Heavily Modified?

[Tallboy]

Upon returning home from Carfixer's today, the Marauder got a bath, and was tucked safely inside the garage. I kicked back for a while with a very good cigar and a Captain and Coke. Shiny new Metcos peeking out from inside the rear wheels, Baer Brakes filling up the fronts. It got me to thinking...is this car "heavily modified"?

What makes a car heavily modified or lightly modified? Is a car with only a supercharger "heavily modified"? Is a N/A car with a laundry list of less expensive mods "lightly modified"? Do you have to rebuild with forged internals? More than one mod? More than three?

What about you? Do you consider your car lightly or heavily modified?

[merc]

What about you? Do you consider your car lightly or heavily modified?

Martyo's car is the baseline for heavily modified car (Marauder). N/A cars can also be considered heavily modified, but having that title would cost over 15 thousand dollars in aftermarket parts and internal engine work. You can draw the line by dollars spent.

[MI2QWK4U]

Good question. While I may have done a number of things to my Marauder, I don't consider mine Heavily modified. All of my stuff is bolt on, my motor and frame is stock, and I have only spent about $9,000 on it. I will be willing to bet that in the 11 second and faster cars, I have invested the least amount to go fast. That would be another good question to pose Chuck, Dollar Amount of mods vs performance, either hp or 1/4 mile time....what do you think?

[Cobra25]

Well the way I look at it I spent alot of money on her, She has some power , I for one just consider her Modified, thats it.

[HwyCruiser]

I'd say when TooManyFords is done the bar will pretty much be raised on "heavily modified", but yeah, I'd say once you have to ask yourself that question you probably are.

[LVMarauder]

what were talking about here? Are we talking about the number of parts you have replaced, money spent or straight up craziness? Honestly and with all due respect to some bad as cars legalkenevil and pureevil are really in the completly custom catagory I feel. I think saying martyo's car as the baseline for "heavily modified" is setting the heavily modded bar a little to high. I think it should be done by the number of parts you have replaced, after all when you think mods you are actually thinking about replacing parts aren't you? In that case I'd say lightly modded would include the "stage one kit" ( 3-4 mods ) , moderatly modified would be ( 4-8) and 8+ would be heavily modified. I do consider my car heavily modified considering everything thats been done to it, but conversely, everything ive done doesnt hold a candle to some of the superhardcore drag race afficianados. Good thread, Peace!

[Tallboy]

I'm curious as what you guys think of the effect the mods have. I mean, I have a Metco Driveshaft Loop, but does that really make a car "modified"? My car still has stock exhaust and trans, but the engine, brakes and suspension now have mods. Cars like John 's and Marty's are a whole different league to me. What about a Kenny Brown car? They come with the whole kit 'n' kaboodle, right out of the box. Where/when do you step into "heavily modded"?

[glassman99]

Marty"s car is of a different breed. It is modified beyond most of our means.
Marty is in class by himself,

[Joe Walsh]

I consider mine close to OEM stock....:D....:jk:

CAI, gears and a tune is lightly modded....

I'd say once you pull the engine for a forged rebuild, you are heavily modded.

Or if you have a S/C, aftermarket exhaust, gears, T/C....etc.
Almost all of the mods we do to our MMs are 'bolt-ons' but once you have replaced major OEM parts you are heavily modded.

[Rider90]

I just think I'm modded I guess, heavily modded - maybe on the right path, but not there yet.

[DEFYANT]

Moderatly modified over here.

JMHO.....

[MarauderMarc]

Good question. The saying "to each his own" comes to mind when reading this thread. Everybody is different, so their opinions will all be different as well. Even when I was N/A, I had a laundry list of mods and shaved 2 seconds off my ETs and was in the low 13s. I considered myself heavily modified. Now being supercharged and all I definately feel heavily modified. Its funny, though, because every time I felt I was heavily modified I would see someone elses MM that had more mods and umph than mine and all the sudden I felt lightly modified. Id like to know whats heavy and whats not. Maybe a poll?

[Jerry Barnes]

Well, I have not said much about the mods I have made. Marty and I have been having fun pyching each other out lately. His latest racord has cost me a $50 donation to the Diabetis Foundation. I will say it again, I really like the friendly rivalry this has generated. Marty has set a big record to beat and I am trying my best to make him buy me a case of Diet Coke.

I am headed to World Ford Challenge in St. Louis next weekend and here are some of the changes to a heavily modified Marauder I have made.

