American Reacts to The Groovy Holden SANDMAN
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
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They are cool, the one with the arch was a extra add in, also i have never seen one with red interior like in your video that was a first. The thing i love about the SANDMAN is they came with the GTS MONARO options, the Dash, the steering wheel and wheels
the running gear generally was the 253 V8 with the M20 4speed manual gearbox, 308 had the M21 and the diff was a 3•36 or the 3•55 ratio open center borgwarner NOT the LSD, the 308 was i think a customer extra option. The emissions where a problem for power so what people did is they took the heads from the HQ Holden V8 which had no emissions did a swap but left all the emission pipes to hide the fact.
Thanks for the shout out and doing a SANDMAN video.
👍🤠 🍻
There were a few 4wd vans made in Tasmania , they were called the Overlanders I own the last one built in 1978, I also own the later 2003 model Sandman though many criticised this model because the top canopy is fibreglass and the window was left in when GMH Australia converted a ute into the Sandman Van
"If this van is Rocking don't bother Knocking" I had one back then they were called Shaggin Wagon's another sticker was "Don't laugh your daughter might be in Here" it was in the era of Keep on Trucking " all decked out in the back with a TV brings back great memories for this old man. Peace out.
"Don't laugh. Your daughter might be in here". 😂 😂 😂
I was a Ford man, and have to admit General Motors Holden, (GMH) won the Baby Making Race with the Sandman!
The Aussie population would be down several million today, had it not been for the Sandman!
G'day Ian, I had the Ford equivalent which was called a sundowner. It was decked out in the back with velvet walls and mattress and had a roof console between the seats with stereo and tape deck. Many great memories where made in that car. It was a 351 Cleveland with 4spd box
Mine had a 5 inch black & white TV in the back.
I remember that sticker! What a nostalgia trip. ☮️
The old shaggin' wagon, memories.😁👍🇦🇺
If the van is rockin dont come knockin!!
Don't laugh it may be your daughter inside
That was my immediate thought! The Shaggin Wagon!!
The "Shagin' Wagon" was Great fun at the Drive-In. The wagons were sent to the back row though because we (everyone with a wagon) would park with the rear-facing the screen, and rear tailgate open and up, so we could lay on the mattress and watch the movie. Because you weren't cool if you didn't have a mattress 🤣🤣 If there was any car parked behind you, they couldn't see the screen. Plus, of course, we had roof racks with surfboards on top as well. Memories...light the corners of my mind...misty watercolour memories...of the way we were..
Imagine the look of horror on my parents’ face when my boyfriend rocked up in his shaggin’ wagon! 😱😂 Caused many discussions (arguments) & not so nice judgements. Totally understandable considering their reputation 😎
He also had a P.A system wired in so he could be heard when calling out his mates as he drove around town. I was usually hiding on the floor, under the dash, with embarrassment. You can imagine the fun he had with that & the things he would say! 😳
In this instance said boyfriend became my (still) husband so all the fuss was for nothing 🤣🤣 Great times!
🤣 I had forgotten about the PA systems.
@@Lizards_Lounge I’ll never forget🤦🏼♀️ 😆
@@Reneesillycar74 lol yea, sounds like he embarrased you good.
But now can be remembered as 'good times' that you can have a laugh about.
Australias cultureback.then was awesome !!
Has he still got it? If not...WHY!!!?
@@geoffprice5357 because it ended up having too much rust 😭 He bought it for a couple of hundred $, 30 years ago. Such a shame we didn’t know then, what we know now ✌🏼
A friend of mine (he sadly passed away last year) was a graphic designer at General Motors Holden and amongst many tasks designed the graphic and logo for the Sandman. What a legacy.
Remember: If the Sandman's rockin', Don't come knockin'!
Here is the history of the panel van i hope you find it interesting happy reading :)
The first Holden panel van produced in Australia was the FJ Holden, which was released in December 1953, although many manufacturers offered panel vans in their range prior to this.Like many Australian panel vans, it was based on a corresponding ute and station wagon models. In May 1961, Ford Australia released a panel van version of the XK Falcon, marketed as the "sedan delivery" body style.[39] The first panel van by Chrysler Valiant was part of the CL Valiant model range and was introduced in April 1977.
Panel vans' combination of cargo space and customisable interior in a relatively compact vehicle made them attractive to painters, electricians, general labourers and film crews.[41] Australian police forces also used panel vans (nicknamed "divvy vans" or "paddywagons") Early Australian panel vans used swing-down and -up tailgates and a standard roof height, indicative of their ute and station wagon/sedan delivery origins. In the mid 60s first Holden, then Ford introduced unique rooflines to their panelvan models. These were higher than the previous stagion wagon based roof, giving greater cargo space and functionality. In the early 70s, Ford introduced horizontally opening rear doors (nicknamed "barn doors")
By the early 1970s, when panel vans were in decline in America, they had become cultural icons in Australia.[43] The most popular model was the Holden Sandman, which was marketed to surfing lifestyle.[44][45] The first Sandman was built in small quantities in 1974 in the HQ model range, but the model's popularity greatly increased in the subsequent HJ generation, which was released in October 1974. In the 1979 movie Mad Max, a modified 1975 HJ Sandman model was one of the vehicles driven by the lead character (played by Mel Gibson).
Ford's competitor to the Sandman was the Surferoo, which was introduced into the XB Falcon model range in 1973.In 1977, the Surferoo was replaced by the more popular Sundowner, in the XC Falcon range.[46][44] The traditional tailgate style doors were also reintroduced as an option with the XC range.
