John came across the van on a property near Canberra back in 2007. It was in a creek bed in a poor state with no front, no motor and gearbox. 

On closer inspection all the bits were found scattered, including the matching numbers engine so all that remained was to get it home. John didn't own a car trailer at the time so he loaded the engine and gearbox and various parts onto his box trailer and made a plan. 

It was a month or so before he could get back to the van but when he did, John and his son-in-law Ben took a trailer load of bits including a six cylinder engine and gearbox, tailshaft, exhaust and anything else he needed to get the van on the road.

Leaving Dubbo at 4am they arrived to find that the farmer had already dragged the van up to his shed with a tractor and left them to it. John and Ben set about fitting up the engine and gearbox they'd brought with them and the remaining body panels. 

The steering wheel and master cylinder had gone missing since their last visit so it was down the paddock to raid some parts from the other car wrecks. 

Brake fluid was the one thing they'd forgotten, so with jars and drink cans they salvaged enough fluid from the wrecks to get the stoppers working. A battery was fitted and the lights wired up and with some temporary plates the boys were on the road by 2pm. Within five hours they'd set the van up to drive all the way home to Dubbo and sure enough they were home that night.

The van sat at John's place while Ben contemplated a restoration. He sold it to a friend who never even got a start on it so John ended up buying it and in 2011 he spent 12 months restoring it while working full time. 

The Sandman now has it's matching numbers 308 V8 and four speed gearbox. Those with a keen eye will note the lack of "eyebrow" stripes from the side of the van. 

"The body ended up so straight that I decided to delete the eyebrows and just keep the tailgate stripe," John remarked.