hq sandman?

[HK1837]

Thats the numbers ive heard mate. From memory Byron has 70 odd vans and 15 odd utes recorded i think...Byron might correct me on that. But i know they were limited in their build numbers Only built for 9 months dont forget

I'd heard 100 in the past too, but I don't believe it anymore. It may be 100 from a particular assembly plant.

My best guess is the original build for sale in early 1974 was only 100, and this is why we only see them in particular driveline combinations and trim. After that initial build were sold (let's say by May 1974) you could order them how you wanted and this may explain the few rarer trims (like 38J) and autos that exist later. You'd have to have been quick though as any orders after the start of July would probably ended up being HJ.

[mauser]

The 100 built fable was quoted in the recent Vans book as well.. Is it written in any Holden Advertising or Dealer material or just hearsay? Maybe it was uttered by some Holden executive during the launch but to be so widely disseminated you would think it was in a Motor Magazine report or something!!!

Mauser

[HK1837]

I'd only ever head it. It can't be 100 total. Must be the initial run of Sandmans (possibly 1-3/74 build).
I have:
1 x 1/74 build Sandman, Acacia Ridge van (this is the L31 M21 Saffron one i've had for years).
4 x 2/74 build Sandmans or possibles recorded, 3 x Acacia Ridge, 1 x Elizabeth.
24 x 3/74 build Sandmans or possibles recorded all Elizabeth and Pagewood except for 1 x Dandenong and 2 x Acacia Ridge.

Plus the pilot/prototype from late in 1972 (a Kingswood ute).

They are all 30, 39 or 35 trim other than the 10E trim on the pilot.

There are only dribbles of them after that, apart from 16 in July 1974:

7 x 4/74
9 x 5/74
5 x 6/74
16 x 7/74
6 x 8/74
2 x 9/74

[Alien DNA]

My best guess is the original build for sale in early 1974 was only 100, and this is why we only see them in particular driveline combinations and trim. After that initial build were sold (let's say by May 1974) you could order them how you wanted and this may explain the few rarer trims (like 38J) and autos that exist later. You'd have to have been quick though as any orders after the start of July would probably ended up being HJ.

Assuming the first 100 were built like you said early 1974 (do you have a production start date? Whats the earliest hq sandy you have recorded? )....then by early July changing to HJ.... that would make production life around 7 months!! Making the 9 month theory wrong as well! Correct to assume that as well?

That being said, assumption is the mother of all stuff ups

[hqgts]

Maybe it was an initial run to test the market.... Similar to HQSS and thats where the 100 comes from... However the first run of HQSS was something like 1200 so i dont think a run of 100 would be very thorough sales analysis.. 100 could sell quite quickly and give you a false impression when trying to forecast sales volumes of an untried model......Just a thought

[hqgts]

I will be hoping to add to that list in the next month as I am finally getting access to what is supposed to be a HQ sandman van that i have been bugging this guy about for a year.... Fingers crossed

[HK1837]

Assuming the first 100 were built like you said early 1974 (do you have a production start date? Whats the earliest hq sandy you have recorded? )....then by early July changing to HJ.... that would make production life around 7 months!! Making the 9 month theory wrong as well! Correct to assume that as well?

That being said, assumption is the mother of all stuff ups

The earliest is the one x 1/74 I have recorded, other than the late '72 Pilot.

By July I meant ordered in July. HQ orders for new production (as opposed to ordering out of plant stock or unallocated vehicles off the schedule) would have closed off sometime around July, if you ordered past that time you probably wouldn't be ordering a HQ. HQ's were produced into September. Some of the plants didn't build a Sandman until February 1974.

[Duc1991]

Mella, Could you PM me the details of the HJ Sandman as I am interested.

[Kingcoffee]

The earliest is the one x 1/74 I have recorded, other than the late '72 Pilot.

By July I meant ordered in July. HQ orders for new production (as opposed to ordering out of plant stock or unallocated vehicles off the schedule) would have closed off sometime around July, if you ordered past that time you probably wouldn't be ordering a HQ. HQ's were produced into September. Some of the plants didn't build a Sandman until February 1974.

That's a large gap between 72 and 74 could it be possible there they started before 1/74?

[HK1837]

No. Sandman production didn't start until 1974 with the remote possibility of a car or so in December '73.