In 1976, Chrysler released a similar model called the Drifter, which was part of the Chrysler CL Valiant product range. The Drifter ceased production in 1978.
Younger drivers were especially attracted to panel vans, not least because of the ease with which a mattress could be installed within the cargo bay. Consequently, panel vans also attracted nicknames such as "sin bins," and "shaggin' wagons".[51][52] During the 1970s many Australian panel van owners took to applying airbrush mural art to the sides of their vans, paralleling a similar trend in America.[53] Along with Volkswagen Kombi micro-busses, panel vans were popular with surfers, who could sleep in the cargo bay while carrying surfboards on the roof. By the end of 1979, the Sandman had largely lost its place in the contemporary Australian youth culture - order figures were down and many of the vehicles were now being sold with the stripes and tailgate logos deleted. The final Sandman was in the Holden HZ series and featured V8 engines only, along with a four-headlight grille and under bumper front spoiler. In 1979, a basic HZ Holden panel van was priced at A$6,076, with the Sandman option package an additional A$1,700. If a buyer selected every Sandman extra, which would cost in excess of 50% more than a basic HZ panel van, Holden would include a velvet mattress with the Holden logo embroidered. The Sandman ute and panel van were phased out in October 1979, with the end of the HZ series.
Panel vans generally declined in popularity through the 1980s. Holden's last panel van, the WB, ceased production in 1984. Ford was the last manufacturer of Australian panel vans, until production of the XH Falcon, ceased in 1999.
In 2000, Holden unveiled a retro-styled Sandman show car based on the Holden VU Ute. While this Sandman was never released, an canopy or "camper shell" featuring the same styling was made available as an A$6,150 accessory for Holden utes from 2003 through 2006. Installation was complicated, however, and the rear window and cab wall of the ute were retained, preventing movement between the cargo bay and the passenger cab as was possible in purpose-built panel vans.
This is a great piece.thanks for posting it.
@@mikechandler229 your welcome
EXCELLENT post
@@mikechandler229 Lol just cut and paste a article i see.
Funny fact Panelvans were so unpopular that guys would cut off the top and change them in to styleside utes because too many utes were rusted out in the bed.
@@micheledix2616 they were great vans i have been to so many car shows its just like a little retreat it had a televsion hi fi system a little wine bar it was so perfect
This was back in my era and as a young 22 year old in 1977 I was and still am a Ford man and remember buying an XB Falcon GS Van that was on the Stilwell Ford showroom floor in Melbournes suburb of Kew it was actually one of the last XB’s built and the XC just came out it was a new superseded one but it came with the lot and was basically a GT Falcon but in a Panel Van had the Aussie built Cleveland 351 4V, top loader 4 speed, lsd, GT bonnet with scoops and lock-in pins, grille and air dam, full length head lining, factory magsand full instrumentation in black buckets and trim a special built for Ford, my added options were a double bed for our drive-in movie sojourns with my girl friends as the B grade all nite movies were rarely watched in the days when you didn’t dare have your girl sleep over in your parents house! I wish I still had my XB Van as I miss it with all its rarity and the great memories to this day!
Shaggin' Wagon, lol. We drove our panel van around Australia in the mid 80's. Decked the back out with a bed and cupboards down either side. Towed a trailer with a bbq, etc and more in importantly our BMW motorbike. Great memories.
my mate had one . he had his arch cut into a heart shape . purple crush velvet covered the whole back part . checkered mirrors . 6 little side boxes along the sides to keep yu ' stuff in ' plush mattress in the back . bubbled windows on the side and the rear top window was bubbled and tinted black . white car with a crazy med evil design air brushed on it . the girls loved it lol .
I remember being in a few of these as a kid and into my teen years. We used to pile in and go to the drive-in movies. They were awesome!
I saw a green one of these at a Cars and Coffe at Coolum not too long ago.
Original owner and had 670,000kms on it and it looked as new as the day it left the factory and was completely unrestored, guy had just looked after it its whole life
There's a reason they were called the Shaggin' Wagons. My sister and her husband had one for years. Bought it real cheap second hand back when 70s gas guzzlers were dirt cheap. It was yellow with red decals, had the 5.0 liter V8 and aftermarket headers, a four barrel carb, 4 on the floor. It had a bumper sticker that said it this car's rocking don't bother knocking. I was too young to know what that meant 😃
I had a 1977 HX Sandman from '81 until '85 ,as a musician it was great for carrying equipment around .
I did 300,000km in 4 years then sold it to my best friend , who then drove it around australia.
I remember them having the air-brushed horses in the waves painted on the side. love them
I remember seeing one that was charcoal in colour and had a formula1 car painted on the side so at night it looked like an F1 car was passing in front of you at the intersection. I laughed the first time i saw it.
Glad you enjoyed, the Birdwood motor museum has many cars in various stages of restoration.
They rely on volunteers and donations but this is a real car, showing its age with dignity.
These came stock with just standard roof lining and were completely open from front to back…
People spent a lot of time and money putting in plush lining ,arches.. mini bars .. mirrors..
There was also another after market version of these called an “ Overlander “
The overlander was a stock sandman turned into a high riding 4x4
Oh wow I forgot those even existed !!
Haven't seen a sandman for ages let alone the raised version.
I was a teenager in the 70s… loved the era. Any dad would not want their daughter going out with a guy who owned a Sandman 😄👍🇦🇺
A mate of mine called his a "Virgin Conversion Unit". His girlfriends father told him that he had well and truly missed the boat!
