What was your first "high performance" modification?

[Tom Slick]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

I only read the title... first car mod I remember was a "Test Tube" cat removal and it did run better.

[A/Fuel]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

I remember pulling my first car out of a frozen pond, then spending all winter on it.
Now when I look back on it all I was good for was striping out bolts, rounding off nuts, and breaking off studs.
I think the only tools I knew how to use was a huge cresent wrench and a half inch rachet. I understood leverage, lol.
Once I had it running I moved up to rounding off cam shaft lobes, srtipping out Holley float bowls and many days trying to re-invent the firing order on a small block chevy.

[BBR]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Besides installing a lowering kit (TrailMaster axle flip & I-beams) on my '84 Ranger, I rebuilt it's 2.0L 4 cylinder with a CompCAMS 280 camshaft, a junkyard Pinto 2bbl intake and a Holley 500 2 barrel carb. It made absolutely no power below 2500 rpm, but man would it scream! It made a gazillion weekend trips between home and college (800mi round trips) before I finally pulled it for a small block swap. Funniest part is, I still have that engine.

[66Fury3]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

I installed a set of Appliance Headers to my '72 Demon in the summer of '73 at Ft. Riley, KS.... ;D

[daved931]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Thought about this while freezing my ass off walking the dog tonight.

What was the very first thing you did to a car as a "performance" modification?

Mine? Swapped an D.U.I high energy HEI cap and coil onto my first car, a 1984 Monte Carlo. I ordered the parts the day I got the car and swapped the cap about 5 minutes after the box showed up.

It was still a pig.

What was yours?

I was 16 and had a Sonoma with a 4.3. I put a K&N filter on it. Damn, I thought that was bad ass. Ha ha ha.

[Matt Cramer]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Front sway bar on my '66 Dart. Made a huge difference in handling.

[Bamfster]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Weiand intake, Holley 600 and a "350 horse 327" cam in the junkyard 350 that first powered the Chevelle. All of the parts were used when I got them.

[Eagle Kammback]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

I put a TFI ignition on the wagon, parts came with the car when I bought her, previous owner never installed them

I sshould have driven her a bit before doing it to see how muchof a difference it would make

[Tazracing]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

porting the heads on my 80 turbo ta..
it blew the head gasket, so I tried my hand at porting them (bowl work, match the intake to heads)
bolted it together after getting 16 new guides and 3 angle v job.
only to blow up the poor like 301 6 months later..

[Lon_H]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Lowered spindles and blocks on my 87 S-10. A week later I had to get lower so I bought lowering springs.

[STINEY]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Swapped ou the bellcrank on my BMX for a longer throw one. Really upped the top end.

Also really crapped out the turning ability. Longer throw would hit the ground on even a slight lean. :-\

Swapped it back, but learned a lesson. Went looking for something in the middle ground.... ;D

[moparmaniac07]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Getting my Charger running. It was a lot quicker without the tractor in front of it.

[mrocketscience]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

Let's see... My first worthwhile mod was adding Torque Thrust rims and Firestone RedLine tires to my 63 Imp. I was 16 then, but go back earlier and I had a 59 Galaxie my dad bought me for 75 bucks. I didn't have to do much there cause it already had some sweet mods:
Shackles on the rear leaf springs for that raked stance ....Check
Glass packs exiting in front of the rear wheels.... Check
Stock steel wheels painted silver for that chrome reverse look... Check
So, I painted the valve covers with Testors Lime Green Metalflake paint.... BAM! Perfect ;)

[ethelkilledfred]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

First thing was I got a job-


I was in High School and had 2 weeks off school. I worked one week as a go-for on a construction site and made enough money to buy a brand new Vic Jr intake and gasket set. Spent the later part of the second week installing it on my V8 Vega. I was very pleased with the results.

[Cyclone03]

Re: What was your first "high performance" modification?

I think my FIRST Performance mod was by passing the Ca. Required no Nox box on my then 1 day old (to me) 67 Mustang and Pushing the base timing to about 10-12deg. Dad helped me cut the total back to 38. Then I pulled the dist. and carried it to school on the bus so I could curve it in Auto Shop.