
The Great L34 A9X debate
#1
Posted 02 April 2009 - 09:18 AM
#2
Posted 02 April 2009 - 09:20 AM
If i had to have one in my shed, that i would enjoy... It would be an L34... Just because it was a bit more of an Animal... And i love the L34 paint job... subtle but very sexy!
Edited by MRLXSS, 02 April 2009 - 09:21 AM.
#3
Posted 02 April 2009 - 09:26 AM
#4
Posted 02 April 2009 - 09:59 AM
#5
Posted 02 April 2009 - 10:03 AM
#6
Posted 02 April 2009 - 10:07 AM
#7
_LXXXIV_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 10:11 AM
but for me L34 for all the reasons I have mentioned in other threads.
Its only a matter of time the L34 will become the most collectable and $$$ holden road production vehicle. Thats my prediction!!!
Also depending on diff L34 will EAT a A9X (road vehicles).
will be great to see.

#8
_Herne_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 10:11 AM
I was thinking.. would't it be funny if nobody posted about it anymore...lol
Its subjective, there is NO answer anyway

Herne
#9
Posted 02 April 2009 - 10:27 AM
My guess would be that in a straight line the L34 would pull away (depending on the installed diff ratio) but come the corners (and some repeated heavy braking) then the A9x would be climbing over the back of the L34.
#10
_The Baron_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 10:34 AM
Any offers?

#11
Posted 02 April 2009 - 11:09 AM
#12
_chrome yella_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 11:09 AM
run straight line and fastest lap, also run same tyres on the 14s. i hope Reda9x accepts the challenge.
they are both great cars so there are no losers, only winners.
what if the stocky 5000 won?..........nah gmh wont be there to control the test..
#13
Posted 02 April 2009 - 11:23 AM
#14
Posted 02 April 2009 - 11:28 AM
#15
_lx5008_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 11:29 AM
#16
Posted 02 April 2009 - 11:29 AM
i for one would be there....Bring it on!!!
#17
Posted 02 April 2009 - 11:44 AM
Many people believe the L34 was a better car than the A9X and the common argument is that the L34 was faster. In some cases, some people have even claimed the stock L34 was putting out 380hp, strange when race teams were lucky to squeeze 350hp out of them in full race mode.
The fact is Holden had a policy of choking the cars at the time after the supercar scare. When the 34 was released most people were very disappointed with their performance off the showroom floor. Holden claimed the car was built for endurance, not performance, while that was correct, the engine basics were all there, all you had to do was let it breath and the thing went like a rocket. The standard exhaust for example was the H&M headers broken in 2 and the second part went into one single 2� pipe. After reaching the mufflers, the pipes went back down to the standard 1 5/8 tailpipes. On the intake end, the engine had to suck air through a 1 � hole in the aircleaner. The fact is an engine thrives on getting air and fuel and being able to extract that exhaust, the intake and exhaust was no better than a stock SLR5000.
When tested at the time , most motoring journalists were shocked by the cars performance and in one magazine an SLR5000 and L34 were compared to each other on the drag strip and the SLR5000 was actually found to be faster. Speaking to people who bought SLR5000�s and L34�s from new they found the same issue when the cars were taken to the local Castlereagh drag strip. Most people agreed at the time the SLR5000 was faster due to the rolling diameter of the tyres, 13� rims to 14� rims. Most owners of L34�s then took the cars home, had the exhaust changed, timing done and a decent aircleaner fitted. When they returned to the track the cars went much better, this is why most people remember L34�s as rocket ships because they have now been modified, and most have been over the years. The same external mods to an SLR5000 would not achieve the same result as the internal components , mainly the larger head valves were not there. All the other mods in an L34 engine from the factory were as they stated, for durability.
The L34 also had the option for the High Output pack to be fitted, again this was mainly durability, though it did have a wilder cam and better breathing aircleaner as well. The stock L34 cam was the same as a standard 253. The fact is the HO kit was never a factory fitted item, it was dealer fitted and many dealers were fitting them to other vehicles. In 1978, Holden released a bulletin to all its dealers stating the fitment of HO kits was to cease as it was against ADR�s of the day.
The A9X was released to cure all the problems the L34,( just like the L34 was to cure the SLR5000 in racing situations) had, mainly with driveline. There was no need to put all the L34 components into the engine, they had already been homologated. Holden only needed to add the bits that needed fixing. An L34 was basically an SLR5000 with HQ brakes, some good engine bits and flares to accommodate the 14� wheels. With the A9X, they modified the floor to take the larger Salisbury diff with disc brakes from the upcoming HZ range. A dealer fitted option was also the T10 gearbox. Other mods were changes to the suspension which made the car handle better and some small changes for the engine. The most noticeable was the bonnet scoop which allowed for a hole to accommodate the variety of different carburettors available. The engine driven fan was removed and replaced with an electric fan as the L34 was prone to throw fanbelts and the fan robbed the engine of power. The road going A9X got a different camshaft to the SLR5000 and an upgraded crankshaft from the L34 as the L34 crank was prone to failure. The A9X did suffer from ADR27A which made the engines run less smoothly than a pre ADR27A engine, however the lack of fan and cam did make up for this slightly. The main purpose of the ADR27A mods was to make the engine more efficient and better on fuel, but once the engines were up to temp they were not that much worse off performance wise.
When it came to race A9X�s, yes a special batch of shells were made up, however at least 2 I know of used road going hatches.
The A9X race cars did not use L34 engines as most people seem to think. Remember the L34 ran a fan for starters. Most A9X race cars had new blocks from the factory and built them to the specs allowed within the homologation process, this means yes they used plenty of L34 componentry, but essentially were not an L34 engine as such.
Going back to the road cars, if you bought a brand new bog stock L34 and a brand new bog stock A9X and ran them against each other around a track, it would be a race between whether the basically stock A9X engine without the benefit of the L34�s baffled sump would blow up before the L34 ran out of brakes or blew up the diff, not a race to see which was faster. If the A9X did not make improvements over the L34 and the L34 handled better as some would have you believe, why did Holden bother to upgrade to the A9X in the first place?
It�s a fact less L34�s were made than A9X sedans, 263 vs. 305, and that the L34 was built to race. Holden didn�t produce special shells for the L34 to race, you went to the dealer, you bought an L34, modified it to race and off you went. This makes genuine untouched examples of the L34 very rare indeed today.
The facts are simple, and this is in no way a put down of the L34 as some would have you believe, it�s unemotional facts rather than wives tales and blurred memories, or simple putting down of one car because someone owns the other. You also have to remember to compare apples with apples, you can�t compare a modified (in ANY WAY) A9X against an L34 or visa versa. At the end of the day, both of these cars served their purpose in the homologation process and both have their good and bad points, people should learn to appreciate them for what they are.
the idea of the race sounds good, however, neither car is exactly the way it left the factory.
#18
_The Baron_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 12:09 PM
By the way REDBITS, I think someone else has offered your car to be the stock A9X for the comparison.^^^^^^^(3rd post)
Any way, my dad is better than yours ;P
#19
Posted 02 April 2009 - 01:10 PM
The track shootout would be pretty cool if those with examples of these fine cars were interested. A printout of this thread could be taken along on the day to make sure everything is kosher!
#20
_Pallbag_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 01:29 PM
Get Top Gear to do it for an episode