My first boyfriend with a car had one of these lol, first day he came to see me he came round the sharp corner of our street on a wet day and was enjoying spinning his rear tyres sliding round the corner then realised oh oh the house is just round here slows down and sees my house and my Dad was out the front LOL so funny. had many fun times with my boyfriend at the time traveling and cough stuff in that Sandman also called a Pannel Van. Yes Love that V8 sound! We also decked out the back of it, put mirror tiles and velvet, the partition he had made was a diamond shape.
I had one of these in the early 80's, 5 litre, V8, 4 speed manual, went round Australia in it, when fuel was 30 cents a litre, it was best vehicle for doing that type of trip, could cruise 180kph all day long. Plenty of room for camping in the back.
Im 52 and my first car at 16yrs old was a Ford capri and the petrol price then I remember was 12 cents a litre.ps a Snickers bar was 15 cents and train ticket 40 cents when I was a 10 yr old.
Panel Vans bring back some good memories. My dad had a HZ Kingswood van with a 253 V8 that he used for work and it was awesome. I could not afford a Holden van but I picked up a used 1977 Chrysler A53 Sports pack panel van (same as a Drifter without the stripes) with the 265 Cu In Hemi six pack and 4 speed manual gear box. That van went like stink, not so good at stopping or going round corners but super fun. Yes I had a mattress in the back and spent many nights camping in it. Fun times, sorry I sold it now.
Great vid Ian. Many memories here. I had a 1964 EJ Holden Panel Van which I lived out of back in the 70's while doing my East Coast surf trip. Wish I still had it. Keep em coming mate.
First EH/s were buiIt in september/october 63, so your EJ was a 63.
One of my best friends bought a ‘light and dark blue one’. He just loved his sandman to bits, we didn’t have the heart to tell him for two years. The Sandman he bought was mauve and purple - he was colourblind and devastated when his van changed from blue to purple. Lol. OMG bought back sooo many memories hehehe.
Remember: ‘don’t laugh - your daughter could be inside’.
Great memories of my van. Panel vans were simply the perfect car for a young bloke. Holley carb, stage 3 Yella Terra heads, 30/70 cam, bored out to 265ci from the 253ci. She used to roll onto the cam at 30mph in first & launched like u wouldn't believe... 😁
My brother was in the air force stationed in Darwin back in the 1960s he knew an American that was stationed there he fell in love with our panel vans so much he brought one and shipped it off home to his uncle that owned a car repair shop. Last we heard it had the steering wheel changed over to the other side and a Chevy V8. Don't know if it's still going but it would be a head turner if it is.
Agree with you Ian - old cars are an immersive experience, newer cars feel like you are driving a whitegood!
Couldn't agree more Bruizey , i wish young blokes could have driven some of the early cars from the 60`s and 70`s and even 80`s , a lot of them where still better to drive than a very big percentage of modern cars today .
Modern cars are very much like white goods , they do everything they are supposed to but are about as interesting and immersive as watching paint dry.
Love the lack of disappointment, not a shiny engine bay but a list of stuff to do to make it awesome. Looks aren't everything.
@@goannaj3243 Don't forget it is a project for the motor museum - they don't do bling 😄
Ahhhh, got goosebumps when he started that up. Many years ago I had an ex police 1975 HJ Holden with a 253 and three on the tree manual. It was exactly the same on start up. The sound of the starter motor, the 5000 gallons of air being sucked into the carb and that holden V8 purr/rumble. Then give it a rev and watch the aircraft carrier sized bonnet/hood torque over as the engine tries to break free from it's mounts. Not to mention the smell ! Probably very similar to the smell of napalm in the morning. Haha
My best friend and flat mate had a panel van in the early 2000's at university but all the exchange students, including those from the US, struggled to get their head around the concept of the thing as a vehicle for the general public and looked at it with a degree of confusion and suspicion. My German flat mate was a dude who struggled with the pronunciation ("pannel wan") and thought it was a hearse. I heard similar comments from time to time from other people, which was always amusing and a great way to wind up my friend :) It was also funny when attractive foreign girls felt a bit apprehensive to get in, especially when they saw the mattress in the back! I'm sure if he had a random supply of zip ties in the back that it would have been a deal breaker LOL.
Yep I bought this exact model for my 21st one owner with low kms for $3000. It was a 5.0 ltr V8 with windows in the back. Had it decked out with timber storage boxes running the length of the back to cover the wheel arches to store stuff for going away on the weekends. It had vinyl/fake leather hinged lift up lids that had padding so you could sit on the sides. These storage units had speakers installed and hooked up to the sound system. Yes the tailgate folds down. Wish I still had it. Sold it when I got a company car. Was the perfect car to go to the drive-in with a mattress, Esky and drinks. Mandatory to reverse it in and open the back to see the movie. And yep it was the pinnacle for shaggin wagons and was used extensively. Never saw the end of a movie. 😁
We had the standard panel van, and the Sandman was a "higher" option for the particular market of surfers etc. The normal panel vans were often kitted out with the mattress and fluffed up interior as well. Mags, worked engine, paint jobs, awesome. You'll notice the roof was high, and an extension panel above the windscreen to get the height. Similar to the ute, panel vans were a "utility" vehicle originally, for tradies, dads, anyone who wanted to lug stuff around.
