Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Cheap 1.6 modifications

.
.
My very first Chevette I owned was an 83 scooter.  I bought it not knowing how much of an effect the Chevette would have on me.  It was just an everyday car used to get my to work and back.  I did not know a thing about cars, the only thing I knew was, Chevettes are just cheap economical transportation.

Well one day the carb went bad and I had to change it.  It took me and my friend Bryon 4 hours to change the carb on the Chevette.  I replaced the heat grid in under the carb with a plain open gasket, and noticed a noticeable HP gain.  Ever since that day I did little by little to make the cheap little car go faster.  Here are all the things I did that boosted my HP and  pissed allot of people off driving these jap traps.  With the fart can exhausts and the 8.34 HP stickers all over them.
 

Mod #1.  Replace the heat grid under the carb with an open gasket.  Price is around $5
Mod #2.  Ditch the smog pump.  Price of that is the cost of the shorter fan belt.
Mod #3.  Ditch the belt driven fan and replace with an electric fan.   Price of used fan is around $10
Mod #4.  Ditch the mechanical fuel pump and replace with electric pump.  Price is around $40
Mod #5.  Cut off the cat and replace with straight pipe.  Price is the cost of the pipe.
Mod #6.  Replace single outlet exhaust manifold with one from an h.o. Dual outlet manifold.  price is around $12
Mod #7.  Have an exhaust shop bend you all new 2 inch exhaust from straight pipe back, and replace old muffler with a new turbo muffler.  Cost is around $80 if you install yourself.
Mod #8.  Drill holes in air cleaner lid, to increase air flow to the carb.
Mod #9.  Install an older style head, they have better air flow, you can smoothen up the intake and exhaust ports also.  Cost of this mod will be the cost of a head from junk yard, and a head gasket.
Mod #10.  Find yourself an older style carb, without all the wires and junk.  $20 at a local junk yard.
 

With all these modifications, you will notice a big difference, and you will have a pretty snappy Chevette.  I did all these over a period of 2 years.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  Plus I had an automatic.  If it were a stick shift Chevette it would really be snappy.  I could do a break stand and burn tires all day.  Just ask Dave L, how fast this Chevette is. I know it's not a 13 second car, but for a Chevette with just minor work done to it, with no internal engine work, it's quick.

I estimated about a 15-20 HP gain with all the mods.

Here's a picture of holes drilled in the air cleaner lid.   I did this to the 86, it sounded good and gave me a few horses.