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low-buck performance mods

n xntrx volvo

Newbie
Joined
Dec 5, 2003
Location
corinth, ms / los angeles
speed = money , right?
but lets face it most of us are broke and/or cheap.
post your mods under $50 us.


mine
k&n = 33
resister to ecu on coolant senser = 2
remove belt to a/c & p/s = free
ram air = 18
remove mass air screens = free

what did you guys do?

*all mods should be able to be easily repeated, ie no tools over the $50, no give away parts.
 
Knife edged my throttle body plate and trimmed those screws....... just cause I was in there, probably didn't gain anything though.. but it was free

K&N - $40

Dual swaybars front and rear- $50

MSD 8.5mm wires - $45

MSD coil - $8.95 after summit newbie rebate!

Turbo fuel system (injectors and computer) for my F+T - $30

531 head and V cam (not in yet) - $20 :rockon: :whip:

60/63 ford turbo - ok, so it was $85 at the yard, but worth EVERY penny and can be found for cheaper. It pushes sooo much more air than my old one. 50% larger!

Dual windshield washer squirters from a Saab!!! - $3.00

That's all I can think of that I've done to my car, but I know there are tons more worthwhile mods for under $50.

John
 
G-Valve = $43 (I got mine for x-mas so it didnt cost me anything)
Dual stage solinoid = $50 (got it back when they were cheap)
My dad and some wire to make it work like I planed it out = Free
 
n xntrx volvo said:
how did you get a 531 for $20 bucks?
Cause I know where to look and who to ask :badboy:

I'm curious to hear what other people add to this, it's a good topic especially for newbies. Actually, if we read the guide to newbie mods it'd probalby give us more ideas!

Another thing I thought of:

Electric fan - Free

Adjustable thermostat relay - $20.00

Although not quite performance, it sure cools down a performance engine WAY better than the stock fan.

John
 
n xntrx volvo said:
*all mods should be able to be easily repeated, ie no tools over the $50, no give away parts.
no free parts, no once-in-a-lifetime buys. the point of this thread is so anybody can repeat your mods, for under $50 each, regardless of/lack their connections, and their location.
 
Chop off rear muffler-Free
Tighten wastegate- free
remove airbox foam- free
remove amm screens - free
remove 20lb frame weights- free
Remove AC condensor from in front of IC- free
remove AC belt- free
remove 45lb third seat- free
remove 10lbs worth of under carpet sound deadening- free
deflate rear tires slightly for traction- free
ghetto cold air intake (i use stock box and paper filter. Ran the same times at track with no filter)- free and up
tighten downshift cable- free

Im thinking too hard. Bye
 
get rid of preheat hose- free
elec fan- 25$ at yard
torque manifolds/change gaskets/fix air leaks/tune up- free to cheap

flowmaster and k&n stickers- j/k
 
Dang you guys hit most of the good stuff. But no one got these goodies.
Air box mod. That is where you pull the restrictive cone extension that runs inside the tube to the fender (Free). Fill the Motor, Transmission, and differential with Synthetic lubes. I have Mobil One in the motor, Redline MTL in the transmission, and Redline 75W90 in the rear end ($55). This should free up 4 to 8 HP lost in the drive train from drag and friction.
When was the last time you cleaned the oil out of the intercooler and hoses (Free) Cleaned the TB?(gasket $3) How old are you plugs and wires? Air cleaner Clean? When was the last time you went through the car and got rid of all the junk you really don't need out of the car. (Weight reduction) (Free) Have cleaned the Bugs and road garbage out of your Condenser, Radiator and IC? Air flows through easier and makes all three more efficient at cooling (Free) Also make sure the splash shield underneath is intact for better air flow.
Go through the exhaust system and make sure there isn't any leaks from the exhaust manifold to the tail pipe. And yes it does matter other than more noise.
If the car isn't in tune your losing power to start with. And lastly you could Auto-RX the engine to clean all the built up garbage inside the engine out. And yes it does free up power that has been lost to stuck rings and sludge on the moving parts. $55 And yes your engine will love you for it. Info available at www.bobistheoilguy.com or www.auto-rx.com
 
if you got a 89 or earlier 740 hunt the junk yards for a alluminum hood- make friends at the junkyard cause you mght be able to grab one really cheap

grab a t3 metal 90 degree turbo bend and the metal pipes from a 90 plus intercooelr hack to fit. almost all metal turbo to intercooler pipes.-what like 20 bucks at a junk yard

hunt aroudn for a good alluminum pipe 90 degree bend at junk yard- go to home depot buy rivets and a piece of sheet metal(alluminum is always best) bend and cut to look liek the mvp style heat shields. then instead of having all those bends for turbo to amm hose just use that alluminum 90 degree or so to the base of the heat shield locate your amm there on a mount. wow you've just gotten rid of like over 200 dollars of rubber hoses. what like 30 bucks and 50 with a cone filter from autozone.



and were are the 20 lb frame weights that can be removed????
 
Got M or L cam's on your N/A B21 / B23? Go B cam for as little as 10$ from the junkyard.
and another 10$ for a E-Fan, plus $14 for a thermal Switch, and the plastic hose coupler to mount the switch in - .69 cents. whack and hack your exhuast I believe this has been mentioned.. what else did I do for mods that was cheap? when to a newer 530 head over the not so different 398 head. doubt that helped power but its newer and less worn out than my 398. Using a IC pipe to intake from 760 Turbo for custom metal cold air intake mod is in the works. I'll just need the cone style air filter, 20 bucks from Matrix. Bosch plus 4 spark plugs - helps out gas milages alot! New O2 Sensor.. but these aren't really mods.
hmm... meh... Remove all your interior but the drivers seat? ??
 
damn it has to be under 50$. how about getting a car for like 300 with cut front springs, (nice handling) intake and vx cam and rebuilt head already intalled. still havent spent any real money on the car, thanks to friends. that ecu helps soooo much slobo thanks. ohhhhh here is something i want to try and it will be under 50, how about like 3 bottles of octane booster to go with our bullet proof engines. hah. ok maybe just 2 but still. oh and bosch quads are great
 
Octane booster is bull-honky. Toluene is where it's at. You get like 5 times more for the same price. Search for it.

Manual boost controller - made my own for just over $10 with parts purchased from mcmaster.com. Works great!

Cams are a really good improvement too, basically anything other than M or T.

John
 
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