Forged bottom end
Baer Brakes
Moser axles
Detroit Locker rear end
4:10's
13-14 lbs of boost and more on the way
Gutted interior and getting more gutted in the future
100 shot of NOS going to 200
Kook's headers and 2 1/2 inch exhaust all the way back
Skinny Front Marauder wheels
Hoosier Slicks
Afco Racing Radiator
Battery in the trunk, moved again last week to accommodate the two(2) new fuel cells, one for fuel, the other for my intercooler ice. With my NOS bottle nestled in between them on a new removable rack. Aeromotive fuel system. Mezier coolant pump with high flow lines.
New front and rear fiber glass fascias like Trilogy #2
Metco control arms, wats linkage and drive shaft loop
Adco Sway bars
Rebuilt trans with drag pack internals and shift kit
Removed the stock fuel tank
Corbeau Racing seats(2 installed, 2 rears on the way) all with 5 point racing harnesses

There is more to come, but this is my short list for now.

Did I mention, I want my record back?

Yours Truly,
Slightly Modified Trilogy #1

[LVMarauder]

New front and rear fiber glass fascias like Trilogy #2


reading that makes me jump up and down but I know they wont go into production. Could you put a pic up of Trilogy 1 with the kit?

[Smokie]

Once upon a time I said "my car is stock" after the PCM was reflashed, back then I thought it required changing or removing objects you can see or touch before you lose the "stock" status.

Marty is "heavily modified," Jerry is 'lightly modified".

I consider my car "very successfully modified":D

[MM2004]

I do not consider my MM modded. Light, moderate or heavy.

I have add-ons that make it more "operator friendly". ;)

Mike.

[MikesMerc]

Whether you consider a car heavily, moderately, or lightly modified is an individual opinion. There is no hard and fast distinction between the categories. It all depends on how each individual feels about mods, and how far from stock you feel the car has come.

IMO, Heavily modified means you've gone beyond bolt ons and have significantly altered the sheet metal, frame, displacement, and amenities. In other words, you've gone beyond bolt ons. Heavily modified also means that you've significantly altered the ride quality, reliability, are the original fitness for the intended application (you've given up being able to do something the OEM car could like idle in traffic, cruise at 80mph, long trips, etc).

I have the following:
Forged bottom end
Intercooled Supercharger with 13.5 PSI
100 shot NOS
JLT intake, 90mm SCT MAF, 60 lb injectors
Kooks headers and complete exhaust
Trans shift kit and upgraded clutches
Eaton rear end and 31 spline axles
Widened rear rims
Metco control arms and safety loop
Baer brakes all around
Small bling items like powder coated covers and inserts
Some guages and leds.

If I close the hood most folks cannot tell the marauder has been modded. The sheet metal is unaltered. The cars idles, runs, and handles the same as it did from the factory...except under hard acceleration. All the creature comforts work as they did from day one. Nothing gutted. I think my car is only moderately modified.

[Smokie]

This is really funny, I remember about 3 years ago I would go to the Impala SS forum and read about their exploits with envy. Something that caught my eye then was they would describe their car as "stock" plus...then would come very long detailed list of the things they changed, still they would be very careful to point every little individual part that remained stock.....the list would have 300 bolt-ons...but a "stock" bottom end. :D

We are just like the SS boys, we spend a fortune...but we are mostly "stock"...:rofl:

[Rick-n-Miami]

If I close the hood most folks cannot tell the marauder has been modded. The sheet metal is unaltered. The cars idles, runs, and handles the same as it did from the factory...except under hard acceleration. All the creature comforts work as they did from day one. Nothing gutted. I think my car is only moderately modified.

I like this thinking. To me, my car is moderately modified. Yes, I've done alot to increase the power and performance of the car (and God only knows whatelse I may do), but I still consider the car a true Marauder. I have not taken away any of the creature-comforts and luxury the car came with, in fact I've added to it.

In my opinion, when you start taking away things like the leather seats, the A/C, stereo, etc., it becomes a heavily modified car and starts losing it's "Marauder Characteristics." Any car can be gutted and transformed into a go fast car, there are lots of those out there. However, making the car fast and perform well while still retaining the factory luxury (or intention of luxury) and appearance of a factory car, has something to be said for itself.

[Jerry Barnes]

I like this thinking. To me, my car is moderately modified. Yes, I've done alot to increase the power and performance of the car (and God only knows whatelse I may do), but I still consider the car a true Marauder. I have not taken away any of the creature-comforts and luxury the car came with, in fact I've added to it.

In my opinion, when you start taking away things like the leather seats, the A/C, stereo, etc., it becomes a heavily modified car and starts losing it's "Marauder Characteristics." Any car can be gutted and transformed into a go fast car, there are lots of those out there. However, making the car fast and perform well while still retaining the factory luxury (or intention of luxury) and appearance of a factory car, has something to be said for itself.

