28 replies to this topic

[Cduff1983]

Hi guys (and girls), just wondering if the police GTR's (specifically LJ's) had anything different with their engines?

 

I've got a JL block in my XU1 currently that leads back to a 048 Dealer Code, which is the NSW Government / Police.

 

Did they modify anything internally or swap heads? or were they just a GTR with bolt on lights, etc. 

i saw a great read on a barn find police GTR which detailed quite a few little aftermarket differences, but no details on an engine.

 

cheers

[yel327]

Are you certain 048 is NSW Police? It might just be a dealer that did were allocated NSW Govt Fleet orders. I thought it was WH Lober. They had 3 dealer codes from memory.

 

Why would Police have a GTR with a modified engine? If they needed more go they would use an XU1. All JL were just dead stock, tiny camshaft HQ 202 engines with LJ specific sump and whatever else was required to make them LJ specific. They are no more special than any other QL 202.

Edited by yel327, 20 December 2023 - 04:45 PM.

[S pack]

Are you certain 048 is NSW Police? It might just be a dealer that did were allocated NSW Govt Fleet orders. I thought it was WH Lober. They had 3 dealer codes from memory.

 

Why would Police have a GTR with a modified engine? If they needed more go they would use an XU1. All JL were just dead stock, tiny camshaft HQ 202 engines with LJ specific sump and whatever else was required to make them LJ specific. They are no more special than any other QL 202.

NSW Police did not hold dealer code 048.

Holden Dealers submitted tenders for the supply of NSW Govt and Police fleet vehicles.

 

Edited by S pack, 20 December 2023 - 05:58 PM.

[Indy Orange]

Police here in W.A had LC GTRs with 186 engines XU1 mods ,cheaper than buying XU1s Then later 2 LJXU1s for Bridgetown W.A.

[RallyRed]

There are plenty of GTR/ Police topics/ comments on this forum.
Goole turns up stuff like this from years back -

""Balfizar interveiwed two guys that worked at the POLICE WORKSHOPS Zetland and Enfield from 1967 to 2003
which means they saw the LJ GTR TORANAS as serving POLICE CARS with all the correct POLICE GEAR in them
they most likely installed this gear as well.
Here is some comments they made
Never, NO modification above GMH FACTORY SPEC, NO experimentation, NO prototype
Multiple holes in firewall
They also talk about LC GTR only (NO XU1s)
LJ GTRs TOO SLOW (Hence XU1s)
Police pack (xu1 with GTR badges/appearance-No rear spoiler)
These two GUYS I would class as experts ON POLICE GTRs they have work on and seen them in police trim"
"

Edited by RallyRed, 20 December 2023 - 08:15 PM.

[Indy Orange]

May have been different from state to state.

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[Cduff1983]

Thanks guys, this is why I love this forum.
Tried searching it before RallyRed but it kept stalling saying I was searching too quickly.
What I could find (and hence thought) that the dealer code 048 was NSW Govt / Police leading to the question… but sounds like the engine here in NSW even if was police was stock.
I don’t know the full history of mine except that it’s a JL with a yellaterra head and a real lumpy cam and it’s in my xu1. I haven’t pulled the engine down yet.
Another member here in the forum actually has the original JP block out of my car which I’d love to buy off him, but it’s also missing the head so it’s just a block with a number.
Thanks for the info guys.

[Indy Orange]

Still be cool to have it back in your car!

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[yel327]

There was always cars sold to Police, and they often had special bits like finer graduations on speedo etc. GMH wasn't in the business of modifying engines for Police though.

[RallyRed]

I thought/remembered?? that the LJ pursuit cars that looked like GTRs, actually had the full JP XU1 engine fitted?

[S pack]

I thought/remembered?? that the LJ pursuit cars that looked like GTRs, actually had the full JP XU1 engine fitted?

Col, the NSW Police purchased 50 of the 150 1973 Bathurst XU1 delete boot spoiler and XU1 decals. They all looked like GTR and had a sunvisor.

All NSW Police GTR purchased prior to those 50 were bog stock std GTR.
 

Edited by S pack, 21 December 2023 - 07:15 AM.

[RallyRed]

Ta Dave..that must have been my old memory.  

I recall from back in the day, when ( rarely) you saw under the bonnet of police LJs, some wore triples etc and some were stock LJ

[Indy Orange]

There was always cars sold to Police, and they often had special bits like finer graduations on speedo etc. GMH wasn't in the business of modifying engines for Police though.

No never in the factory Yel ,Police workshops may have been an exception.

[yel327]

I thought/remembered?? that the LJ pursuit cars that looked like GTRs, actually had the full JP XU1 engine fitted?

I thought these were all XU1 just disguised as a GTR?

[S pack]

Ta Dave..that must have been my old memory.  

I recall from back in the day, when ( rarely) you saw under the bonnet of police LJs, some wore triples etc and some were stock LJ

Yeah, every day the 21 Jump Street squad would go out and chase the drug dealers but the poor old std GTR just couldn't keep up with their Ferrari's and Lambos. 

 

[IanC]

As a side note. I just read a Ford police car post and newspaper clip from 1972 that said a large number of xa police cars received the surplus phase 1V engines.

[Indy Orange]

Strictly Mini Cooper and simca pursuit.😏

[S pack]

As a side note. I just read a Ford police car post and newspaper clip from 1972 that said a large number of xa police cars received the surplus phase 1V engines.

Sorry, I find it hard to believe that Ford would have had a quantity of 1969 XW 351 Windsor Phase 1 engines still laying around in 1972.
 

[yel327]

As a side note. I just read a Ford police car post and newspaper clip from 1972 that said a large number of xa police cars received the surplus phase 1V engines.

 

I don't think there were surplus XA GT-HO engines. There were almost certainly parts as until 1975 all Cleveland blocks were still US cast items (Ford Australia stockpiled US blocks to see them through until they began casting them at Geelong). Lots of the parts procured to build the XA GT-HO engines ended up in regular XA GT and even Fairlane. Not surprised if some of the bits ended up in the 351 manual cars sold to Police either. 

[Indy Orange]

https://m.youtube.co...mUgZ2V0IHNtYXJ0

[S pack]

As a side note. I just read a Ford police car post and newspaper clip from 1972 that said a large number of xa police cars received the surplus phase 1V engines.

OH I'm a bit slow this morning.   You mean Phase IV.
 

[Rockoz]

Have read posts over the years on different forums, and the consensus from those in the know is that there were no mods to Police vehicles from the factory no matter what brand they were.

However.

One of my mates was head mechanic at a Holden dealership for a while. The period when the VL Turbos were being used by NSWHP.

He routinely removed the turbos and gave the wastegate a bit of a tickle up.

From memory it was 'off the books' even though the dealership owner knew about it.

They did it as a bit of a favour to the local HWP guys.

He also said that lots of turbos were replaced due to failure on both cop and privately owned cars early on.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

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