The Holden V8 had a great exhaust note (for disclosure I have a 253 4.2 Commodore). You are correct in that the emission control affected our engines. The HX was the most affected. The HQ & HJ before and the HZ (the 4 light front) were better as new cars in that respect. That stripe kit came in with HX and HZ, a different set with the HQ & HJ.
The panel vans are basically a Ute with a top. The standard ones were open to the cabin but modders would put arches and the like with storage, TVs, liquor cabinets etc. There was a Panel Van craze in the mid 70s with a show scene and specific magazines. As a young teen my dream car was a HJ Sandman 5 litre and 4 speed manual. Bright red of course!
My friend had a HZ panelvan, The standard version of these vehicles. Amongst my greatest memories was being on the whacky tobaccy as we cruised with the back up and me in the decked out back, With the growl of the worked 5.0 litre filling the space, Heaven. I missed a couple of important details when I commented about the video game Forza horizon 5. It's set in Mexico, And not only does it have these beauties and SLR Toranas, It also has every iconic 4x4 ever made. When I'm not tearing up a drag strip with my Holdens, I'm flying cross country in my 1000 hp offroader.
I used to own a VH Commodore wagon with a 253 that I had worked it was 30 thou oversized flat top pistons and a 30/70 grind cam with a 4 speed M21 behind it suspension was done and it handled like it was on rails and sounded mean with a dual 2.5 inch system going into a single 3inch tail pipe
In 1980 I had a HZ Sandman Panelvan, 5 ltr 4 speed. Awesome vehicle and very usable. Back of the van is done up and the bit between the back and the front is an add on.
Hey, Ian. I went to the Melbourne Motor Show in 1977, when I was eight, and I remember clearly two things.
- I saw the James Bond Lotus, which went underwater in the movie
- I saw a Sandman ute in white with blue graphics and I declared that I would own one when I was older. Well, I never owned a Sandman ute, but I have had two Holden utes, the first was a V8 from 2002, which I had for 12 years. The second was my current car, a white V6 from 2015 - so it's the grandfather of that 1977 white Sandman (kind of). Glad you liked the video.
.........you mean grandson! Lol.
@@noelgibson5956 Yes, my mistake - sorry I'm sadly not a robot
You should check out some of the amazing murals, that people had painted on their panel vans. My next door neighbours uncle had one. With an amazing sunset beach scene. Sadly the car was written off in an accident a few years later. But I really loved that car. I also remember the interior was done out in red fur and it had bubble windows.
a bloke in Tamworth had one with an exceptional graphic - Dark Side Of The Moon
black van with the graphic reversed on one side and the wider beam joining across the back - Stunning !
About old cars, I totally agree Ian. The old 253 wasn't the most powerful engine, but it sounded great! From someone suffering from depression, you made me smile. Thank you!
I have to agree with you there Paul, the 253 was one of the best sounding V8s ever, I had a HG Premier back in the 80s with the 253 in it and it turned heads always 😁😎😎😁
I had a 1981 toyota corolla panelvan with a bed in the back as my first car, i did it all custom, it looked amazing and then my dad sold it one day without telling me as i left it at his property for too long when i was in my mid 20's
Yes I remember, all the boys were trying to get all us girls in the back of them! Great memories of the beach, surfies and our youth. Grew up with a family of car heads living next door, two boys and one girl. They owned black Zephyrs, they had them tuned within an inch of the cars life. We had a mid century modern home with large expanses of windows. Every time they started their Zephyrs and drove away the glass in our home would rattle, seriously, my mum thought they would fall out! So many great memories around cars. Also by the way the tail gate folded down, just like a ute
As a kid we were allowed to jump in the back of one of these glorious Sandman Panel Vans. I remember 8 of us on the back and 3 in the front. In the back we would fight over getting the wheel Arch to sit on. Then seat belt laws sadly ended that.
Ford had two rivals from memory. Kind of. There was the Falcon panel van and the Escort panel van. The Chrysler Valiant also came in a panel van.
Brilliant mate. What awesome memories. The supercar scare is something you've sort of touched on. It was the early -mid 70's when 'Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday' was booming. The politicians didn't want kids buying 150mph+ cars off the showroom floor. Along with the oil crisis it spelt the end of the development of the Falcon GTHO phase 4, The Torana XUII and the Charger E49/E55 successor (which would have been a 317 or 360cu v8 most probably). When they got banned from producing the 'supercars' they had all the parts but couldn't put them into a race/street car versions so the panel-van was one of the results of that. Ford and Holden had an options list that you could almost order a supercar panel van from factory. My cousin had a Falcon panel-van with the 351v8/4spd/long range fuel tank/suspension package/GT dash/upgraded brakes etc.
If i remember right was it not Peter Wherret that started it off on his WHEELS car tv show in 73 or so complaining about the Charger o begin with then the Torana and Falcon
@@peterflynn2111 No , in 1972 it was a newspaper front page headline and article. Covered and shown fifty seconds into this :
ruclips.net/video/xc4BklbauwA/видео.html
Peter Wherret and others added their opinions later as the anti push gained strength.
@@peterflynn2111 Yea, he did do a bit of valid scare-mongering, sort of like a god-fearing Jeremy Clarkson. In 1970's boy-racers defence the Charger and Valiants were real pigs to drive at speed. If he'd done his 74' show in a falcon he might have enjoyed it more 🤣🤣. My old valiant used to float at 90mph and I had the steering wheel going back and forward from 9 to 3 constantly. Great fun!!
A neighbour, some years back, had one of these sitting in a shed. Its interior in the back was lined with shaggy carpet, psychedelically coloured in orange-brown, brown, pale tan-yellow, and pale terracotta-red. That carpet was a crime, and a killer survivor!