Rick, Mike and Smokie,

I agree with your assessments of the varying degrees of modifications. Trilogy #1 has turned out to be an experiment. I have never owned a car that was modified like Trilogy #1. It's fun, but I don't like tearing up the car. It has turned out to be great advertising for our company and that's the only reason I have done the modifications. I remember sitting in the stands at Joliet when Mike was running the car and he lined up against a Mustang with big slicks, open headers roll cage, etc. The people I was sitting next to said, "This is no contest". Then the Mustang got a three car advantage from the lights due to it's qualifying runs and then Mike's light went green and he ran the Mustang down and beat it. The guys next to me said, "What the F#@k!!!!", "Can you believe that Big A$$ Marauder beat that Mustang!!". I never owned a fast car when I was younger, I was too poor. But, at that moment, it was worth every penny.

Trilogy #2 is staying just the way it is. I haven't even gone to a smaller pulley. I love the way the car drives. I even like it more then the Mustang. Very civilized, but with some punch.

Just my thoughts!

Have a Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there!

Jerry

[MI2QWK4U]

Good job Mike, I like the way you described it. I agree with Mike on the concept of drivability and handling characteristics. My wife can take the car shopping and not worry about something breaking or it being unruly. She fully knows what the car is capable of, and knows how to drive it accordingly. I can take the whole family out for a road trip and not worry about the car, it has all the characteristics of the Marauder I bought originally. When your Marauder gets to the level of Marty's, Jerry's, or John's, with the level of mods and changes those cars have, I really honestly dont consider them Marauders any more, rather I think of them as Funny Cars that look like Marauders. Much the same way that you can have a NASCAR version of the Monte Carlo or Ford Fusion at the superspeedway, and say that they are the same thing sitting in your driveway at home. In a way I really dont get impressed by spending $50 to $100 creating a Funny Car Marauder to run in the mid 10 seconds, I think its cool, but not worth the money to change the car I loved into a strip only car. If I want to run 10 second 1/4 mile times I will spend 7K on the Kenny Belle twin screw blower like Lid did and slap it on the Mach 1, boom...done. 10 seconds and I still have a streetable Mach 1 afterwords. Like I said before, I really dont consider my Marauder Heavily modified, I think its more like mildly modded.

[Hotrauder]

I hope that I never run out of THINGS I can do to mine that increase my enjoyment of the car. I am encouraged by Jerry, Marty and John who tho way beyond what I imagine I can go show me that there is no end. I want Jerry's facias they would be the perfect compliment to Zacks Tiffany Grill and LED spoiler:D I like the go fast straight and crooked, too; so some of those mods are on and more on the way. I really liked the car when I bought it. I am loving it now. I consider it pimped and modified lightly...so far ....by my ruler. Dennis

[Bradley G]

Another amusing comment, overheard that day at Joliet;
"How come the Big Black car, has to wait?"(bracketing):lol:
Good luck on your quest, to regain the title Jerry!

Rick, Mike and Smokie,

I agree with your assessments of the varying degrees of modifications. Trilogy #1 has turned out to be an experiment. I have never owned a car that was modified like Trilogy #1. It's fun, but I don't like tearing up the car. It has turned out to be great advertising for our company and that's the only reason I have done the modifications. I remember sitting in the stands at Joliet when Mike was running the car and he lined up against a Mustang with big slicks, open headers roll cage, etc. The people I was sitting next to said, "This is no contest". Then the Mustang got a three car advantage from the lights due to it's qualifying runs and then Mike's light went green and he ran the Mustang down and beat it. The guys next to me said, "What the F#@k!!!!", "Can you believe that Big A$$ Marauder beat that Mustang!!". I never owned a fast car when I was younger, I was too poor. But, at that moment, it was worth every penny.

Trilogy #2 is staying just the way it is. I haven't even gone to a smaller pulley. I love the way the car drives. I even like it more then the Mustang. Very civilized, but with some punch.

Just my thoughts!

Have a Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there!

Jerry

[jgc61sr2002]

Totally Stock.:D

[Tallboy]

Rick, Mike and Smokie,

I agree with your assessments of the varying degrees of modifications. Trilogy #1 has turned out to be an experiment. I have never owned a car that was modified like Trilogy #1. It's fun, but I don't like tearing up the car. It has turned out to be great advertising for our company and that's the only reason I have done the modifications. I remember sitting in the stands at Joliet when Mike was running the car and he lined up against a Mustang with big slicks, open headers roll cage, etc. The people I was sitting next to said, "This is no contest". Then the Mustang got a three car advantage from the lights due to it's qualifying runs and then Mike's light went green and he ran the Mustang down and beat it. The guys next to me said, "What the F#@k!!!!", "Can you believe that Big A$$ Marauder beat that Mustang!!". I never owned a fast car when I was younger, I was too poor. But, at that moment, it was worth every penny.

Trilogy #2 is staying just the way it is. I haven't even gone to a smaller pulley. I love the way the car drives. I even like it more then the Mustang. Very civilized, but with some punch.

Just my thoughts!

