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Torana engine numbers


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#1 yel327

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 07:30 AM

Guys

I have always taken an interest in Holden engine numbers, hence my current project (will post details here when it's done and published on the web). So at Toranafest I took a good look at every engine number I could. Not to record, just to see what prefixes were around. I expected to see mostly QL prefixed holden 202's in cars without their original engines. I was very surprised to see a heap of XQL and even HL engines in plenty of LC/LJ/LH's. There were a few QL and VL prefixed engines but given how rare XQL and HL are compared to QL and VL I was surprised. It must be a Torana thing ie blokes looking for a replacement engine look to other Toranas rather than from HQ-VK. Even the immaculate looking green Gpack that was there had an XQL in it.

#2 _CraigA_

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 07:37 AM

What's an XQL from?

Mine is a very low QL number in the QLXXXX - I'm guessing very early HQ?

My brother has a HG ute with a GL prefix - these must be a very rare 202 as they would have appeared only in HG commercials after release of the HQ sedans. Is that right?

#3 _CraigA_

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 08:04 AM

EDIT: Just had a look at your excellent web listing.

My brothers engine must have a manufacture date between HQ general release (July '71) and HQ commercial release (Nov. '71).

#4 Dr Terry

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 10:48 AM

Hi Craig.

XQL are ADR27A 202 motors which were fitted to July 76 onwards LX/UC Toranas, with Tri-Matic transmissions. Manual cars retained the HL prefix.

Dr Terry.

#5 yel327

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 12:23 PM

What's an XQL from?

Mine is a very low QL number in the QLXXXX - I'm guessing very early HQ?

My brother has a HG ute with a GL prefix - these must be a very rare 202 as they would have appeared only in HG commercials after release of the HQ sedans. Is that right?


Yes that is correct. GD, GE, GL and GM are from HG commercials with AHG chassis number prefix (ie post HQ release). The V8's (if any existed) kept the 253L, 253H and 308H engine numbers as it was an existing prefix. Same thing as CD, CE, CF, CK etc in ALC chassis number prefixed LC's.

QLxxxx is early HQ 202. Probably the first month.

Just to add to Dr Terry's info, the XQL prefixed engines were actually engines in the HQ engine number series and had the X added afterwards (presumedly meaning LX), whereas the HL were part of the number series started in LH at Hx1001. That is why two consecutive LX Torana 6cyl's can have an engine number with 6 digits eg XQD900000 and the next car a 5 digit eg HL80000. Once October 1979 came around UC auto's went back to a 4 digit number eg XZL1500 as this is when the Qx number sequence ran out and went to Zx but manual cars continued on with the HL series. I have no idea why Holden chose to start the new series for LH as most other stuff is (or appears to be) in the HQ sequence ie LC, LJ, HG, auto ADR27A LX/UC and (yet to be confirmed) CF and E, M and S series Bedfords with Holden engines. The only ones that didn't go in there are VB Commodores. I'm still not sure how the transition into WB and VC Commodore worked but they appear to be together and follow on into VN onwards.

Edited by yel327, 29 September 2008 - 12:38 PM.


#6 FastEHHolden

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 02:39 PM

I am pretty sure last year I spotted a 6 with a ZZ prefix at the Toranafest...the owner said it was a HZ engine...but can't say i have ever seen one before or since.

#7 yel327

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 07:08 PM

I won't be ZZ. The only xZ prefixed 308's were the L34 engine and the VK V5H (and their GMP&A replacements ie NZ and N5Z). It would have to be ZD, ZL, ZR, ZT or the prefixed versions of these ie 11ZT, XZL etc. Possibly ZE or ZM but I doubt that.

#8 LS1LX

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Posted 01 October 2008 - 07:20 AM

I have a 7/77 SL 202 Torana here, XQL engine, nothing special Ive seen a tonne of LX's with these engines.

#9 yel327

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Posted 01 October 2008 - 10:55 AM

That is normal for an auto 6cyl ADR27A LX or UC. But these are comparatively rare to the amount of QL and VL prexified blocks built. Hence the statement that I found it interesting the quantity of XQL blocks in Toranas that originally an XQL, when I would have expected 1 for every 10-15 x QL or VL at least, not heaps as I saw at Toranafest.

#10 _SS Hatchback_

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Posted 04 October 2008 - 09:11 AM

where does the HT prefix 308 come from?

#11 Collo

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Posted 04 October 2008 - 10:43 AM

Isnt that the torana 308 prefix?

#12 yel327

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Posted 04 October 2008 - 11:02 AM

That's just a standard LH or LX L31 308 engine. Worth good money if it happens to fall into the A9X production area.

#13 _SS Hatchback_

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Posted 04 October 2008 - 04:50 PM

That's just a standard LH or LX L31 308 engine. Worth good money if it happens to fall into the A9X production area.


fair enough , my SS originally had a 253 and i put a 308 in which had the prefix HT which i was told a long time ago it was torana prefix, all is good, thanks for the feedback

#14 _Lionelgee_

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 04:21 PM


Yes that is correct. GD, GE, GL and GM are from HG commercials with AHG chassis number prefix (ie post HQ release). The V8's (if any existed) kept the 253L, 253H and 308H engine numbers as it was an existing prefix. Same thing as CD, CE, CF, CK etc in ALC chassis number prefixed LC's.

QLxxxx is early HQ 202. Probably the first month.

