Hey guys, I am 16 and after saving for a while I bought an EL falcon that I found on car sales, immediately after buying it I put a new kenwood head unit in, that is all I have done to it.

I am looking towards a career with cars but know F*** all about them , I want to do some relatively cheap mods to my car (considering I earn about $150-$200 a week).

I'm not really fussed about power at the moment as for I don't even have my P plates, so I am looking to do engine sound mods, exterior and if easy enough interior.

Pleeease help me, it would be greatly appreciated,

Cheers Zane

Wheels and superlows haha that's what I went for first with my ef

How much will that set me back????
Where can I find some decent rims cheap? Thanks

Go onto ebay and buy a 2.5 inch exhaust from tuffcarparts, save up enough for the rear resonator tho or it will sound like poo, you will have sound and a tad more economy/power.

Have you cleaned and serviced it all up to scratch? I suggest doing this.

Well I got my wheels off eBay brand new with tyres, but I'm sure there are plenty of e series rims around second hand, well more than up here anyway haha its just a case of what style of wheel you like oh and for your question my wheels were $900 (that was before a traineeship)

Decent set of wheels your looking aroUnd 1,000. At 16 best thing to do would be keep it as is till u get your p's n save your dollars. Couple of grand spent on it a u should have a half decent ride

Rego is due at the end of June and I already have enough for that, after my car passes rw and everything, I am looking to mod, I will have keep looking for cheap wheels then, thankyou.



As I know s**t all about cars, how much would that cost to get installed? Thanks

install it yourself nothing better then that and cheaper, if you dont know how to weld get them to do that at least or a mate that can.

Theres ppz selling pre au offset rims on here i think there is a set 19" typhoon twist rims for 700 with rubber so just keep a look out you have plenty of time to play around with it just take your tine and do thing the right way dont half a** the job

What are you talking about? Don't you just love that 2-2.5k rpm drone?

I think there's a set of FPV rims in E-series offset on here for 500 bucks...saw a nice set of 18s on ebay for 800. Shop around and you can find them cheapish.

As Bryl said, a wash, wax and service is a great starting point.

If you want to save money and are thinking of a career with cars, buy a service manual. It'll help with wiring diagrams, where all the little screws are in the plastic panels, how to service your car properly, how to set the timing, etc. Combine this with the massive amount of knowledge on Fordmods and you might be surprised at how much you can get done on the cheap without it looking crap.

This is the Ford manual but there is are cheaper Ellereys or Gregorys ones available too. I splurged on the Ford one and it has paid for itself about 100 times.
http://www.pitstop.net.au/view/products/page/query/plu/3814/

Start building up your tool collection cause using the wrong tool can be a real pain in the bum.

If you're looking for wheels and other things cheaply, spend time on eBay and the for sale sections in forums. I got my 17inch Roh RTs for $350 with tyres that lasted 60,000kms and a few weeks earlier just missed a set that went for $370 or something. I lowered my ute with full suspension set I got for $100. If you have the time to wait for the good deals to pop up, they will. At 16 time is something you do have. Money you probably won't. If you can't get there to pick them up pay friends or family $20 to pick it up and hold it for you till you can.

If you're looking at anything in particular set a 'saved search' on eBay which will email you when new items are listed matching the description you want.

I notice you're in the country, so keep an eye out for what are called 'clearing sales' on farms. They are advertised in the paper. You can get so much stuff so cheaply, like bench grinders and car ramps. Like a big garage sale.

Make friends with your local sheet metal guys so you can get free scrap or stuff fabricated if you aren't able to do it yourself. Also make sure you're friendly on any forums cause if you annoy people they won't help you, and their help is possibly the most undervalued aspect of modding anyway.

Most of this stuff might seem pretty boring but it will allow you do to your own work which is where the money is saved. There is also nothing worse than saving $200 on your rims then having to spend $500 in the mechanics cause you can't do stuff yourself. I admit that some jobs are better just dealt with by a mechanic, but at least you know what they should be doing and you won't get ripped off.

Modding cars is great fun, it makes it unique and it's cool when people see your car and know its yours. Some people have to buy a Ferrari to get this.

I've slowly spend ages making my XH how I like it without spending much, so PM me if you want help.

Nice set of wheels, slightly lowered, sound system are some mods I did to my first car. Then down the track if you keep the car, you can start getting engine work done to get more power out of it. Just don't go along the line of most young people and put useless mods like a huge wing/spoiler, bonnet/roof scoops and an awful bodykit not suited to the car on it. Riced fords never look nice. Good luck with the car...

Hate to sound like a wet blanket BUT, CHECK BRAKES AND STEERING FIRST THEN THE SUSPENSION.
So many people start with the wrong stuff. Brakes are WAY more important than exhausts and stereo stuff, no brakes, no stop.

Spend your money on new pads and rotors if needed, check for leaks in the brake system, check that the booster is ok and has no cracks in it, they are plastic. Suspension bushes are next and rear diff control arm bushes as well.

It's like building a house, you start with foundations then add the bling.

Yeah, I forgot about that, first thing I did was new rotors and pads all around. Not much fun driving a car that you are always worried whether the brakes are going to work or not next time you put your foot down.

Also, check your power steering pump isn't leaking, mine was, and I thought I'd fixed it, but it ended up leaking onto my alternator and buggering it. You can pick up a re-co pump for 90 bucks or so, which is cheaper than a new alternator.

Cheap mods are usually tacky.
Don't fall into the trap of purchasing cheap neons, lame a*** stickers and ugly bolt ons like most of you young kids these days.

You will get respect from guys if your car is clean, smooth and NOT RICED UP!

Spend money on new gaskets/seals/fluids and s**t and get the car running mint. Buy a book, read this site and have a go yourself..

Keep your eyes out for people selling second hand exhausts.. alot of people are converting to turbos etc and they sell their exhausts off cheap. You will want extractors aswell, they not only sound better but they improve fuel economy and response.