[Note. 5 mins in, after having writ this note, that interior! 😄]
We had the HZ when we were young , and it was built like a tank the tailgate came down , it could be a mattress ? But the surf boards would hang out the back It was a terrific car
I totally regret that I've never owned an HQ - WB Holden of any kind, as I love the shape. I did have an HG Kingswood, LH Torana and VK Commodore though. I'm sure values are now through the roof, so unless I sell my home, I've missed out.
@@noelgibson5956 my husband was always a Holden man, the best car we ever had was the EH but his very first car he had was the FJ and it was metallic green, at night when he’d stop the car it just sparkled. It glittered no other FJ was like it
@@darneyoung537
It would be worth a bit now if it's still in existence.
@@noelgibson5956 Yes it would be, but you don’t think like that when your young. But in 2001 we bought the Holden VT SS 111 Gen Chevy Motor, The young Bucks would pull up along side of me thinking that they would drag me off. But of course I would leave them standing. I took the car in for a service, they asked how the car was going, I told them not only the young guys but men my own age wanted to drag me, he laughed , he said they didn’t realise what power Old granny had.my son has it now, it stays in the garage. Cheers mate
@@darneyoung537
Darne, you sound like a bit of a badass misfit! Lol.
Tell your son to look after it. One day, your grandson my get it. Pity they're not made anymore.
Cheers, mate😃👍
my shagin wagon was a '74 HQ Panel Van, 3rd hand ex-plumbers Dodge straight six. White house paint finish with rust patina coming through met a unique genre. 3 on the tree needed frequent "jiggling" at the traffic lights when we got stuck in second, this meant cracking the bonnet, running up front and jiggling the selector arms near the firewall, jumping back in before the lights changed and pretending it was all normal, because it was. Cheers and thanks.
Unfortunately holden also produced vy, vz and ve "sandmans" which were just regular SS utes with the sandman stripe and badge and in no way real sandmans.
Apparently they thought Australians were stupid.
Don't understand them putting a canopy on the back of the ute's and made them sandmans but they could of just done a ute sandman option. all sandmans were. Just a optioned out standard ute or panelvan. has no special vin tag and only way can tell is by the Purchase paperwork
Original sandman’s we’re base model belmonts with stickers. They chucked in the gts dash and steering wheel as well but we’re simply base model utes and panel vans.
The later commodores were based on the much higher spec “ss”.
I agree. Those Commodore things were just embarrassing, what an insult to the Sandman name. What were they thinking?
@@area51isreal71 well put bed in there and volla you got two accidents in your life
G'day, The GAS conversion mentioned is for LPG.
Only a few of this body style were the "Sandman" version.
Did a lap of Australia in one of these in the early 1970s towing a caravan. Bench seat and 3 (under 7 years old) kids in the back. Dad put construction foil on the roof to try and help keep the vehicle cooler. They always remind me of growing up.
These were great tradie cars back in the day, eventually tradies moved onto vans & 4x4 utes & surfers took over the panel vans & made them their own shagging wagons 😜.
This one’s missing a surf 🏄 board on the roof racks.
I’m 36 now but when I was 18 I passed up on genuine and good condition $5000 sandman just because it had high kms.
A year later a museum condition orange sandman came up for $15,000, I begged my parents for a loan and they said no.
Damn shame. Their value must be ten times what they were then.
To think this lovely vehicle is approaching 50, it's a tribute to the previous owners. 👍👍🤗🤗
The lower tailgate used to drop down , with top up so you could jump right onto the mattress they mostly had in the back. They were great vehicles to have.
Drive in movies were good. Back the van in, drop the tail gate and watch the movie from the back. Mattress and pillows for comfort. Those were the days (can’t believe I’m actually saying ‘those were the days’ 🤣 Seems like not that long ago!)
I had a HQ panel van (belmont)for many years, unfortunately it wasn't a sandman, and only had a 6 cylinder in it, but it was still an awesome vehicle, I used to travel around Australia following the rodeo circuit for months on end, so it was like home away from home, and I had many buckle bunnies visit my home away from home🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣I wish I never sold it
Memories of riding around in my mate's Canary Yellow Sandman. His GF in the front and me and anyone else in the back. Now, with the Sandman, in Summer, you had two choices when riding in the back. Back window closed and slowly cook in the back, or back window flipped up so some cooler air would suck in. The problem with the latter choice was if people in the front had their windows down, as they usually would, exhaust fumes would suck into the back. My mate's Sandman 253 ran really rich, so it was never a fun time.
I still have a magazine where two Sandmans were put to the test out in the desert. Mag called Wheels'. Had it since I was a teenager.
And yes, Australia followed American horsepower downsizing in the 70's. Something about oil crisis and probably world wide. Guess its all going to repeat itself, fuel costs are rising, and I may not be using my V8 for much longer. Oh well, it's been fun.
for anyone interested and who live in Victoria there is an all Holden day being held on Apr3 at Dandenong Show Grounds Greaves Parade Dandenong.
Man, I miss mine, I sold it many years ago before the prices started going through the roof :(
When I was in the process of buying my first car I told my girlfriends mother I was going to get a panelvan,she said no daugther of mine will be getting in that car,I replied what you can do in a panelvan you can do just about anywhere, you can imagine the look she gave me.
