Turbo Regal and Turbo Trans Am owners are blessed with vehicles that respond wonderfully to basic modifications--after upgrading the fuel system and throwing in a 160 thermostat and a K&N, all you need to do is change a chip, throw in a few gallons of race fuel, and you pick up 100 rear-wheel horsepower. No muss, no fuss, and lots of tire smoke.
But beyond those basic bolt-ons, and before bigger turbos and intercoolers, lies the gray area where a few hours with a grinder and a file will net surprising results. Many of these tricks are overlooked in favor of the newest high-dollar speed part, but when combined, these at-home mods can account for a sizable reduction in ET. Tuning is the name of the game here, and while we had performed a few of these free tricks ourselves, we turned to Ron Joseph of Ron's Custom Auto and Red Armstrong of Quad-Air, Inc. for the skinny on more cheap and free ways to make these amazing cars faster.