Looking for some honest advice. I recently have been approved for a loan to buy another car. Although I love my TE Magna, it is a little ho hum to drive (no excitement). It has 17" mags and lowered suspension which was fun for a bit. I was about to use the loan to buy a v8 but after discussions with my wife, figured we could use that loan to help replace a few things around the home and take a much needed holiday. So I'm back to my beloved TE Magna and the reason for this post.

Can anyone give me a a few mods I can do that won't cost lots but will at least help the old Magna (3lt v6 auto) become a little more interesting and fun to drive. I am going to have the car repainted so that will take up a fair amount of what I have to spend. I won't have thousands and thousands left spend so anything like fitting turbos or superchargers is out. Last time I modified a car it was fitting a Holley carb, extractors and big bore exhaust and mild cam on my Holden 202!! So apart from having extractors and a new exhaust fitted I haven't a clue what to do. Any advice from you guys who've been and done it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Depends on how much you want to spend but a manual conversion and a suspension upgrade & some stiffening would make the car far more engaging and fun to drive. Would quite transform the car. I've done it to mine and it's a completely different car. Less than what I was expecting, but my expectations were irrealistic anyway. I still do love how raw and engaging the magna is to drive in manual form with better suspension. Still puts a smile on my face on the rare occasion I do a 'spirited' drive.

You could get the parts for a manual conversion with clutch for under 1k and a full new suspension setup for anouther 1k. If you could do the work yourself you could save a bit of cash and only have to pay for parts.

Cheers. Thanks heaps. This is exactly what I'm after. Unfortunately I'm unable to really nail down exactly what I have to spend mainly due to all other costs being up in the air at the moment. But I would have guess and say I'd have 2 or 3 thousand at the minimum. I'm looking for best bang for the buck basically. The car currently has lowered king springs / monroe shocks with 225/45/17s. As I mentioned, this only was fun for a bit. Having turned almost every bolt on the car, I'd be more than happy to take your advice and convert it to a manual. I assume I would just need a manual box, clutch pedal (probably a manual brake pedal as I'm guessing the auto pedal is a little longer) and the all the linkages etc for the gear stick?

Why not drop a 3.5 or 3.8 into it

Manual conversion parts required
Gearbox
Clutch and brake pedals
Clutch slave, master and line
Gear selector and cables
Manual gearbox mount
Manual drive shaft/s mainly D/S
Clutch, flywheel and sandwich plate

It's a very easy conversion

With the $ available for respray and a few other mods, you'd almost be looking at the keys to a nice 380, which would come with decent paint, the 3.8, and obvious niceness :)

Aftermarket muffler, being able to hear it just sort of adds another dimension to the 'fun'

Obviously dropping a more powerful engine into the car would make a big difference to its power (3.8L) but it might be a matter of cost vs. benefit when you've only got the odd 2-3k to spend.
I'd say a manual conversion would be a really nice change for the driving experience overall. I think if its ouright power you're chasing then the 3.8L is the cheapest way you'll get an extra 30kw's at the wheels. But being mated to a 4sp gearbox, I'd say would make it less fun that it could be. but I think if you'd want to change the overall car's driving experience then a manual gearbox + and a strut upgrade to some Koni shocks and/or added bracing (front strut brace, upgraded rear sway bar, upgraded front swaybar etc) would be a more balanced outcome.

Some options:

Budget: $3000
.
Option1: $1000 for manual conversion. ($600 for clutch. $400 for other parts.). $900 for Koni Shocks (sell monroe's). $150 for factory sports/VR-X Swaybar setup. $1000 left over.
Option 2: $1000 for manual conversion. $1500-2000 for 380 engine. Slight modification to work.
Option 3: Other ways to spend a few

3a) Exhaust system. Pick off 2.5" exhaust piping from TJS2 magna's. Get HM ralliart extractors for $700. $150 for 200cspi hi-flow cat. $150 for rear muffler (vr-x/sports/lukey etc)
3b) LSD. Quaife LSD is around $1000.
3c) 3.5L engine. You might be able to pick up a reco 3.5L for around the 1k mark. Engine has lower torque range and more power. Bolts straight in.
3d) Any of the above.
3e) Interior upgrades? Leather or sports seats, climate control, cruise control etc ?

Just some ideas :)

Plenty of cheap VR-Xs around. Should at least weigh up that option before upgrading your TE.

Otherwise, a 6G75 + Manual conversion would turn the car into a real weapon. Would probably keep up at whatever V8 you were looking at :)

And as mentioned, fitting a rear sway bar would make a noticeable improvement to handling.

just excuse me while I wipe the tears of laugher our of my eyes here, 1k for a reco 3.5........if you can get a reco for $1k please get me 10 of them, parts alone for a reco would come to over $1.5k let alone machining work and then labour......