The super car scare came as a result of a single car accident in Sydney. A 69,429 boss mustang crashed on a Sydney freeway at such a high speed that the internal mirror was found 200 meters from the impact point. This prompted a motoring writer to write an article questioning the sanity of road going race cars. That article got a lot of people demanding the government do something about it. The government responded by saying they would not buy fleet vehicles from any company making road going race cars. 3 race ready GT.HO phase 4 Fords and 3 XU2 Torana's went out the back door and that ended the super car era.
Ahhh, back in the days when you drove the car, rather than now where the car drives you. These old cars had character and soul. Cars nowadays have the character and soul of a toaster. Never had a Sandman but I did have a Torana Hatchback with the 253 V8.
Mate, I am old enough to have grown up with these cars. My dad had a sandman and I grew up in the back of it. My dad had thick, blue shag-pile carpet and a foam mattress in the back, column shift as well. Camping stuff and the kid (me) would go in the back and off we'd go to explore the highways and byways of Australia in. Equipped with a c.b radio, man the 70's and 80's were a lot of fun.
On a different tangent, great content mate. I love seeing an appreciation of my homeland from people from different cultures. All the best to you and your family and I hope you can make it out here one day. Keep up the great work.
I own a Sandman they are an awesome car I've had it for over 30 years I would never get rid of it mine is the absinth yellow the answer to your question is it has the upper and lower tailgate I have the V8 and I can tell you now they move along very well
It's a panel van.
Gday Ian. The motor museum is in the town of Birdwood in Adelaide Hill of South Auustralia. Just another reason to visit. Cheers love your show
Birdwood was my mums home town...thankyou for mentioning the motor museum..beautiful part of South Australia ❣🇭🇲
G'day IWrocker. Thanks for the memories. I was in the low income working class bracket, so had to get the hand-me downs. X-workman base models.
My 1st ever car was a Holden HK Panel Van (68).
It had Tinted Bubble windows, GTS gaurds (like shark gills). And Dragway mags, sports steering wheel,
186 6-Cylinder, 3 speed Speco shift on the floor.
These were even more common among us young hoons than the rich-mans sandman. Some of the boys would put 308 V8s in them anyway. But the 186 was also an iconic Aussie 6cyl donk too. Bubble windows were a big feature on these, especial the porthole sized ones toward the rear, often shaped from diamonds., to circles, to coffin shapes.
I had the long full length standard window length black bubble windows on mine.
Murals on the sides of these Panel Vans, whether Sandman or not, were a popular feature too... from images of the times... "Conan the Barbarian", or Wizards, warlocks, Dragons, you name it. These were a statement. Straight through chrome Shotgun pipes on a couple i saw, and angled down to the road just before the rear wheels... REALLY LOUD!! TransAm front ends, HQ Statesman front ends, Blowers, etc, etc
I picked mine up for $800.
My next 2 cars were also HK P'Vans, one was about $200, the other about $1500. With a 179hp block, and another 186S.
They were also known as
"Shaggin Wagons",
"Sin Bins",
"F*CK Trucks".
A parents nightmare. For us who drove them, not many parents wanted you with their daughters... they had a reputation for being known for what they were used for.
I put mattresses, curtains, and archways in all of mine. Then lined it and the entire rear interior in Black Crushed Velvet.
If you want to see a good representation of the aussie culture that went with it, watch the movie "Puberty Blues" (the later remake of that movie as a series was even better IMO)... this movie and series is a VERY REALISTIC representation of the times and youth of the 70s and early 80s Aussie culture, and "F*ck Trucks were a big part of it.
Its on Netflix (in Oz anyway).
I later got a Ford XC Panel Van with the 302 V8.
I think youlle love that movie and series, if you are wanting to understand Aussie Culture of the times.
My dad had a car accessory business in the 1970’s and we used to sell so much stuff for customising panel vans such as these. When he retired in 2007 I think the shop still had somewhere a groovy foot shaped chrome gas pedal.
Back in 1980 I had a HJ van and wanted to customise it to look like a Sandman. I started off with a Statesman front, Monaro guards, Mags, Side Pipe, and cut the gutter and replace it with sheet metal for that smooth look. I kept the 202 and gave it a bit more torque and power with a XU1 cam, better lifters, Bathurst 6000 Yella-Terra head, extractors, Cain manifold, 3.36:1 diff, Muncie M21 close-ratio 4-speed gearbox, and Jellybean mags. I decked it out inside like a man-cave especially for fishing.
Hi mate, as one of those who owned a van it was the best of times, going to car shows and seeing some of the most awesome paint and graphics work on some of those vans was simply the best. Thanks for reminding me of some wonderful days with my then young girlfriend who then became my wife some wonderful memories showing her these as well she loved it.
Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘
My brother in law had one of these. With the custom stickers on the back panel.
You used to see them backed into the drive in lot, so you would watch the movie from the popped up back. You used to quite often see these panel vans rockin’ alongside you.
What can I say it was an era……😊
Australia's favorite shaggin wagon! These were around for years, everyone knew someone who had one. While a favorite of the surfing community, they were a first car for many of young buck back then. Used to see so many with a roof rack / surf boards, and shag pile carpet on the floor and walls with a mattress too. Many young surfers actually lived in their vans for weeks at a time while they chased waves up and down the coast. The green one with the blue Sandman seemed to be the most around, but the orange ones were also plentiful.
