Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General homemade mods!! what have you or what can be done?

Say it to their face a$$hole, you'd get
whooped.

Ignorant punk. You wanna take a stab at me
too, since I'm from Europe?

It's disgusting morons like you that ruin
the forums.

Migalush couldn't have said it better.

prick.

John

ok, i apologize to whoever i offended in any way. but, if you guys check the posts, the namecalling didn't start with me. doorknob is hardly a serious name to be called and take offense to. i didn't want this thread to turn out like this. i simply wanted to know if there is any way to mod a mystique zetec to gain perf., however little it may be, without paying for it. heck, i used this site to buy a set of wheels from ohio, and sell a set to nebraska. i gain alot of valuable info. from reading you guys' posts, thus the perf. question. i bought a portofino blue '97 mystique in october, and absolutely love it. i am a real car and 4x4 enthusiast, along with motorcycles and jet skis. i admit i do get pissed off easily and sometimes go off, and im sorry if i did offend any of you. i hope you accept my apology and we can go on with the business of this forum. i am not a 'kid' as many of you labeled me as. although i do admit i sometimes typed as one would.

so did we decide for/against engine damage if the timing belt goes out during operation? mine has 80K on it and rubs the plastic cover at startup. thx. again im sorry to who i insulted.

jc-aimhigher, apology not directed to you. you did twist my words and insulted me FIRST. i never said i wanted mods without use of tools, and everyone knows there are ways to mod a car w/o paying for it- with little or no resources. thats why i asked you guys, to see what you knew.

Ok,

In the spirit of a free mod, or nearly free. It is really hard to come up with a free mod.

I suppose you could remove the airfilter, completely. Costs you nothing but time.

However, if you suck something into your engine that breaks the MAF, or some hard object, like a rock, that bounces around in the cylinder and does some damage to a valve, this FREE mod will end up costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

For less than $5, you can do the IAT sensor mod. Check out some of the ZX-2 boards. These folks have been putting a 5K to 10K resistor in series with the IAT sensor, to make the PCM think the intake charge is cooler than it really is. Then, the PCM begins to add more fuel to the mixture.

I don't know how effective it is, since I suspect the O2 sensor would begin to notice a rich mixture and call for a more lean one.

How much can a hack saw, an length of straight pipe and two muffler clamps cost? $20-$25 and some of your time.

Hey, instead of pissing everyone off. Work on your people skills. Make some friends with people who have tools. If you help them with their cars, then any good person would help you with yours.

That's what this board is about.

I've probably been more help than I should. Instead of hearing you whine about how others didn't give you the exact answers you wanted to hear. Read what we are saying. Speed costs money, how fast you wanna go?

Sounds to me like you are broke and frustrated. I understand that. When I was 16-19, I drove a POS 66 Chevy Nova, that at the filling station you would check the gas and fill the oil Really. That was almost 20 years ago.

Now, if I were irresponsible, I could drive practically anything I wanted to. However, I save about 20% of my salary for retire and the childrens college funds. I live in a modest home, and my wife can stay home with our girls instead of chasing the $$$.

I do understand. Many of my friends and co-workers are dual income families, living in much nicer homes, and probably have their CC's maxed out, making the minimum payments each month. Sometimes, I wish I had all of the "stuff" they have. Then I realize, I have a lot fewer worries than they do.

Sorry for this rant, but I want you to know that if being broke and envious is the source of your frustration, remember, you can always make more money, and the grass may not be greener on the other side.

Maybe you should look into modding your education/skills for a good career instead of modding your car.

Cheers,

TB

------------------
Tony Boner
Candidate for ICBM Launcher
Personal: tboner@mvp.net Work: tony.boner@central.sun.com

Saving the computer world from WinBloze as Unix/Solaris/Java Guru * Sun Microsystems Rocks * http://www.sun.com
Goofing off with cars
******************
Duratec Vehicles
This Just In, Tony has a "new" SVT
1998 Contour SVT E0 Stock
618/6535 Born On Date: 4/30/1997
2000 Mazda MPV (Yes 2.5L Duratec): Bone Stock

