[Z24 Girl - Cavalier Z24 Performance]

Current Mods

Dealership Emblems - The dealership stuck an emblem right above the "Cavalier" in the back, so I used some dental floss and got rid of that extra weight! (ha-ha) There was also a small dealership sticker in the corner of the windshield that blocked my view of the hood!

Tuner Tube - I removed the tuner tube from the expansion chamber and noticed a slight increase in engine noise. There was no noticeable increase in seat-of-the-pants power. I wish I had a G-Tech Pro!

Custom Air Intake - First, I removed the air intake box and resonator in the fenderwell. Then, I ran 3" flexible aluminum dryer hose from the S-tube to the fenderwell and attached a conical K&N filter on the end. I don't know if the car was any faster, but the sound of the K&N at full throttle was great! The ripples in the dryer hose were a source of turbulence for the incoming air, though.

Custom Air Intake 2 (2/05/99) - I didn't want the flexible aluminum dryer hose to get a puncture, so I replaced it with 3" and 2" ABS piping. I tried to use 3" piping from the S-tube to the K&N filter, but the gap at the 90° bend was almost an exact 3" in diameter and the outside diameter of the ABS piping was 3.25"! Now, at the 90° bend, there's a 3"-2" rubber coupler with a 2" 90° angle pipe. Then, 2" piping went to a 2"-2" rubber coupler. At the hole to the fenderwell, I attached a 45° angle pipe to a 2"-3" rubber coupler, and put the K&N conical filter on the end. There's a more noticeable sound from the K&N at full throttle than with CAI-1.

Car Alarm (3/14/99) - Gotta protect the car.

Shortened Shifter (3/17/99) - Using a dremel tool, I cut off ~ 1" of the stock shaft and reused the factory knob. It took me forever to make the center U-groove again, and when I was done, the interior was covered with dust from the dremel discs!

Custom Air Intake 3 (3/17/99) - I finally have 3" aluminum piping running from the throttle body, replacing both the expansion chamber and the S-tube. I decided to attach the piping to CAI-2, and now there is a very noticeable difference in power; throttle response is a lot faster, and I have to shift really fast in first gear if I floor it.

Aftermarket Muffler (4/8/99) - I bought a Borla universal muffler with a Hooker dual-outlet tip. The sound is unnoticeable at idle, and low-toned as the revs increase. PICTURE

Clear Front Bumper Lights (4/13/99) - Before: Amber, After: Clear. The stock lens still has an amber tint in it, so it isn't that bright.

Red Line WaterWetter (4/24/99) - This is a coolant additive used to reduce cylinder head temperatures. Usually, the water temperature needle is right in the middle. After adding the WaterWetter, it remained a bit to the left of middle.

Red Line 5W30 Synthetic Motor Oil (5/29/99) - For better high temperature protection and engine durability than regular oil.

K&N High Performance Gold Oil Filter (5/29/99) - $8 for a regular filter, $13 for a K&N. Now, the engine doesn't sound like the valves need adjusting as it did with the Fram/Motomaster filter.

RK Sport Engine Mount Insert (6/4/99) - Before the installation, I could feel the engine shaking throughout the interior at idle. Now, it seems like the engine isn't even started! A highly recommended mod if you're experiencing the same thing.

Niken Racing Pedals (6/17/99) - Comes with an oversized gas pedal.

Contrasting Z24 Logos (6/19/99) - Because it looks good.

Custom Air Intake 4 (6/30/99) - CAI-2, which was plastic and only 2 inches in diameter, was replaced with 2.5" aluminum piping. Anyone want one custom-made for their car?

Ractive Shift Knob (9/20/99) - Replaced factory shift knob with lighter carbon fiber knob. Shifter feel is better. I had to bore out the inside of the shift knob because it was too small to just fit over the shifter!

That's all for now! See what I have planned in the future mods section.