Just did a trip between Warrnambool and Adelaide over the weekend and there was a convoy of these heading in the opposite direction on both trips. My kids and I were just a little more excited than my wife could appreciate. Got home last night and started window shopping in the classifieds. Then this morning this vid pops up on my feed. I’m taking it as a sign🙏🏻
Hey Ian, Actually my eldest Brother is named Ian, he and my 2nd Brother both had vans, Ian had 2 different Panel vans, with 4.2 liter engines, and my 2nd Brother Glenn, had a dark Brown Sandman, with the 308 engine, and Gold pinstiping down the sides. Ian's were Automatics I think, and Glenn's was a Manual, they both had the insides done up, Mattresses and all, Glenn's also had small cupboards as well, either ends of the wheel arches. That brings back the memories. Glad you like them too.
Now 2022, I'm 61 years old, these cars were from my era.
I had so many cool cars at the time, sooo wish I had some of them now.
HK Monaro, 6 cylinder 186S
XB Ford Panel Van 302 4 on the floor
HJ Panel Van (ex Tradie Van, 6 cylinder, 3 on the tree)
But the one that was the sleeper, paid $800, sold for $800, couple of years back one sold at a Shannon's auction $230,000 VW Kombi Safari. One of only 3 ever imported into Australia. Not in the same league at classic Aussie cars.
My Brother was into Valiants. Him & his mate between them had some rippers.
My dad had 1 in silver with black details no decals he was 57 when he bought it to tow our 23ft caravan. Black interior buckets 4 sp. 4.2lt sports wheels. I got my first drive in it towing a trailer of firewood Vic. to S.A I was on L plates at the time 17yrs of age. Got my P plates and we used it to deliver pies pasties and cakes to shops in our town, 1 drop was the local high school access via a sandy track. I loved power sliding in and out of the the cafeteria gate. Some freinds and I got to go out for a BBQ on the river. Went to pick up 1 of the girls in the van tail gate up. One of the girls jumped out to knock on her door. Door opened pick up stepped out with her old man close behind. He saw the van grabbed her top and said Not in that you won't. LMFAO to this day 44yrs later.
Definitely worth googling the Aussie Panel Van days. Some the customising for the time was amazing. Ford and Chrysler made vans too. I owned a Ford Escort panel van back in 1985.
WOW Ian you impress me on a weekly basis. It’s great to see how your face lights up when you’ve been recommended new Aussie videos treachery to.
Personally I love the Ford XA, XB, & XC Shaggin’ Wagons aka Panel Vans. They just seem to be a bit roomier.
There’s The 2022 Australian Van Nationals event is BACK TO THE RIVERLAND! 15th April to 18th April 2022.
Yep good old shaggin wagon. Work vehicle converted to a main street show machine. Beds, stereos, mirrors etc. There was a 4x4 ute/pannel van variant called the OVERLANDER
When I was in my late teens, my mates and I knew a slightly dodgy bloke called Norm, who had a Sandman he'd spent 10k on. Factree, they were south of 5k, so he'd done a lot of work.
Makes me nostalgic for my '77 V8 Torana that I drove for years until she rusted out. My version of a mid life crisis at 35. Twin extractors, MAG wheels and Holley carberattor.
I love your infectious enthusiasm. I don't even drive, know nothing about cars but find myself watching your Bathurst and other car videos.
Those times 1980s, it was probably 3:1 or more Manual to Auto transmission in Australia. I still prefer Manual, it is just part of driving for me.
In country areas where you had to travel longer distances for entertainment 'hunting', a Panel Van (F**** Truck) was a necessity, especially after drink driving laws were introduced, many young men who were in construction, owned Holden Panel Vans and Ford Transit Vans. They carried our tools safely, and provided a lock up work vehicle during the week, and a portable 'work bench' at weekends lol, Guys in the agricultural and horticultural farming industries used them for accommodation when away from their properties. Made popular from the 1960's on.. I am now a 65 year old, I have so many fond memories of my shaggin' wagons. Holden FX, FC, EH, HR, HG, HQ, HJ to name a few and after that they changed, and not for the better, 253, 308 V8 Holden, 327 and 454 Chevy V8 motors, LSD diff, heavier axles, Impala floor shifter,on 3-4 speed gear boxes Monaro fluted front guards, after market dash board gauges and taco, murals, tear drop and port hole side windows, bucket seats, race harnesses, heavily modified exhaust systems, side pipes, 'Fly United stickers' any number of other slogans to make parents with daughters cringe, a second bedroom, lowered front end, wide wheels, flared guards, big double pumper 650 holly, lumpy cam, extractors, solid lifters, yella terra heads, weekend illegal drag racing, wild sound system, Black Sabbath, Icehouse, ACDC, INXS, Divinyls, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Skyhooks blaring, Blackout curtains and/or heavily tinted windows, built in cupboards, surf board racks, underfloor storage for the 9 gallon beer keg and pluto for the drive-in, double bed mattress, satin sheets and pillow cases, a wild reputation, travelling in groups of PV's on road trips around Aus as a young guy. Those were the days.
That 4.2 was no slouch but it was a cruising motor. It had all the sound and grunt but longevity was the name of the games they went forever relatively trouble free, and they were easy on fuel. The National Motor Museum is about an hour away from us in South Australia.