******************
Non-Duratec Vehicles
Daily Driver: 1987 Buick LeSofa^H^H^H^HSabre 3.8L V6 -- 150HP AND 215ft/lbs torque

boner, i appreciate the rant, but trust me im not broke, LOL. on the contrary, i(we) probably make more than you do. I stay home with my 19 month old daughter, run a business thru my home, and my wife works a professional career in the health care field for the national government. but yes, i am still a tightwad, and like to save money. and yes, i am 20 credits away from having a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, i also take night classes so as to eliminate daycare costs for my little girl. i assume you're the type of person who likes to figure other people's lives out thru just a little bit of input from them. well, with all due respect, you're way left of the target with me bud. i am still amazed at how much popularity this original thread has generated. i haven't seen one like this for a long time on here. later

Well,

I may be off target about your income, but I think I've pretty well pegged your attitude.

You didn't even seem grateful for the mod suggestions listed.

You didn't even mention them. So either I greatly insulted you. Or hit the nail right on the head.

I do wish you well. I hope you have a better rapport with those in the criminal justice field than you share with the folks here on these boards.

Do you really think all of us are wrong, and you are the only one right?

Again, I wish you well.

TB

Why would you write something like that? Do you think that's nice? "Hi, I'm tbunder and I make more than you." If you are doing well for yourself than say that instead of gratuitously and ignorantly belittling another CEGer. Tboner and everyone else in this thread are right about your attitude which somehow through some cosmic anomaly you are unable to grasp.

Quote:

i assume you're the type of person who likes to figure other people's lives out thru just a little bit of input from them.

and, you've already done that numerous times in this thread alone. Practice what you preach.

Quote:

jc-aimhigher, apology not directed to you. you did twist my words and insulted me FIRST

Making a separate post to explicitly state that an apology doesn't apply to someone? Can you imagine that taking place in a real conversation? "Sorry everyone, except you john, who insulted me first." Try looking at it through anyone else's shoes.

migalush,
whats so different in what i said to what tboner said about me being broke and frustrated? there is a huge DOUBLE STANDARD taking place on this particular thread(which i totally don't see the point in anymore, but find it absolutely hilarious that you people still read it especially when you've all said you've had it with me)for your comrades. i didn't mean anything demeaning to the bone man, just telling him he was wrong about what he said about me being 'broke and frustrated', nothing could be further from the truth. thats all. later

ps. i suggest you respond to me personally if you have anything further to say to me. this thread is so far from the original question, you're wasting the bandwidth. my email is bookmarkdiaper1@hotmail.com. ill be waiting if you want to respond to me that way. i think it would be better for the list. but be forewarned, i have a HUGE and very retaliable firewall sitting in front of this account if you decide to get ornery. just fyi. :O)

Ok, before this clown goes and erases all of the evidence, here is the thread upto the point where I stepped in.

tbunder Member posted January 23, 2001 02:18 AM what is the easiest homemade mods a person has done to their car? no money at all im talking. just curious, im into free sh*t. hehe. thx

RubY Member posted January 23, 2001 06:30 AM Paint your rear tailights

tbunder Member posted January 23, 2001 12:41 PM performance minded im talkin, not looks.

Ok, I can understand he wants performance mods, so he provides clarification

baco99 Moderator posted January 23, 2001 01:02 PM uh..i don't think there is much unless you have the tools to remove the exhaust resonator yourself and happen to have some 1-3/4" straight pipe lying around. gutting the cat is always free. forcing air into the intake is also free if you have the right tubing and harware. can't think of much else.

Does anyone else see where jpwesson in the following post is selling anything?

jpwesson Junior Member posted January 24, 2001 10:42 AM 57.5 mm Throttle body, machined and polished. Flows +18% more air. If anyone is interested send me a note at: wessonjp@utrc.utc.com and I will send images and a powerpoint drawing showing dimensions. JPW

Uh oh, here it comes

tbunder Member posted January 24, 2001 03:41 PM hey doorknob, this is for free, homemade mods! go advertise your junk somewhere else. thk you.

perry Moderator posted January 24, 2001 05:20 PM He ain't advertising! Looks like he is offering drawings of how you can mod your TB yourself.. for free!