#21
Posted 02 April 2009 - 01:37 PM
Or are we talking something else again?
#22
Posted 02 April 2009 - 01:45 PM
Top of the range LH - L34
Top of the Range LX - A9X
Top of the range UC - SLE
They all handle better than the previous model, but are slower! LOL
#23
Posted 02 April 2009 - 02:04 PM
the HO pack is the track pack some people refer to yes, oil cooler, cam proper roller rockers, aircleaner.... $1500 new in 1974.
#24
_darrenmark1_
Posted 02 April 2009 - 02:13 PM
L34 ?
A9X ?
Race
L34 ?
A9X ?
Red what were the exhaust upgrades after the HM headers did they just go from 1 5/8 to 2 or 2.5 or what? So just to get this clear in my head after the Headers it went into one single 2 inch pipe and then split into two 1 5/8 pipes? Then it was modified to what? after the headers did it have a twin 1 5/8 pipes with a crossover or something? what sort of increase in power would that have brought? Or a different size?
Darren
#25
Posted 02 April 2009 - 02:28 PM
What carb did a Stock
L34 ? Rochestor 780 Holley as part of the HO kit
A9X ? Rochestor
Race
L34 ? 780 Holley or side draught webers, whatever you wanted to fit under the bonnet
A9X ? whatever fitted again, however the hole in the bionnet allowed twin downdraught 48mm IDF Webers to be the favourite, depending on the track
Red what were the exhaust upgrades after the HM headers did they just go from 1 5/8 to 2 or 2.5 or what? So just to get this clear in my head after the Headers it went into one single 2 inch pipe and then split into two 1 5/8 pipes? Then it was modified to what? after the headers did it have a twin 1 5/8 pipes with a crossover or something? what sort of increase in power would that have brought? Or a different size?
Darren
The exhaust after the headers was the same on the L34, SLR5000 and A9X, with slight changes to suit the floor. Standard on L34 whas the H&M headers, the bottom half was like a big 'V' collector that went into a single 2" pipe on both sides of the engine all the way to the mufflers. Out of the mufflers it was 2x 1 5/8" pipe to the rear of the car, so effectively causing a bottle neck. It's a twin system all the way. The race cars just fitted the proper bottom half of the headers which continued as four pipes and then into a large collector and dump pipe depending on the team design. I'm not sure of exact figures, it would differ depending on what mods you did be it for the road or race. A decent exhaust and intake however can make a big difference as we all know. For anyone with a stock engine, try turning the aircleaner lid upside down and see what a difference that makes.
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