hj and hz vans

[jas]

hi i have a couple of vans and would like to know are they sandmans.im pretty sure hj van is but not sure about the hz. the original owner was a old guy who wanted a 6cly sandman. i know they only made v8 hz sandman but is there dealer ordered sandman or has it just had all the bits fitted to a sandard van. it has all sandman features. heres all the numbers,
model hj8wm70 xx7
body 361728b
trim 1890 60v
paint 568 15953
l32 m20 gu4

8m70rfh361728j
9/75 bhj 17406b
gvw 2200kg seating cap. 2
tyre 9930173

model hz8wm70
body 475223b
trim 2273 67c
paint x-11714
l20 m40 gv7
8m70ljh475223z
1/79 chz 21142b
gvw 2155kg seating cap. 2

thanks

[playwme]

HJ is good, XX7 on the plates confirms that. Mandarin red, 253 with a 4 speed.

Hz is likely a heavily optioned 6 cylinder van or built up at some stage with all the good parts.

[HK1837]

HJ is. HZ definitely not, as you state all HZ Sandmans were V8 and there never was any such thing as a dealer Sandman. Basically everything that was fitted in the body plant or on the assembly line on a Sandman was optional on a Holden van other than the Lukey mirrors, blackouts and chin spoiler. Quad headlight front came standard with the B06 special vehicle package on a Holden or Kingswood van. It is a special order colour though, Vermillion Fire. Not a colour you see too often. The X from memory is Acacia Ridge's way of showing a special order colour from memory. I'd love photos of the HZ's tags if that is possible.

[playwme]

What was vermillion fire for Byron? Aust post? I found a Torana reference to it that said "fleet". Very vague details though.

[mauser]

Aust Post had its own paint code in HQ. I have seen a panel van and a ute go through Ebay with the code for Aust Post.

Mauser

[jas]

hi how do I get photos to you?

[Mousey]

HJ is. HZ definitely not, as you state all HZ Sandmans were V8 and there never was any such thing as a dealer Sandman. Basically everything that was fitted in the body plant or on the assembly line on a Sandman was optional on a Holden van other than the Lukey mirrors, blackouts and chin spoiler. Quad headlight front came standard with the B06 special vehicle package on a Holden or Kingswood van. It is a special order colour though, Vermillion Fire. Not a colour you see too often. The X from memory is Acacia Ridge's way of showing a special order colour from memory. I'd love photos of the HZ's tags if that is possible.

Hi all,

A late response I know, but I just came across this thread while looking for something else and might be able to offer an explanation as to what a Ford colour is doing on a Holden and why. "Vermillion Fire" was a 1970 Ford colour as you probably know, in fact the ford works team Moffat/Gibson XW and XY's were painted this colour, but it wasn't called that. "Vermillion Fire" is the 'civilian' title for the fleet colour known as Brambles Red, identical colour and paint formula, just a different name. So it is possible that this van was a Brambles fleet vehicle. I was told they also had XT panel vans by someone who drove them. For Fords a fleet colour is indicated by F, or EY, or Y then a number. Brambles Red is code 'F117' and Vermillion Fire is code '6' but they are one and the same.

It may surprise you but there were Fords also painted in Holden colours like Royal Umber for example and there were XC Falcons painted in various Valiant colours (eg recency red) because there was some sort of paint strike at this time which had the manufacturers lending paint to each other.

Additional trivia is in 1972 during the transition to group C, Ford still wanted to run Phase 3's because the XA hadn't been fully developed but they couldn't find one so they got hold of a privately owned White XY Ph3 and put a coat of Brambles Red (aka Vermillion Fire) over the top of it, which is now in the Bowden collection. There are plenty of references in more detail to all this stuff in magazines and on websites but regarding the HZ my guess is it was probably a Brambles fleet van.

Mousey

[playwme]

Awesome explanation Mousey. Thanks for dropping in to let us know.

[playwme]

Good work Byron. I was just googling trying to find out that wierd paint code.

[HK1837]

PMG red is paint code 900, Dulon code 568-105.

I'n not sure on the significance of Vermillion Fire, it may well be given another name when used for Fleet application like Lina Mint is called Turnpike Green on Chevy trucks.