Dealer Built Sandman????

[Martin Hubbard]

Hi guys, I've just joined to help my computer illiterate mate try to verify the HZ Ute he has is actually a Sandman. Firstly, He has been told Holden authorized major dealers like Patterson Cheeney etc to build Sandmans and he claims this one was ordered by Kevin Denis Motors. Is this possible? The car has the base model 8WN80 code but everything else points to it being a Sandman ID plates are as follows
VIN 8N8ORHL4193517

2ND Plate next to VIN on RHS
Holden Utility 7-78
B42 24797A

1900 2
G/W kg Seating Capacity

3RD Plate on LHS
Model 8WN80
Body 419351-A
Trim 1931-63V
Paint 568 - 30522
Eng L32 Trans M20 Rear Axle CV4

[davegmh]

As far as I'm aware 8WN80 in the HZ model is not a Sandman. It's a Kingswood

[Alien DNA]

Kingswood it is

[playwme]

1900 GVM? That seems even lower than it should be.

Edit. Just noticed it's a ute. Think Utes were 1860kg if a Sandman?

If a dealer was "building" a sandman then obviously they could do it with a Kingswood and it wouldn't have the correct GVM. It's a story I've never heard here before though. I assume the guy he bought it off told him that information?

Of course, even if the story were true, it would be borderline impossible to verify for a particular car and no-one would be interested in paying Sandman dollars with the plates not lining up.
Might be worth spending the $90 on a Holden Historical Services report and see what comes up.

It's still pretty cool though. Colour is Panama Green, which you don't see that often.

[Innuendo]

Dealers built mock Sandman's that is 100% true. But that doesn't make them a real factory Sandman.
Some did a really good job and others simply added some stripes and wheels and pumped them out.
Kevin Dennis was known for custom vans & utes. He sold many ex-show vans and neat street vans & utes.

kevin_dennis_motors.jpg

[Blocker]

Thanks Innuendo great reply.
I used to drive past and work around the corner of Kevin Dennis in Richmond, I had my eye on a couple cars in his yard as a young fella.

[wbute]

It will never be a Sandman by the numbers. HZ Kingswood. There is nothing specific on the plates indicating anything other than a well optioned Kingswood.
Still makes a nice ute though. Is there anything to suggest it was built to be special by the dealer like GTS front or guards? That would be kind of cool if you could prove they were on it from new.

[Big Rob]

Back in the day, nobody cared if their van (or ute) was a Sandman or not. The dealers building upgraded ones just pulled stuff from the spare parts dept and made Statesman and GTS vans and utes to pull the customers in.

As long as a van had a Statesman front or GTS guards, bucket seats and mag wheels it was a guaranteed quick sale.

Some of the top custom vans weren't Sandmans because the builder would chuck so much of the van away it didn't make sense to pay for stuff you weren't going to use.... sound systems replaced standard radios on day one and standard wheels were replaced by mags the same day.
A lot of dealers woke up to this and fitted stuff so they would increase their profits.

[Innuendo]

Back in the day, nobody cared if their van (or ute) was a Sandman or not.

True fact! Truth is most didn't want it to be a Sandman at all. Sandman options were fine, but nothing that declared it a Sandman. Thus the DL7 Delete Stripes option come the HX/HZ.

[wbute]

True fact! Truth is most didn't want it to be a Sandman at all. Sandman options were fine, but nothing that declared it a Sandman. Thus the DL7 Delete Stripes option come the HX/HZ.

They dropped it completely by WB. 6 years till people got sick of it.