What “mods” did your first car have?
Discussion
We didn’t call them mods in my day, but you know what I mean.
My Hillman Imp already had slot mag wheels, when I bought it. I added a Peco big bore exhaust instead of the standard pea shooter, a tiny sports steering wheel to replace the ocean yacht tiller and twin Stromberg carbs to replace the weedy single Solex. Oh and a nasty second hand cassette player and speakers on the rear shelf.
My Hillman Imp already had slot mag wheels, when I bought it. I added a Peco big bore exhaust instead of the standard pea shooter, a tiny sports steering wheel to replace the ocean yacht tiller and twin Stromberg carbs to replace the weedy single Solex. Oh and a nasty second hand cassette player and speakers on the rear shelf.
My Triumph 2500 got a pair of Lucas driving lights and some Spax rear dampers; then it got the larger SU HS6 carbs & inlet manifold, smaller diameter steering wheel and five-clock dash from a scrap 2500S. It was also going to get the 14” alloys, but they weren’t fit to use.
Not long afterwards it also got crashed - and then it got replaced by a 2500PI.
Not long afterwards it also got crashed - and then it got replaced by a 2500PI.
My Fiat 128 had a hole drilled exactly in the centre of the roof to accomodate a DV27 CB aerial. 
Together with a pay-weekly-catalogue-special radio cassette fiited alongside the CB radio in a home made centre console. 
However, it was my second car, a Mk 2 Escort 1300, where I really got going:
The speakers, spot and fog lights are still in my loft, some 41 years later ...
Together with a pay-weekly-catalogue-special radio cassette fiited alongside the CB radio in a home made centre console. However, it was my second car, a Mk 2 Escort 1300, where I really got going:
- Mexico spoilers front and rear with quarter bumpers.
- Four Cibie spot and fog lights.
- Stage 3 big valve head with duplex valve springs.
- Weber 28/36DCD carb
- 4-2-1 tubular exhaust manifold together with big bore, single box system.
- KN Jupiter alloy wheels from a Caterham with suitably lower profile and wider tyres.
- That same DV27 but fitted in the conventional place on a rear wing.
- RS steering wheel.
- Mexico tachometer and gauges in the dashboard.
- One Recaro seat.
- Big multi-way speakers on the rear shelf.
The speakers, spot and fog lights are still in my loft, some 41 years later ...
Passed test at 17yrs 4 months, and then spent next 2 months modding a MIni 1000 with 4.5 inch steels, Spax dampers, pair of Corbeau seats, Mountney steering wheel, a pair of Cibie Oscars and a sump guard in prep for my first, and what turned out to be my only road rally.
Being standard engine it was woefully slow, and that was the end of my rallying career (as a driver at any rate)
Being standard engine it was woefully slow, and that was the end of my rallying career (as a driver at any rate)
Bought a Mini Clubman.
Then put in a bored-out 1273 with a skimmed gas-flowed head, double valve springs, Cooper cam, Cooper dizzy, Dellorto 40 on a swan neck manifold, long centre branch exhaust, Janspeed centre section and Cooper back box. Fitted rigid gear change thingy, dropped the steering column and fitted a rev counter. Outside it got a set of Rostyles and Cooper front discs to replace the weedy drums.
Then I drove a Sud and thought "why the f
k am I polishing this turd?". Sold the Mini, bought a Sud. The only thing I ever did to that and the two Alfas that followed was to put better (Koni or Bilstein) dampers on. Infinitely better all round.
Then put in a bored-out 1273 with a skimmed gas-flowed head, double valve springs, Cooper cam, Cooper dizzy, Dellorto 40 on a swan neck manifold, long centre branch exhaust, Janspeed centre section and Cooper back box. Fitted rigid gear change thingy, dropped the steering column and fitted a rev counter. Outside it got a set of Rostyles and Cooper front discs to replace the weedy drums.
