What appears to the be most popular of the Sandman series with now a V8 253 as standard and the new Radial Tuned Suspension is released! The ever popular decals remain and the Sandman is still causing mums and dad's concern. However the writing is on the wall at Holden, they are planning a big shift and the HZ Sandman will be the last, Number 96 and The Box are axed on TV and The Sullivans with their wholesome family values are highly rated. In a matter of only a few years their has been a cultural 360' and the axe falls on the Sandman in 1979.
Throughout the 1980's the customising of panel vans is hugely popular as is the ute, with raw v8 power it is the country lads dream. Many Sandman utes move to the country and also many Sandman panel vans get chopped down to utes as their popularity wanes. The icon is not dead, just waiting to rise again to be remembered and restored again.
Till the very end the Sandman package changed the way Australians used their cars the Sandman gave the workman a trusty storage or labourers vehicle in the form of a van or ute - and on weekends it was transformed into a powerful get-away car, with enough room for a tent, swag or a bunch of surf boards for the beach.