39 replies to this topic

[V-SLR5000-P]

Its 1984, l'm young, had my own house, a great girlfriend and an A9X hatch. The car had a Gown Hindhaugh built 308, extractors, super T10 box and Rebel wheels. Otherwise pretty stock, but one of the fastest cars l had been in upto that time (except for a mates 350 LJ) , oh yeah, it cost me $10,000!!!
Very 80's with the roof aerial, Pioneer sound, rake and white tyre lettering, but the best Torana l'm ever likely to own

[REDA9X]

REGO LOOKS FAMILIAR. Do you know where it is now?

[V-SLR5000-P]

Red, l have not seen the car since l sold it, latter 80's. l have quite recently seen the rego number on a white A9X four door in Ballarat Vic.
Fairdinkum, l did marry her.....but thats a whole other story!

[WhiteA9XS]

mm very nice , do you have any history on where you got it from and where it went after you sold it ?

[Dangerous]

Nice car - LOVE those rims on a Torana!

That looks like a larger bonnet hole with a folded lip - maybe that will help to track it down.

[TerrA LX]

I dont think there is a bad looking A9X out there.
Bet you had a mad tape deck in it.

[WhiteA9XS]

the top of the radiator support panel in the engine bay pic is black

Q.. are they normally ex factory as body colour .. ie should this be white ?

[MRLXSS]

Mate, That is cool as, i agree with what everyone says! There can't possibly be an bad looking A9X Hatch! I doubt i will ever own one, but i am more than happy with an SS and an SL that can look like an A9X! Go the Torries!

Edited by MRLXSS, 11 September 2007 - 12:05 PM.

[LXM21]

the top of the radiator support panel in the engine bay pic is black

Q.. are they normally ex factory as body colour .. ie should this be white ?

Yes, should be body colour.

[V-SLR5000-P]

Rob, sold it for more than l paid for it; $14,000 Thought l'd done OK.
With 20/20 hindsight l should have used that $14,000 to buy an unloved A9X or L34 Group C car.

[a9x868]

lindsay

so sad to hear that story 

but thanks for sharing

and yes it must bring back huge memories for you

hopefully really good ones mostly!

[a9x868]

Well, it's been almost 10 years since the last post was made in this topic 

 

I can shed quite a bit of history on my brothers old A9X Hatch .... AX-950

 

Here it is returning from the panel shop. Note the "tow car"? That my car "Infatuation" before I had done a thing to it (202, auto SS).

It was prepped and painted in 2 pack at Myles (Kiwi) Johnson's Custom Cars shop in Keyborough, Victoria aprox Nov 1983.

It was in a bit of a shabby state ... probably "good cond" to most but not good enough for my brother who was maybe a bit of a perfectionist.

My brother fitted the "floor mod" and the T10 gbox - this was not "factory". It originally had an Ian Tate modified engine but I seem to remember something about it having an "imbalance/vibration".

That where Gown Hindough came into the equation and fixed/re-balanced or whatever. It had a TQ30 Sig Erson camshaft which was pretty lumpy in the day.

Blame Myles for painting the radiator panel black .... apparently incorrectly ! 

 

Here's the original front number plate still at my parent place attached to the rafter in the garage (along side my brothers motorbike racing numbers).

 

The sad part of this story is my brother "Ray". He died at Brooklyn Speedway when he crashed his motorcycle "slider" (hit the fence) and sustained "brain injuries". He was only 23yo 

The A9X was at the panel shop at the time. I had just turned 18 and had followed my brothers motorcycle journey for over 10 years, watching him rebuild his bikes and helped him at nearly all race meetings throughout Vic & NSW.

I really didn't know that much about cars at that time. So we called on Bruce Garrett (from Garry Rogers Race Team) to help with putting the car back together again. Garry Rogers was running a Hatchback Sports Sedan at the time and Ray had previously bought a set of quad Webbers off his Sports Sedan - that he had fitted to his 1st hatchback .... a Mint julep 5.0ltr auto SS. (what a fantastic car it was !!!)

 

The car was completed and I showed it side by side with my car at the Victorian Hot Rod show at the Exhibition Buildings in Melb. We also displayed it at the Burwood "Blind Institute show" before it was sent to Shannons Auctions. It sold for a lot less than we think it was worth .... but it "had to go" !

 

I'm sure I've left out lots, so please do comment if you would like to hear more.

 

Sorry for all these rambling . This time of my life and this car bring back lots of memory ... both great and sad 

please do share more of the history

[a9x868]

Its 1984, l'm young, had my own house, a great girlfriend and an A9X hatch. The car had a Gown Hindhaugh built 308, extractors, super T10 box and Rebel wheels. Otherwise pretty stock, but one of the fastest cars l had been in upto that time (except for a mates 350 LJ) , oh yeah, it cost me $10,000!!!
Very 80's with the roof aerial, Pioneer sound, rake and white tyre lettering, but the best Torana l'm ever likely to own

uses l34 type thermostat housing and l34 heater hose routing but twin outlet water pump

no charcoal cannister

love the double stack air filter elements

Edited by a9x868, 31 January 2017 - 10:43 PM.

[StephenSLR]

With 20/20 hindsight l should have used that $14,000 to buy an unloved A9X or L34 Group C car.

 

Your best bet would've been to put a deposit on a house. I wish I had back then but as they say, you can sleep in your car but you can't drive your house. lol.

 

s

Edited by StephenSLR, 01 February 2017 - 07:31 AM.

[CI 0308]

Now these are the stories I love to read on the forum. great work. Thanks.

[LXCHEV]

Very cool - love the old pics!

[V-SLR5000-P]

Lindsay, it was a great car and l didn't push too hard for previous history at the time due to the unfortunate circumstances which forced the sale.

Although iuts no longer mine lm certainly interested in the story as you know it.

I'm pretty sure you told me that the original dealer was Mollesons at Kyenton.

The chrome rocker covers and stacked air cleaners were my small contribution.

The clutch was a killer, so hard that you wouldn't keep it down at the lights.

I sold the car to a young guy in Blackburn and l believe that it subsequently went to a solicitor in Canberra. Hopefully the current owner will contact you.

[WhiteA9XS]

Hi Lindsay And thanks Tim for the nudge on this thread .
Lindsay thanks for some nice pics and further history on the old girl , condolences on Rays passing , way too early .
I bought the car from Canberra in around 2006 from a bloke who bought it at divorce auction in 2004 , that owner was a barrister who had bought it from an electrician From Blackburn Melbourne , this fellow bought the car from Tim
I have spoken to the Barrister since , he did two targa rallies in the A9x with a 383 Holden stroker
I have rebuilt most of the mechanicals when I first bought it , sourced a HT block as the original engine was not with the car , I removed the pioneer stereo and speakers and replaced the door trims , it now runs widened original rims . 8x14.
There are a few different things that I haven,t touched like the black paint around the rad support which should be body colour , the hole in the bonnet which in slighter bigger than original and has a lip bent up inside , has had a tow bar , when I removed the tank was painted white under there through to firewall , I think they should be painted black under from original .
Shaun

[WhiteA9XS]

nowadays