Then I drove a Sud and thought "why the f
k am I polishing this turd?". Sold the Mini, bought a Sud. The only thing I ever did to that and the two Alfas that followed was to put better (Koni or Bilstein) dampers on. Infinitely better all round.My Frogeye had a venetian blind radiator cover, very nicely made by the previous owner. It was operated by a Bowden cable with a lever on the steering column. Very effective. The radiator was unfeasibly large for a 948cc engine and would have taken ages to heat up. But, racing pedigree and all that. He also drilled through the gearstick housing to accept a steel bar, headed at one end and drilled at the other for a padlock to - in no uncertain terms - lock the car in reverse.
Vauxhall Nova, 1.2, fitted full GTE suspension, ARBs and such, Cavalier SRi brakes, Nova GTE seats in the front, no back seats a fully hidden large sound system, manifold back exhaust system, silly induction cone filter, steel wheels from an Astra. Loved that thing was heartbroken when it was stolen.
geeks said:
Vauxhall Nova, 1.2, fitted full GTE suspension, ARBs and such, Cavalier SRi brakes, Nova GTE seats in the front, no back seats a fully hidden large sound system, manifold back exhaust system, silly induction cone filter, steel wheels from an Astra. Loved that thing was heartbroken when it was stolen.
That's basically what I daydreamed about doing. I wanted an Antibes so that it looked halfway like an SR. In the event I didn't buy my first car until I finished Uni at 22 and by then Novas were mostly rotten. So I bought a 205 Roland Garros instead.
Considering I was buying Fast Car magazine every month when I was 13/14, you'd think I'd have gone crazy with the mods. But that 205 went untouched.
My second car, a Mk2 Golf GTI 8v, came to me with a stainless system and lowered suspension.
A few years later our NA Eunos V-Spec came with a stainless system on it.
But otherwise, everything I've had has remained boringly standard. Probably doesn't help that I've chopped and changed a lot, so not much hung around long enough for me to get going on it.
1963 Chev Belair - second car as the first one was shameful.
Cibie driving lights, a Pioneer stereo with 4 speakers, tacho, 300+ hp 350 with a torquey cam and ported heads, th350 upgrade over the stock 283/powerglide, headers with a too-noisy exhaust, self-made velour door panels (looked better than it sounds) widened steel wheels all round, B&M Z-gate shifter, plus a lot of rust, dirt, body filler and oil leaks.
Cibie driving lights, a Pioneer stereo with 4 speakers, tacho, 300+ hp 350 with a torquey cam and ported heads, th350 upgrade over the stock 283/powerglide, headers with a too-noisy exhaust, self-made velour door panels (looked better than it sounds) widened steel wheels all round, B&M Z-gate shifter, plus a lot of rust, dirt, body filler and oil leaks.
PistonBroker said:
geeks said:
Vauxhall Nova, 1.2, fitted full GTE suspension, ARBs and such, Cavalier SRi brakes, Nova GTE seats in the front, no back seats a fully hidden large sound system, manifold back exhaust system, silly induction cone filter, steel wheels from an Astra. Loved that thing was heartbroken when it was stolen.
That's basically what I daydreamed about doing. I wanted an Antibes so that it looked halfway like an SR. In the event I didn't buy my first car until I finished Uni at 22 and by then Novas were mostly rotten. So I bought a 205 Roland Garros instead.
Considering I was buying Fast Car magazine every month when I was 13/14, you'd think I'd have gone crazy with the mods. But that 205 went untouched.
My second car, a Mk2 Golf GTI 8v, came to me with a stainless system and lowered suspension.
A few years later our NA Eunos V-Spec came with a stainless system on it.
But otherwise, everything I've had has remained boringly standard. Probably doesn't help that I've chopped and changed a lot, so not much hung around long enough for me to get going on it.
PistonBroker said:
I wanted an Antibes
We used to car share the school run with the wealthy family of another boy. His parents bought him a brand new Nova Antibes for his 17th birthday. As soon as he passed his test, he traded it in against a new Mk1 MR2 T-Bar, which itself was soon traded in against a brand new Lotus Esprit Turbo (Stevens face lift). However, the Esprit soon met its maker after one of the local Lotus dealer’s mechanics took it for a “test drive” when it was in for a service and wrote it off. After that my friend lost interest in sports cars and pumped the insurance money into his business.
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