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Identifying a genuine HQ Sandman can be difficult, below is a list of items to look for when looking over a HQ van or ute to identify it's authenticity as the genuine article.

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• Built between 1/74 and 8/74, There is no definitive number of HQ's built between these dates.

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• Bucket seats - Seat capacity of “2” on the ADR Plate.

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• Trim code “30B” for Belmont trim. Not “30A”.

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• 30E is Black trim for Kingswood. Which was an available trim for Kingswood Sandman Ute.

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• GTS components - Dash, steering wheel with Sandman insert, rally rims and fluted guards.

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• Floor shift (not column shift).T-bar auto was not an option on the Belmont  

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• Metallic paint - Metallic paint on a Belmont based HQ is a good indicator, however there is evidence of non-Sandman vehicles with metallic paint.

 

Exceptions to the rule:

 

Bucket seats could be ordered as an option to a van or ute, so bucket seats alone are not a good enough indicator of Sandman authenticity.

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Metallic paint could be ordered on Kingswood vehicles, metallic paint alone is also not enough to identify a legitimate Sandman.

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However, if your HQ Panel van is not a Kingswood and has GTS guards, dash, bucket seats, metallic paint and a trim code with suffix “B” it's highly likely you have a legitimate Sandman.

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HQ Sandman utes were available as Kingswoods so be careful not to discount your Kingswood ute because it maybe a Sandman, but some additional detailed inspection is needed to authenticate if it is. If you have found yourself to be in this situation, please contact us and we can assist in guiding you through identification.

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HQ IDENTIFICATION PLATES EXPLAINED

 

The HQ plates are similar to the other models, but we will breakdown the numbers to help identify a genuine HQ Sandman.

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Only a small number of HQ Sandman's were built, there is no definitive number of HQ's built between the dates below. Their production run was only 9 months through 1974, so any HQ van or ute dated outside of 1/74 to 9/74 can be discounted as a genuine Sandman.

 

HQ PLATE BREAKDOWN

 

Using an example VIN of 80170QH500025 we can breakdown the codes to something more useful.

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80170 – 6cyl Belmont Panel van

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80270 – 8cyl Belmont Panelvan

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80180 – 6cyl Belmont Ute

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80280 – 8cyl Belmont Ute

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80380 - 6cyl Kingswood Ute

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80480 - 8cyl Kingswood ute

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Q – Last letter of model

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(HQ) H5 - Assembly Plant

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H1-H4 – Brisbane

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H5-H9 – Sydney

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J1-J9 – Dandenong

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L1-L5 – Adelaide

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L6-L9 – Perth

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Last numbers are the vehicle serial number.