Beginner looking for advice

[Sm1thback]

Hey all,

Just recently turned 18 and got my first car, a VT Acclaim S2.

Was looking for some advice on some standard modifications I should make to it before I try and do anything too drastic. I was thinking about putting some king springs on, because I don't want it too low, just enough to get rid of the space above the guard and the wheel.

Thanks in advance:boxing:

 

[madsav]

Hi mate, spend about $50 for a inlet manifold gasket kit and $8 for a can of mr muscle over cleaner,
Pop your manifold off and give it a good scrub down over the years them v6 gather alot of soot and old oil and reduces the cars breathing.

 

[soop]

If you're keen, get some sand paper and polish up the intake manifold. Check the painting forum, I've got a thread going in there with some info. Be warned its a long tedius process.

 

[Sm1thback]

ok thanks for the tips fellas. I'm not very fluent in technical language unfortunately, so I'm gonna scout these forums to see if I can figure out which parts are where, haha.

Thanks a lot

 

[soop]

Intake manifold is the bit that the has the throttle body. which attaches to the airbox.

 

[Sm1thback]

thanks soop. also, when you said that it's a long tedious process, how long are you referring to? Hours or days?

Thanks mate

 

[soop]

Day's .
I'm doing it all by hand and taking my time. But you could do it in a day if you started in the morning and worked like a dog. Its better if you just cruise it and have a few beers while you're at it.

 

[F l a k]

I'd give it a good clean all over, and then fix anything that's broken, and get some little things done like nice mats and seat covers.
Maybe give it a good service depending on how long it's been, then look at something like a 2.5 inch cat back exhaust and wander over to MACE and check out some of their products.
As for the springs, I went King Spring Lows, and its still pretty practical but looks and handles better. And buy a workshop manual, will come in handy for sure.

 

[Sm1thback]

alright thanks soop, I'm looking into it as we speak. I'll keep posting here, if you're willing to give a newbie some more advice haha.

sounds good flak, I bought some mats and covers for it but the clean all over sounds appealing. also, can you recommend any workshop manuals?

thanks guys

 

[Z2TT]

Hi,

I'd begin by getting the car in good condition first, basically giving it a overall service, those should be your first modifications
as it's best to have the car in good condition to start off if you plan doing any performance modifications, or any performance driving.

Check the whole car inside/out. Oil, Oil Filter, Spark plugs and leads if needed. Do a coolant change
and it's a really good idea to replace the radiator if blocked/damaged, takes experience to know what needs changing so it's a good idea
to have a mate help you out.

It's a VERY good idea to replace the fuel filter too. Clean throttle body and Idle Speed Control Valve

Get the car up on all 4 wheels, or 2 at a time and check each wheel for freeplay and fix cause if excessive,
worn bushes/ball joints and bearings constantly affect wheel alignment as you drive. Check the brakes and
brake lines, check the handbrake and adjust if needed

If Auto give the transmission a fluid+filter change. Check all 4 wheels when up in the air
for any play and rectify the problems.

Check the belt and pulleys, they do get worn over time.

King Lows are ok, but if you want to get extra low, consider getting a strut/spring combo, or even coil overs if you like as it's important to have
a good spring/shock combo, it's ok if your only lowering a bit.

Service Manuals - Gregories is your best bet 2nd to the GMH one which are hard to get a hold of. Stay away from Max Elleries as their "wiring diagrams" are rubbish,
but they seem to have more pages. I'd just stick with the Gregories and read it as they are helpful.

When you get the car in a good condition and you want to begin doing performance mods here are some suggestions.

Higher ratio roller rockers from FIT Performance... check out their website
Cold Air Intake will help out a bit
Heat insulator spacer for inlet manifold... apparently gives a bit more power.

Then you can get a Tuned memcal from Greenfoam or Delcowizz who are on this forum

Extractors and Exhaust.... it's a good idea to do lots of reading on the subjects of extractors and exhausts before chosing, see what people run and whats best, the V6's
can have a horrible sound if you don't get the correct setup which I'm sure we've all heard. If there are good off the shelf exhausts for your car, you could buy one
and install it yourself.