42 replies to this topic

[REDA9X]

Rex, just one thing here mate, I don't think you seem to realise this one fact, you can do a fair bit to an engines internals (btw a stock L34 cam is nothing special, it's fairly mild, thats why they had the so called "Bathurst cam" in the HO pack), but if you choke it with poor induction and poor exhaust, (the L34 extractors were shithouse in stock form. The rules said you could modifiy from the first join, after that first join the stock L34 headers went into a single pipe. The exhaust after the mufflers went down to a smaller diameter to restrict flow) you won't get any benefits, and that was exactly what Holden had in mind with this car, they built it so racers could put the good induction and exhaust etc on to make it raceable. I think I have explained this several times now.The fact is this, you quoted the car as being 140HP more than a stock SLR5000. A stock LH SLR 5000 had 240hp, so you are saying a stock L34 (as I said before stock, no HO pack, no chrome aircleaners or any mods at all) put out 380 HP, when HDT could only get at best 370HP out of it's race engines. Your figures simply don't add up. There is no doubting the L34 had more horses than an A9X, going on Holdens figures alone proves that as I said, Holden stated the LH SLR 5000 was 240HP, and the L34 was "quoted" as the same. The early (pre ADR27A) LX SLR5000 managed to get quoted as 250hp, but the ADR27A A9X was quoted at 230HP. Going on this alone, it's down 20hp on the L34. I think my above post pointed out some flaws in the whole arguement and now I am just repeating myself. Just for the record, I have spoken to a few people who had these cars in their day. One person who is well known in the Torana world, and is the most knowledgable person I know on any model Torana told me his stock SLR 5000 used to regularly beat stock L34's at Castleraugh Drag strip (and on the streets). There wasn't much in it (just like the magazines of the day said), but he did beat them. He also had an L34 up until a few years ago, plus a couple of A9X's in stock and modified form. The L34 was a little qucker than the stock A9X he owns, but not much. I had a short run against the L34 (one of the better L34's around) in my VR SS 185i a few years ago. The driver was right in my boot and I couldn't pull away, however, I was trying to pull away while in fifth gear. Had I have changed back to forth (same final drive), I would have pulled away, as he confirmed afterwards. Not bad seeing 185kw is only about 250hp, and it was up a few Kg over the L34.
I'll scan up an article I found with a comparison of an L34 against an SLR5000 and post it later.

Edited by REDA9X, 24 June 2006 - 11:49 PM.

[GML-31]

just maybe the L34 he remembers had the full option pack???

[retired308]

just for healthy discussion, who was the street machine mechanic
guru who used to contribute articles and do build ups?
i remember early 80's he did a big block 425ci into hq build etc, he was
quoted as saying a stock 308 made 160 genuine hp flat out" about 1/2 hp
per cube, was that a fair statement?.
Thinking also that someone can use the slide to calculate hp v quarter times
would that test some stories more acurately??
.
Most of the old 70's-80's 308 street/strip builds were lucky to see 300-360hp according to my old engine guys, that was with the usual mods.

we really should treasure all the cars and enjoy them,

[REDA9X]

The supercar scare certainly would have put the wind up Holden, and yes, the figures they quoted may have been a little less than it was really putting out. My point was though, the difference certainly was not anything like 140hp over a stock 5000. I think I've pointed out the exhaust and other things a few times, deliberatly put there by Holden to choke the cars performance off the showroom floor. DR Terry also pointed out, most had poor timing from new. Holden deliberately did these things so the cars wouldn't perform any better than a stock 5000 so when journos took them out to drive, they couldn't start the whole supercar scare tactics again. Just one thing I'd like to say to REX, I certainly wasn't trying to be personal, I took it you were and reacted in one post, I was mearly trying to point out some facts to try and stop some of the myth that has been floating round for years. lets face it, most people who bought an L34 would have tossed the exhaust and aircleaner, got it tuned up, maybe fitted a new cam within weeks of being new, so it's understandable memories can be a little hazzy.

[REDA9X]

WELL SAID

[tinkers]

Interesting thread, the magazine is interesting as well