd about my ute (rivetted on sidestrips on the doors and rear panels only, console mounts etc), did a bit of homework about a few things that then led me here. Realised what I had in my possession and thought I really should give this thing what it deserves. The only thing I wont end-up doing is pulling the body completely off the chassis (doesn't need it except to replace the slightly perished mount rubbers).

I'm lucky I can do most of the work myself (given the time to do it), or at least have a panel beater neighbour who is easily enticed with the right grog (afterwards of course) to get the panels dead straight before the paint. The paint itself and the spraypainter I'm more than happy to pay for as I have no real exposure to using 2 pack. I reckon I'll get out of it cheap at 12-15K all up including EFI stroker engine and rebuilt TH400 (main cost of the engine was the COME racing crank kit and the engine machining - $4.5K including the reco'd heads), and the auto (basic kit through it, no major issues for $1450 including a new dominator converter) as I'd rather pay someone who does them for a living to get it right first time so both of the big dollar items apart from the paint. There wont be much on the ute that hasn't either been reco-d or replaced or repaired back to "as new" when it is all over. I am lucky I started with something that was in very good nick to begin with and with the preventative work that has and will be done on the rest of should see me out in 30 years time....

I'd hate to be paying someone for the time it takes to do some of this stuff properly. Stuff that isn't fun like sand blasting bits and pieces, rims etc, cleaning and removing old paint and years of built up crud (the red sand staining was interesting in some areas from the many years my wife and I spent in the NT and Western Qld) from underneath. Single income now with a 2.5 y.o son doesn't leave a hell of a lot of $$ for this sort of thing and I guess that (in relation to the point being made about how many unfinished projects end-up on the market) I am lucky that mine wont (as I've set a timetable of events and $$ that is easy enough to keep to), but I do understand people getting half way in and then losing time and/or interest and then flogging-off what is left just to be rid of it.

So much for a quick neaten up of mine... I wouldn't change a thing though.

[buck]

I dont think its only sandmans values that are a bit out of whack, I see a couple of blokes asking in the low to mid 20s for wb utes aswell, but i think things will settle down , just like the gt falcons.
A lot of people buy these cars because a mate or family member had one, then they get board and move on to the next fad.
My old man saw an aston martin db4 which he could have bought for $4500 dollars in the mid 70s, they are currently asking $718,000 because of the silly bond car fad at the moment.

[hqgts]

Try building a sandman part by part...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/290834659...9#ht_602wt_714

[buck]

yeah must admit, its a lot cheaper to have a couple of old wrecks lying around if you have the room.
I know what you mean though, had to pay $150 for a set of mirrors and i only wanted the glass and metal insert out of 1 of them.

[Blocker]

So what do you think is driving the prices up of panel vans and utes.. or just classic in general?

I reckon one could pick up a few Datsun 120Y's pretty cheap.

[wbute]

It's the generation who owned them in the 70's now have the disposable cash to relive their youth.

[Robbo]

I tend to agree with James as I am from that generation, having owned one previously.Although I would not pay top dollar, I have thought long and hard on purchasing another.

Cheers.

[adam perth]

chassis and tags suit rebody from $2k
solid unit suit restorer, $6K entry level

solid daily driver for future resto, $12K

Solid all round daily driver / weekender $16 K

restored car with a few things incorrect $25K

restored up Upwards of $30K.


more $$ for windlowless,
more $$$ for L31
More $$for HQ>HZ>HJ>HX
More $$ for brisbane XX7 tagged cars
More $$$ for funky colour
More $$$ for matching numbers across the board.

More $$$ for a Van over a ute ( i will go get some popcorn now lolol)

I think the sandman has a little more upward to go in value still to go. I think they will match the 2 door monaro equivalents with the exception of the 350 versions and the HX LE

[Alien DNA]

That fact that people don't realize what a Sandman actually surprises me.... tell them its basically a GTS Monaro in a panelvan shell.....you can see the light switch on after a few seconds.

Another point i feel that will keep pushing the prices up is how many have actually survived the van craze of the 70s to now. There has been a few guys on here saying that back in the day, Sandmans were regularly pimped and modified....was the norm back then!! So there's a chance that some Sandmans vanished into obscurity....ended up on a farm or some teenager wrapped it around a pole or drove it into a lake or any number of happenings.

I believe Adam perth is spot on...they still have a way to go till they max in price