15 replies to this topic

[Antz85]

G'day all,

I have another question for you.

I've come across an early LX (05/76) and it seems to have a couple LH quirks about the body. Some examples of this are the rear seatbelt anchors being in the c-pillar, "double skinned" bonnet and the panel between the tail light buckets in the boot.
My question to you is did the early LXs' utilise the LH body until ADR changes?
Your help is very much appreciated.
TIA 😊

[tuxedoss]

The double skin bonnet as its referred to  which is really a double frame, they all only had one skin went right up to 7/76. I've got a late july 76 Adr 27A Lx with the double skin and am 100% sure its the original bonnet

[Ando]

My 6/76 (ADR 27) hatch has got the double skin bonnet & I'm 100% certain it's the original.

 

The car was originally a mandarin red colour, resprayed white at some stage. 

 

No signs of a front collision & all bolted panels has traces of mandarin red paint.

 

I've since resprayed the engine bay & bonnet as well as minor work on the hanging panels.

 

I would suggest that early LX Toranas got the double skinned bonnets until all the stock were depleted.

 

My other 9/76 (ADR 27A) hatch has the single skinned bonnet.

 

'77 LX cars most certainly would've got the single skinned bonnet. 

 

Cheers

Edited by Ando, 16 January 2019 - 06:14 AM.

[S pack]

Other discussion about it here.................http://www.gmh-toran...ny-differences/

[Antz85]

Thanks heaps for that guys!!!
But besides the bonnet, what about the rear seatbelt location and panel between the tailight buckets?
Would they have used the same shell as the LH until the ADR change?
Just would like to know if that was the case of depleting old stock, change of adr or has been re-tagged as an LX.

All of the tags look to have never been removed, but the car is 40yrs old. Who know what may have happened in that time.
But are all pre ADR as I compared them to the tags on my 77 LX Sunbird.

[Bigfella237]

It wouldn't be anything to do with old stock... going by chassis numbers there were approximately 15,000 LX Toranas built by 07/76 and I highly doubt GMH would've had that much surplus stock of spare LH bonnets!

 

If you know where to look you will find heaps of places where the LX was re-engineered as time went by to save weight, everything from using thinner steel to deleting brackets & braces and even changing tail lights from alloy to plastic.

 

But I was only thinking about this the other day and maybe the rear seat belt upper mount relocation might have had something to do with a new option code that appeared for the LX model entitled "A47 - REAR SEAT LAP & SHOULDER BELTS (With Retracting)" ?

 

Now I've never seen nor heard of an LX with (factory) retractable rear belts but it would certainly explain the mounting point being moved down to the parcel shelf?

[S pack]

It wouldn't be anything to do with old stock... going by chassis numbers there were approximately 15,000 LX Toranas built by 07/76 and I highly doubt GMH would've had that much surplus stock of spare LH bonnets!

 

If you know where to look you will find heaps of places where the LX was re-engineered as time went by to save weight, everything from using thinner steel to deleting brackets & braces and even changing tail lights from alloy to plastic.

 

But I was only thinking about this the other day and maybe the rear seat belt upper mount relocation might have had something to do with a new option code that appeared for the LX model entitled "A47 - REAR SEAT LAP & SHOULDER BELTS (With Retracting)" ?

 

Now I've never seen nor heard of an LX with (factory) retractable rear belts but it would certainly explain the mounting point being moved down to the parcel shelf?

I'm thinking the same thing with the panels Andrew.  Weight saving.

What month and year did the rear seat belt upper mounts move from the C pillar to the parcel shelf?

Edited by S pack, 16 January 2019 - 11:48 AM.

[Bigfella237]

Pretty sure it was in the first half of '76 sometime when they moved the seat belt mounting point and I think it coincided with the removal of the tail light panel brace and the changes under the parcel shelf (talking about sedans only here of course), but I've never really pinned-down a changeover date.

 

My LX SL/R is very early production (built pre LX release) and it has more in common with an LH than the later LX's.

 

I suspect that a lot of this development was for motor racing as it was big business for Holden in the late 70's, but of course there are many other benefits to saving weight like road handling, fuel economy, production costs, etc.

[S pack]

I think you are 100% correct Andrew. The LX 8**69 rear lap sash upper mounts were relocated from the C pillar to the  rear parcel shelf for mounting of the optional retractor seat belts.

Looks the part numbers for the optional Retractor seat belts were first published in the LX Parts Catalogue Amending Supplement M37758A issued March 1976.

[Cook]

Just out of curiosity, did the front brake lines change from (LH) routing through a hole in the engine bay to (LX) underneath and bracket on chassis rail on day one, or was there a "changeover period" with this as well?  Cheers Ron

[Bigfella237]

G'day Ron,

 

A heap of brake changes were put into production in preparation for ADR 31 ("CLX" chassis numbers) on 01 January 1977 but they actually happened in the months leading up to that date.

 

I believe these included the cessation of the 4 wheel drum brake option, and a change to almost all of the disc brake system and some changes to the instrument clusters and wiring harnesses.

 

The Holden parts cattledog doesn't specify a changeover point but the PBR Brakes catalog says it was in 09/76

[Antz85]

Thanks for all of the good info! Sounds like the early LX's still had a lot in common with the LH until the change in ADRs and gradual design improvements.

[RallyRed]

Now I've never seen nor heard of an LX with (factory) retractable rear belts but it would certainly explain the mounting point being moved down to the parcel shelf?[/quote

Was just having a scratch around regarding this.. nope, got nothing. However it appears retracto belts ( front )were a drama back in LH days
You can option them...no. they are mandatory...no, hang on, you cant have them. lol

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Edited by RallyRed, 18 January 2019 - 05:05 PM.

[Bigfella237]

Thanks Col,

 

Does anyone have a complete set of these service bulletins scanned into PDF?

 

I'd love to have a read through them.

[RallyRed]

I dont, just bits and pieces. They do make for some interesting odds and sods.
Sort of brings home why these days, you can have car X in white, siver,or black with or without a towbar and floor mats, and that's about it.
The available options, powertrains and colours back in the 70s must have been
almost un-manageable

[hanra]

I know of a car up here which is currently a freshly painted shell, and it has the belts mounted to the parcel tray. No captive nuts in the C-pillar. It has the same panel between the tail lights as my LH. It has the brackets for the front brake line attached to the chassis rail under the inner wheel arch also.