4.2 litre is a 253ci..... I can remember back in the 70s as a kid sitting in the back seat of my fathers Red Holden 253 with the twin exhaust system roaring while he was out running the police. ... He never got caught.... lol dad was a hoon 🇦🇺😎👍
Iconic car and era the 70's. My favourite was the lime green. Code id on colour was JAMCAN = Jamaican Green. I use to work at a Holden dealership back then. A real surfy wish list car. 'Shannons Insurance' channel has a few videos up with the Sandman. 5Litre V8 also option, but most were the 253. Tailgate dropped down. Guys would do them out in the back, yes with fur too and speaker systems. Mostly 3 seater bench seaters. It was a thing if you got or put in twin seats that you had to do the walk thru from back. Surfies would put the racks on the roof too for the surfboard. The old shaggin wagons.
had a few friends with sandman, was nice and cosy in the back, great to hang out in back in my teens. On one occasion, my besties older brother had one, we hid in the back under blankets to get into a drive in movie theatre for free, once there we got our bean bags and and snogged hahha
There was always a panalvan option, like he said, the sandman was in response to the slump in Monaro sales. When I was young, my parents had a standard HX panalvan cause it was handy to cart around 4 kids. It was a 3.3 litre inline 6, 4 speed manual. It was great to drive around with the top tailgate open. I don't know how we didn't surcome to CO2 emissions but I think it was side exit exhaust
My uncle has a Ute version of this car with a statesman/caprice front end with a massive bull bar. His has the whole gts interior, it was his first car and he still drives it to this day!
Yep , Panel Van , originally for Tradies , adopted by Surfers and then everybody else . Were hugely popular in the '70s / '80s . The Sandman was Holdens attempt at by-bassing the Tradies and directly targeting the Surfer / youth culture . It was very popular as I said. There was a whole culture around modifying and personalizing Panel Vans . Shag pile carpet was mandatory . When "Mad Max" went on vacation with his wife in that movie , they drove a Panel Van.
The supercar scare was the Australian governments response to the cars of the mid - late 70's having ever increasing power. The Government basically said to Ford and Holden that if they continued with producing more powerful cars then they would cease any government vehicle supply contracts with the manufacturers.
253's sound amazing with the right system, and produce a most exquisite warble when engine braking at higher RPM.
They also seem smoother than the larger engines.
I had a beautiful one, with a Statesman Caprice front, 253 4 speed. It was too nice. Got stolen three times. Was lucky to get it back but not without damage. Last time around they bent a tower and busted one of the gorgeous Cheviot Hotwire mags when they lost it at a roundabout.
The other two times they got the linkages locked up. Glad I never fixed that or I'd probably never have seen it again.
Mine did have power steering, which made it difficult to chuck around and probably why the thieves lost control. Took me awhile to get used to driving it sideways. You kinda had to guess which way the front wheels were pointing, cause you certainly couldn't feel it. :)
Great memories otherwise.
Wish I never sold it.
I had a couple of Holden panel vans. Sandmans were just a very small percentage of panel vans produced. Holden and Ford Falcon produced millions? of them. You could jump from the front seat into the back. had a mattress, sleeping bag, pillows in the back. Went away surfing in them.
I cannot see a Sandman without thinking of the opening segment of Mad Max. If you ever watch that try to get the Aussie version because according to a friend who came to Tasmania to visit, they dubbed Mad Max with American accents and he really wanted to hear it in Australian.
Another great movie to watch would be Love the Beast with Eric Banna about how he builds his Ford Falcon XB Coupe with his mates and then races it. It's fun to watch.
I used to pre deliver and work on the HJ and HX Sandman panel vans.
They were fitted with the 202 cubic inch 6 cylinder or the 253 cubic inch or 308 cubic inch V8 engine.
Trimatic or Turbohydro automatic transmission or the 4 speed floor shift manual.
As a young man I had a plain Holden HQ panel van, nothing fancy but still made for the drive-in movies and nights at the beach. :)
The 4.2 with all the pollution gear, like the 5.0, was anaemic, and fit only for towing. I had an HZ Kingswood SL with a 4.2. It sounded great with a twin system added, but was a slug until I threw out most of the pollution gear. A 500cfm Holley and Selby suspension all round, lowered just one inch - and suddenly it was a FUN car to drive!
The Sandman is iconic. Don't see many these days, but as a kid in the middle of NSW on a hot summer day they represented the dream of carefree coastal living.
The supercar scare was classic political dog whistling and nanny state overreaction - think "heavy metal causes satanism" kind of stuff. A news article talking about Ford, Holden and Chrysler all aiming to produce street production cars that could exceed 160mph created a fear frenzy about carnage on the roads and a threat to ban such production.
The effect was to stop the build on some amazing pieces of engineering. Chrysler pulled out of racing completely. And people who were in the market for those cars bought imports like Jags instead or just worked their own stock vehicles. Stupid politicians.
Picked up mine new in Oct 76. 308 Auto, posi rear end, Deauville Blue, cream upholstery …. very rare combination. Added dual exhausts which had the EPAV chasing me for “noise issues”. Sold in April 81, seen a few times parked at VicPol Russell St HQ building, last seen 82.
Went up the lakes this morning for a van show. Ford , Holden and Valiant unreal this come today.
I had a 76 HJ series Sandman in pearl white. It had a 308cu/in with an M21 4spd gearbox with a GTS dash and front mudguards. It was nice and i did do a fair bit of work to it but I only had for 9mths and swapped it for an 78 HX Statesman Caprice. These cars were just known a panel vans as it was basically just a ute with a panel top added to it. They changed the chassis slightly to beable to remove the rear panel on the ut, provided a stiffer B pillar, which gave you a clear space all the way to the seats. First thing you did was chuck a mattress in the back and they became 'Shaggin wagons". God help you if pulled at the new girlfriend's door and her dad saw you driving a van.
Ford escort had something similar called the Sundowner. It was 4 cylinder.