Please help me identify my van

[Bobcat68]

Hello everyone, I am trying to determine whether my van is a Sandman or not? Any help will be very much appreciated. Her details are:
HZ8WM70
body number
trim 1937-63V
paint 567-30528
L31 (5.0) M21 (close ratio 4 speed manual) GU4 (3.08 ratio diff)
8M70 TJL (then the body number ending with a) Z
GVW 2000 seating capacity 2
From my understanding she is an Adelaide built vehicle (so no XX7 on the compliance plate)
She still has her full headlining, sports dash instruments, original sports steering wheel with the round rubber horn pad & has the 4 headlight front end. But she had a silver grille & with silver headlight surrounds when i bought it & Chrome mirrors Not the colour coded GTS style mirrors, but as she was already 12 years old when I got her I don't know what she came out of the factory with? Did any come out of the factory like this?
I have owned this van since I was 20 (I'm now 50) & I have never been able fully verify her. I have tried Holden Historical services. but the only information they could give me is that all of my plates are correct for my vehicle, So that is good news in itself & because my vehicle is a 10/78 build & Holden's (unfortunately) outsourced all of the information from 08/78 they don't have anymore information about her.
I have checked the glovebox lid for the tyre placard but it seems that is from a HX sedan so no joy there either!
Thanks in advance & cheers from Bobcat68

[Innuendo]

Saddle Tan Metallic is the paint colour.
Buckskin Trim.

From what you have supplied there is nothing to say it's not a Sandman.
Confirming it is more difficult. If you had the owners manual and sales papers that would give it away for sure.
Black-Outs should help. Door Handles? (Should be Black, never chromed) Sills, around door Window Frames, Top Tailgate Window.
Mirrors should be body colour. Headlight surrounds and grill should be blacked out.

So your looking for spare wheel lift ring. Full Head Lining, Factory console mounts.
Factory decals? Evidence of?

Ben goes off evidence and Holden papers, he uses Byron for Sandman ID's for an educated opinion. If you get the green light from either you'd be pretty safe.
That said, if you can find the evidence I've suggested you'll be well on your way.

[Bobcat68]

Saddle Tan Metallic is the paint colour.
Buckskin Trim.

From what you have supplied there is nothing to say it's not a Sandman.
Confirming it is more difficult. If you had the owners manual and sales papers that would give it away for sure.
Black-Outs should help. Door Handles? (Should be Black, never chromed) Sills, around door Window Frames, Top Tailgate Window.
Mirrors should be body colour. Headlight surrounds and grill should be blacked out.

So your looking for spare wheel lift ring. Full Head Lining, Factory console mounts.
Factory decals? Evidence of?

Ben goes off evidence and Holden papers, he uses Byron for Sandman ID's for an educated opinion. If you get the green light from either you'd be pretty safe.
That said, if you can find the evidence I've suggested you'll be well on your way.

Unfortunately when I bought the car all the books were missing. She has the short console, Black door handles & the blackouts & she had the side stripes but no rear or side SANDMAN decals. I had LPG fitted back in the 90s & ill have to see if the spare wheel carrier is still in my Dads shed ( he's a bit of a hoarder so its probably still there lol) Thanks for your help & Cheers PS How do I contact Ben or Byron?

[Innuendo]

Unfortunately when I bought the car all the books were missing. She has the short console, Black door handles & the blackouts & she had the side stripes but no rear or side SANDMAN decals. I had LPG fitted back in the 90s & ill have to see if the spare wheel carrier is still in my Dads shed ( he's a bit of a hoarder so its probably still there lol) Thanks for your help & Cheers PS How do I contact Ben or Byron?

Short console is known as a seat separator and not Sandman. Lifting the carpet and looking for evidence of the front full console mount would be worth investigation.
Decals were often not ordered in '78 people didn't want them. Not uncommon to have the Sandman words deleted either. Ben is HHS and Byron doesn't visit this forum anymore.
Post some photo's!

[Valencia]

I would say its a Sandman but the blackouts would help

[Bobcat68]

Thanks, She has the Blackouts & console.

[wbute]

Console mounts need to be there but don’t prove it’s a Sandman. They were available on any HZ commercial.
The thing that concerns me is it has parts out of the wrong vehicle (glovebox lid) and short seat seperator. You want to find evidence it was a Sandman, not evidence it wasn’t.
I think there is a particular fuse in the wiring harnesses that was only on cars with the factory fitted twin headlight front, which is another thing to identify it.
I assume the dash has yellow needles?
Yes B06 came with the silver grill and standard mirrors, but not the black door handles. HHS would have told you if it was B06 though(B06 was sort of an ambulance pack, available on utes,vans and one tonners).

[wbute]

Actually, console mounts prove nothing on that van at all, it’s a factory floor shift so they were definitely there, Sandman or not. I think that if HHS can’t definitely confirm it then you will never know. It sounds like the only specific Sandman detail left is the black door handles and they need to be plain diecast and never chromed.

[Sandaro]

GVM of 2000kg is a sandman. If your chassis number matches that on the plate then 100% match. Only Sandman had this GVM. Consoles and the like obviously changed over the years, but a sandman no less

[pj350]

What sandaro said said very in portent that chassis matches compliance plates ...and all the stuff innuendo said ...
Again it is sounding like it ...
Gee you have had the car a while ...think you could have been able trace the history prior