Just to add to Dr Terry's info, the XQL prefixed engines were actually engines in the HQ engine number series and had the X added afterwards (presumedly meaning LX), whereas the HL were part of the number series started in LH at Hx1001. That is why two consecutive LX Torana 6cyl's can have an engine number with 6 digits eg XQD900000 and the next car a 5 digit eg HL80000. Once October 1979 came around UC auto's went back to a 4 digit number eg XZL1500 as this is when the Qx number sequence ran out and went to Zx but manual cars continued on with the HL series. I have no idea why Holden chose to start the new series for LH as most other stuff is (or appears to be) in the HQ sequence ie LC, LJ, HG, auto ADR27A LX/UC and (yet to be confirmed) CF and E, M and S series Bedfords with Holden engines. The only ones that didn't go in there are VB Commodores. I'm still not sure how the transition into WB and VC Commodore worked but they appear to be together and follow on into VN onwards.

 

Hello All,

 

I am new member. I joined because I have a car with a XQL engine number transplanted into another make and model. I would like to find out as much as the engine as I can. It might just be that my engine came out of one of my favourite models of Torana.

 

The engine number is XQL887212 .  Can anyone identify which model and year of manufacture the engine was fitted to?

 

Kind Regards

Lionel
 



#15 _Top.Cat7_

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Posted 27 January 2019 - 05:22 PM

My 1978 UC Torana now has a V8 in it but the Owner's manual says that the engine number was (originally) UN7875. Where can I go to find details of this engine code, please?



#16 S pack

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Posted 27 January 2019 - 06:59 PM

UN Prefix is the L18 1.9 litre Starfire engine, which means your Torana is really a Sunbird


Edited by S pack, 27 January 2019 - 07:01 PM.


#17 _Top.Cat7_

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Posted 27 January 2019 - 07:35 PM

Thanks.

I'm lost! Isn't General Motors (US) the parent company who bought Holden Body Works (AUS) who (used to) make the Torana?  "Sunbird" is not a separate vehicle, just a designated model of the Torana like the XU1 or the A9X or the SLR5000 - They are all Toranas, aren't they? 

Please tell me what am I missing?



#18 S pack

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Posted 27 January 2019 - 07:46 PM

UC Torana is the 6cyl model and UC Sunbird is the 4cyl model. It's a marketing thing.

I do believe though that all Sunbirds had 'Torana' stamped on the Compliance Plate?


Edited by S pack, 27 January 2019 - 07:46 PM.


#19 rodomo

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Posted 27 January 2019 - 09:32 PM

I do believe though that all Sunbirds had 'Torana' stamped on the Compliance Plate?

Correct.

#20 _Top.Cat7_

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Posted 28 January 2019 - 05:41 AM

Thanks.

So - all Sunbirds are Toranas, but not all Toranas are Sunbirds.

 

 

(Muse - So If the 4 Cyl engine made the Torana a Sunbird and my Sunbird no longer has the 4 cyl engine in it, but now has a V8 engine in it, is it still a Sunbird?)


Edited by Top.Cat7, 28 January 2019 - 05:51 AM.


#21 S pack

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Posted 28 January 2019 - 08:09 AM

Thanks.

So - all Sunbirds are Toranas, but not all Toranas are Sunbirds.

 

 

(Muse - So If the 4 Cyl engine made the Torana a Sunbird and my Sunbird no longer has the 4 cyl engine in it, but now has a V8 engine in it, is it still a Sunbird?)

A Sunbird Plus 4 perhaps? :D


Edited by S pack, 28 January 2019 - 08:11 AM.


#22 Bigfella237

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Posted 28 January 2019 - 01:51 PM

So the LH model didn't have a Sunbird...

 

8UG69 = Torana S (4 cylinder only)

8UH69 = Torana SL (4 cylinder only)

8VB69 = Torana S (6 & 8 cylinder engines)

8VB69 with RPO "XV1" = GPak (6 cylinder only)

8VC69 = Torana SL (6 & 8 cylinder engines)

8VD69 = Torana SL/R (6 & 8 cylinder engines)

 

The Sunbird name didn't appear until the LX where it was more of a luxury level...

 

8UG69 = Torana S (4 cylinder only)

8UH69 & 77 = Torana SL (4 cylinder only) Note: The 4 cyl "Torana SL" model was discontinued November 1976, replaced by the Sunbird

8UH69 & 77 = Holden Sunbird (4 cylinder only) Note: Introduced November 1976 (first Torana with RTS)

8VB69 = Torana S (6 & 8 cylinder engines)

8VC69 & 77 = Torana SL (6 & 8 cylinder engines)

8VD69 & 77 = Torana SL/R & SS (6 & 8 cylinder engines)

 

Then in the UC things changed...

 

8UG69 = Torana S (6 cylinder only)

8UH69 & 77 with RPO "A9H" = Torana SL (6 cylinder only) Note: Both 6 cylinder models were discontinued in late 1979

8UH69 & 77 = Sunbird (4 cylinder only)

 

...but now there are three luxury levels within the Sunbird model...

 

Sunbird

Sunbird SL

Sunbird SL/E

 

Does anyone know if there were additional RPOs to indicate whether an 8UH was an SL or an SL/E (similar to how the "Torana SL" was denoted by "A9H")? They aren't listed but I assume they must exist otherwise there's no way to tell which car is which level?

 



#23 S pack

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Posted 28 January 2019 - 02:51 PM

Released 15th March 1978.

Sunbird 8UH69 and 8UH77

Sunbird SL = RPO V5V

Sunbird Deluxe = RPO V7A

 

Released 21st September 1978.

Sunbird SL/E = RPO A8J



#24 Bigfella237

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Posted 28 January 2019 - 04:06 PM

So was the Sunbird "Deluxe" the name of the base level Sunbird? (That seems a bit backward)



#25 S pack

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Posted 28 January 2019 - 05:31 PM

So was the Sunbird "Deluxe" the name of the base level Sunbird? (That seems a bit backward)

Deluxe was an option pack that could be added onto the SL






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