OP, do you have 2 - 3k before or after the paint. If before the paint then there is your budget pretty much gone if you want a decent paint job. If after then you have a world of work you could do

Realistic prices, if you are doing the work yourself and also getting best bang for buck

See if you can get yourself a wrecked TJ or later Manual from the auctions, is the cheapest way to go but if not a manual conversion kit would cost you $750 plus shipping plus new clutch. This will in itself make a massive difference to the car PROVIDED you can a/ drive a manual and B/ dont mind having to use a clutch in traffic.

Motors, you have the choice of either a 3.5 (which again will make a big difference over the 3.0) however although you have more torque, the 3.0 is much more revier than the 3.0 so take that into account. Then to add to the mix you could go to 3.8 for around the $1800 mark ready to install BUT I would not advise this unless you have enough put aside to do front brakes to a 380 conversion and at least upgrade your dampers, we recommend boge (sachs) if you want a great unit that will not cost too much or Koni will cost you around the $860 mark for a full set. Springs are optional depending on what you have currently, if replacing use the Dobinsons which are around the $270 for a set.

Either way with a motor upgrade you will have a few other bits to get such as engine pipe, upper alt bracket, intermediate drive shaft (which would come with a manual conversion kit if that was the way you were heading)

Hope this helps a little

Vicious circle time!

The OP has money - not his, mind, just a loan, which needs paying back - and is desperate to spend it, but he doesn't know how much he really has because other people have their hands in the pot of gold too.

Let me clarify. lol
(1) Everybody gets bored with their car after a few years.
(2) Everybody wants to recapture that excitement of "I just got a new car/modded my car, how cool am I?"
(3) Money spends itself. You have less than you think.
(4) You have been approved for a car loan. Are the lenders ok with you spending it on other things? Most want the new car as security for the loan. It's a car loan that needs paying back, it's not as if Aunt Mary died and left you $20K in her will to do with as you please.

My advice, for what it's worth:
(1) Cool your jets and let things settle. Things will bet clearer as time goes by.
(2) Get details from the wife about what she wants, and price them up.
(3) Price up the paint job.

Most importantly:
Check with the loan provider if it is ok to just go out and spend the cash on other things. It's meant to be a car loan, remember?
Keep in mind they want the money back over time, so plan affordability of repayments.

If it's all do difficult and confusing, just say "NO" to the loan.(not that you will. lol)


** Typed on my new laptop. How cool am I? lol ***

Best advice so far, right there :yeahthat:

Best advice so far, right there :yeahthat:

Thanks for that!
Comes from experience, learnt the hard way. Borrowing money from the bank/credit union/parents give you a momentary flash of pleasure spending it, then years of struggling to pay it back. Really need a strong reason to do so.

I spent years paying of debts, now debt free, don't owe anyone any money, never going there again. I'd rather drive a boring or crappy old car than go back to those monthly repayments.

That's just me I guess. Apparently the World Economy needs people to be in debt to make it all work. lol

Wow guys, you all have been brilliant and thanks very much. Can't explain how it's helped. Yes I've checked with the loan company and they offered to change the details so I could, (BTW I have said no to the loan because it was getting frustrating, and after some discussions with wife and loan company it's been placed on hold while more research is being done). I've priced the paint job (still waiting to hear back from a couple of panel n paint shops) and so far I won't have much change from 4K. I think WOOBs right. After looking at what 380's are worth around Perth, it's probably better to spend what I have on upgrading to a 380 than to invest that much on the old TE. I Was very surprised at how cheap I can pick up a 380 VRX for.:roflwtf: Plus a think a 380 VRX would be a nice way to travel down to Albany when me and the misses go on our holiday. So I've decided I'll keep the loan on hold for a bit and "cool my jets" for a week or two (Thanks MadMax), do a little more research to getting a 380 VRX. Again, thanks everyone. :bowrofl: If you were all in Perth I'd shout ya to a beer or something.

Great to hear, enjoy the car hunting.

If you buy a 380, get a white one. No future paint problems!

Im gunna say safe all your dollars on little mods.. I reckon manual conversion if you can drive a manual will make it like a new car. Will get you excited again and enjoy driving it. If you wanna start doing mods to your current engine look at a 3.8.

I vote just manual conversion and enjoy the car again.

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone. I am now a very proud owner of a 2006 380 VRX with only 64,000 Ks on the clock. I'm super happy and super impressed. Thanks.