97 replies to this topic

[Litre8]

Factory standard I think the early LX 5000's with 186kw (250hp). Anything after July 1976 (=A9X) got hit with ADR27A with egr as well as other assorted emission horrors.

[Peter UC]

Does the L34 HO count as standard other wise the standard L34 would have more power than a standard SL/R 5000 despite what the factory said.

[Litre8]

The standard L34 was slower than standard LH SLR 5000. Road test from the time quotes 0-100kph 8.0 (LH 5000), 8.7 (L34), 0-160kph 24.1 (LH 5000), 25.2 (L34). Quarter miles time marginally favoured the LH 5000 too. Until you added on the go-fast bits you got no real advantage of big valve heads, exhaust etc.

[Heath]

so LH SL/R 5000s are the fastest Toranas... at least in the strait line?

I always had the impression the L34 Heads gave it a decent advantage over all the other 308s even in stock form, I was obviously wrong.

[REDA9X]

Just going off memory here as I don't have figures in front of me, but stock L34 wasn't much better than SLR5000, and the early LX was slightly better than the later LX due to pollution. However if you are talking a post pollution SS against an A9X, the A9X would be slightly better off with the same gearing.

[Litre8]

The L34's "340" horsepower was after the addition of all the dealer fitted parts (cam, carb , valve gear). Factory rating of 240hp (as per the std 5000) was probably correct. Big valve heads, without the matching components (cam, carb), would probably have hurt street performance.

[HSVGTS]

Street performance, back in the �70�s���when standard my LH SL/R 5000 could out accelerate my brothers standard L34 around town any day, and it did, he gave up trying. Highway���different matter.

Regards���.

[REDA9X]

LH SL/R5000, LX SS & A9X are measured in k/w instead of h/p on the chart. So LX SS 5litre is the most powerful. Thanks for posting that up mike_nofx.

Look again, the SS is a 76 verion, ie pre pollution, there is no comparison. As I said before, if you got a stock 77 (pollution) SS and an A9X and tested them, you would find the A9X would be ever so slightly better off.

[makka]

when you say that the L34 was slower than a standard 5000, could this be because of the taller (14 inch) wheels and being a heavier car?
and did the A9X gain its extra performance from its lack of engine driven fan? what else?

[REDA9X]

I wouldn't have thought the L34 was slower than a stock 5000, but I didn't think there would be much in it. I'll have a look. L34 did come with different diff and gearbox ratios too. I don't think it's heavier than a 5000. A9X have a different cam and lack of engine fan to a stock 5000 or SS.

[REDA9X]

That chart is full of it anyway, I wouldn't take much from what I read there. Going on the difference in speed, it could have even had figures taken from an auto SS they tested at some stage. The A9X didn't have a holley, the L34 had an option of a 780 holley. The A9X had a Rochester, same as the SS.

AS I have said, yes the SS on the chart makes more power, but it's a 76 model, stricker ADR rules came into play after that, choking the later models including the SS. To compare a 5l SS against an A9X, you need to have a late 77 build (around August as after that they were all A9X) SS.

[REDA9X]

No prizes for guessing the L34 was the most powerful factory Torana, but the fact is, it wasn't any quicker than an SLR5000, but the potential was there with a few little mods or fittment of the $1500 HO pack, which was a dealer fitted item.