More of the same

tbunder Member posted January 24, 2001 06:43 PM how many people have machining tools lying around in their garages? im talking about bolt on do it yourself performance. that would definitely not be free for the average person.

jpwesson2 Junior Member posted January 24, 2001 11:48 PM 'doorknob' ?? Nice talk, Thunder, don't bother reading on, the rest of the message is for the mechanically competant. I guess this excludes you. The machining was done in a friends basement machine shop using an antique Bridgeport and a lot of old-time skill. I wanted to see how difficult it would be to make the prototype and prove the concept. Some of the work was done by hand (throttle shaft slot grinding & polishing of the inside of the throttle body) This is the type of job a local shop could do. I have about 6 or so friends that have basic shops where this could be made. If you want to just do a straight bore the project would be even easier. Anyway, as Perry said, if anyone is interested I have Powerpoint drawings, photos and a description how to machine a throttle plate at the correct angle (7.8 deg) to give the proper ocal shape and beveled edges. Leave me an eMail message

jpwesson2 Junior Member posted January 24, 2001 11:49 PM 'oval' shape not 'ocal' shape...

tbunder Member posted January 25, 2001 01:17 AM dude, the key words in the orignal thread were "easiest homemade", not unbolt the whole intake, take it to a friends house, polish it on some antique machine along with your hands. yeah, duh, anyone can polish their intake and make it breathe better for more power, but the question was for easy homemade mods. not go to great lengths for better breathability mods.

tboner Member posted January 25, 2001 12:17 PM Hey, TBunder, don't be such a tool. You used a relative term such as easy. Easy for RubY meant painting his taillights. Easy for jpwesson was a little machine work. What is easy for one is probably nuclear physics for another. Just smile and say cool, you can do stuff like that, I'd like to, but it's probably out of my league. Or sumptin like that. Try some decaf today! TB

Well, I guess we can see who went off the deep end first.

Some people! They ask for free advice, and then ***** and moan because it doesn't conform to their tastes. They start name calling, but are offended when others use the same tactic on them.

tbunder, my e-mail address has been clearly posted, so if you REALLY wanted to take this off line, then why hasn't my inbox been visited with your prose?

TB

------------------
Tony Boner
Candidate for ICBM Launcher
Personal: tboner@mvp.net Work: tony.boner@central.sun.com

Saving the computer world from WinBloze as Unix/Solaris/Java Guru * Sun Microsystems Rocks * http://www.sun.com
Goofing off with cars
******************
Duratec Vehicles
This Just In, Tony has a "new" SVT
1998 Contour SVT E0 Stock
618/6535 Born On Date: 4/30/1997
2000 Mazda MPV (Yes 2.5L Duratec): Bone Stock

******************
Non-Duratec Vehicles
Daily Driver: 1987 Buick LeSofa^H^H^H^HSabre 3.8L V6 -- 150HP AND 215ft/lbs torque

I was the one Tbunder called 'doorknob' and I was offended. However, I am not interested in a name calling contest with such an unhappy person.

My post was intended to show how you can modify parts on your own, including the possibilities of taking your designs to a local machine shop, if you took the time to prepare a good set of drawings.

It is unfortunate that there are a few people who are threatened enough to spoil the free exchange of 'how-to' information with their whining and complaining. Are they complaining about their own limitations??

I have always been good at designing and making prototypes of machinery. Other friends are good at welding and fabrication, electrical design, chassis set-ups, driving, etc. By helping each other out we have all learned to improve our original abilities.

Since I made that post I have received a number of eMails asking for details about the TB mod, including one from the administrator of a website dedicated to another Ford product.

Together with the father of one of the kids, I act as an advisor to a local car club. Using my design, two of the kids are modifying their own throttle bodies. One of the kids is a high school senior, doing this as a shop project. If I have time I am going to try to show the club how to build a flow bench.

There are quite a few engineers with advanced degrees, certified mechanics with years of experience and drivers with competition licenses on-line here. If you would shut up and listen you might learn something useful.

The rantings of one or two unhappy persons are NOT going to stop me from sharing info. They should not stop the rest of you from posting what you have to offer. I have learned a lot from this forum and expect to learn more. I appreciate the time and effort of most of the people who visit this forum.

It is only my opinion, but in the case where someone has gone out of their way to offend many persons (not just one individual) a 10-day 'time-out' might be appropriate. If that does not work a longer exile might be in order. This has worked on other sites. I don't advocate 'policing' but sometimes an individual does go too far.

'Doorknob' indeed?

[This message has been edited by jpwesson (edited January 30, 2001).]