Hx panelvan project car

[higherground]

Hi everyone , I am in the process of having this old girl being returned to her former beauty !! She was probably not to far off from going to the crusher , badly rusted drivers side A pillar , sills , both floors , roof gutters , etc etc , currently in the process of sand blasting and then metal replacement which will include the side windows . I know it's probably been done a hundred times , but I'm a sucker for holden mandarin red and the sandman stripes , have all the gts parts to transform the car into a sandman clone , it runs a 253 and trimatic , will also be fitting power steering to make it a little easier for my wife to drive . Hopefully should be back on road this summer . I will update with photo's as work progresses , I am very lucky to have a panel beater that has just started working from home so paint and rust repairs will be around the 10g mark !!

[Flamenco_not_Flamingo]

Hi everyone , I am in the process of having this old girl being returned to her former beauty !! She was probably not to far off from going to the crusher , badly rusted drivers side A pillar , sills , both floors , roof gutters , etc etc , currently in the process of sand blasting and then metal replacement which will include the side windows . I know it's probably been done a hundred times , but I'm a sucker for holden mandarin red and the sandman stripes , have all the gts parts to transform the car into a sandman clone , it runs a 253 and trimatic , will also be fitting power steering to make it a little easier for my wife to drive . Hopefully should be back on road this summer . I will update with photo's as work progresses , I am very lucky to have a panel beater that has just started working from home so paint and rust repairs will be around the 10g mark !!

Good one mate.

Good luck with it, sounds great.

You did well with scoring a panel beater etc, that's half your battle worked out.

Last thing,only my opinion, HX's look way better in Papaya lol.

Attachment 10737

[higherground]

Wow that is nice , is that your ride ??

[Flamenco_not_Flamingo]

Wow that is nice , is that your ride ??

Thanks mate and yes it is.

[HK1837]

Nice one. Might be too late but one word of advice, spending that sort of $ on repairs you probably should have bought a rusty Sandman shell and did it using all useable bits off your HX.

[higherground]

Not a bad point , unfortunately finding a sandman let alone a holden panel van locally wasn't easy down here !! The old girl cost me the grand sum of $1500 with a few months rego on her !! I've taken the lpg off the car and will be relocating the spare wheel back where it belongs . Mechanically the vehicle is very strong and drives beautifully , the trimatic changes well and the 253 has that lovely burble especially when she kicks down going up a hill . Even though she had seen better days body wise , I still received quite a few thumbs up from other motorists !! I think nostalgia plays a big part with these cars . This is my first van and my first ever project car , it'll be a keeper once finished and I'll feel more comfortable knowing that the body work has been done properly , rather than buying something thats been tarted up . My investment so far including purchase price is nearing the $5000 mark with all the gts bits and pieces and rust panels ,paint and panel under way and then hood lining , seats and door trims , carpet etc to finish off . Hopefully the vehicle will be finished by xmas

[Flamenco_not_Flamingo]

Not a bad point , unfortunately finding a sandman let alone a holden panel van locally wasn't easy down here !! The old girl cost me the grand sum of $1500 with a few months rego on her !! I've taken the lpg off the car and will be relocating the spare wheel back where it belongs . Mechanically the vehicle is very strong and drives beautifully , the trimatic changes well and the 253 has that lovely burble especially when she kicks down going up a hill . Even though she had seen better days body wise , I still received quite a few thumbs up from other motorists !! I think nostalgia plays a big part with these cars . This is my first van and my first ever project car , it'll be a keeper once finished and I'll feel more comfortable knowing that the body work has been done properly , rather than buying something thats been tarted up . My investment so far including purchase price is nearing the $5000 mark with all the gts bits and pieces and rust panels ,paint and panel under way and then hood lining , seats and door trims , carpet etc to finish off . Hopefully the vehicle will be finished by xmas

Well mate, your money your choice.

Sounds like you have it under control and if its a keeper, do what you want, even if its not a keeper do what you want.

[Valencia]

Just do it you only live once enjoy the ride with your project

[playwme]

That's not exactly surface rust in that pillar. Hope your panelbeater has checked it all over properly so you don't get jerked around. $15k is a lot for a shiny car with an old interior and driveline.

[HK1837]

Not a bad point , unfortunately finding a sandman let alone a holden panel van locally wasn't easy down here !! The old girl cost me the grand sum of $1500 with a few months rego on her !! I've taken the lpg off the car and will be relocating the spare wheel back where it belongs . Mechanically the vehicle is very strong and drives beautifully , the trimatic changes well and the 253 has that lovely burble especially when she kicks down going up a hill . Even though she had seen better days body wise , I still received quite a few thumbs up from other motorists !! I think nostalgia plays a big part with these cars . This is my first van and my first ever project car , it'll be a keeper once finished and I'll feel more comfortable knowing that the body work has been done properly , rather than buying something thats been tarted up . My investment so far including purchase price is nearing the $5000 mark with all the gts bits and pieces and rust panels ,paint and panel under way and then hood lining , seats and door trims , carpet etc to finish off . Hopefully the vehicle will be finished by xmas

No worries. Just trying to give you some advice from years of stuffing around with these old girls. As soon as I see rust like is in that pillar and cowl I start looking at the car as parts only. Sure it can be fixed, but when you see what you can buy in a replica for $20k (like the yellow HQ that has been on Ebay a few times) you really gotta start scratching the head! Just suggesting that maybe spending the same resto $ on a Sandman shell might be worth the effort in the end.
But it is your money and time, so enjoy.

Sorry for the 2nd bit of advice - NEVER say "i'll never sell it"! One of the biggest mistakes one can ever make!