Have a Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there!

Jerry

...and that's why I haven't taken my car to the "next level". I love the fact that it is quiet [I must be gettin' old] [Shut up, Claude] and drives like a "stock" Marauder when I want it to. However, this is by far the most heavily modified car I have ever owned. I've wanted a car like this my whole life, but could not afford it until now. I've had more Mustangs, Camaros, and Firebirds than I can count, but none had the price tag or "plushness" of the Marauder. I still have one Mustang, and I always will, but the Marauder and I have been places and done things I've never done with any other car. The car has modified my life exponentially more than I have modified it, and the bond continues to grow.

Up next...Addcos.

[Donny Carlson]

There's a book on the SSR that describes pretty well the difference between lightly, moderately, and heavily modified. Light modifications are things that are bolted on and can be reversed easily, like chips, shocks, wheels, air intakes etc. Moderate mods are also bolt one mods that can be reversed, but take more effort or time, like springs, control arms, coil over kits, and to some extent supercharger kits. Heavily modified cars are those with permanent modifications, such as body work, frame narrowing, engine build up/swaps, interior reupholstering, sound systems that have custom door panels and trunk panels, etc.

There are, of course, degrees of each. Big Joe P's Trans Am fender vents are a heavy mod, Legal Knevil is heavily modded, and certainly TwoManyFord's car is heavily modded. Most others fall into the moderately or lightly modded range, even though they may have a lot of individial mods done.

[ckadiddle]

You guys got it all wrong. If you can't remember off the top of your head and verbally list all modifications done to the car , then your Heavily Modified. :)

[Hotrauder]

You guys got it all wrong. If you can't remember off the top of your head and verbally list all modifications done to the car , then your Heavily Modified. :)


Heavily modified or heavily old timered....:D I can remember most of them some of the time. Dennis. As usual I really like Chuck's take on this and it is amazing how far we can go with modifications and still have a stock like performing car when at the shopping center. I am going to try Dual Modes with my cobra exhaust to see if I can have a little more presence than the stock mufflers give me and perhaps a little better upper rpm breathing without scareing the panties of all the little old ladies in the neighborhood and creating so much drone that I can't stand to drive it on the highway. If not .... anyone want a good buy on Dual Modes? :D

[MikesMerc]

Any car can be gutted and transformed into a go fast car, there are lots of those out there. However, making the car fast and perform well while still retaining the factory luxury (or intention of luxury) and appearance of a factory car, has something to be said for itself.

Bingo! This is the exact mantra I work by while modifying my Marauder. I've passed on mods that I know would make the car faster, but I know I'd be unhappy with ride quality wise (stiffer springs, looser stall converter, etc). I've also chosen to leave every amenity intact although it leaves weight on the car (which could really use a diet for sheer performance). Some mods just kill the overall road worthiness (slicks n skinnies, drag struts, etc). Same goes for power making mods that kill streetability like a lower compression motor or a monstrous blower.

Simply put, not every mod is a good one for me. The key is to keep the car as true to its roots as possible while improving various aspects. LOL...each mod I have made has been chosen more carefully the the diciples of christ. Sticking to a "plan" at times is hard, but the outcome is quite satisfying.

[sweetair]

I think what is important to look at here is the ability to reverse the "changes" made to our cars. Like what was posted 2-3 posts above. The amount of time to change her back to stock. I personally have kept every OEM bolt, belt, nut, washer, etc from the Trilogy install day, in the Trilogy box, kept the OEM rotors and calipers in the Bear box, the OEM air box in the K&N box, and the OEM rims w/the BFG's are in the basement to-boot. The widened rims are sweet too. I have never done this with a car which prompts a few interesting conversations with my wife from time to time. To me, this car is moderately modified with the ability to regress to her original days, (that will never happen). Interesting topic Chuck. Thanks.

[TooManyFords]

Whoever up there said that it was in the eye of the beholder is probably right. Like everything else we do in life, we judge against what we have. It's human nature. The good thing is that there is no right or wrong in this!

Am I heavily modified? I'd have to say my competition is limited, so yes. And thank you, those of you above that put my car in such a unique club as Marty and Jerry. However, I wouldn't go so far to as to call our cars "funny cars".

I also think my direction is unique even among the three of us. I walk to the beat of a different drum. Catch me if you can!

Cheers!

John

[1stMerc]

Are we talking about strictly for street or for track? IMHO highly modified means dramatically changed from what came from the factory and not easily put back to stock. Bottom end, different cams, heads, supercharger, beefed up tranny etc., Strictly go fast parts and on the edge of reliablity. Definitely not a daily driver.

[Donny Carlson]

I also think my direction is unique even among the three of us. I walk to the beat of a different drum. Catch me if you can!

I agree, John. Your car is definitely the "highly modified" king at this juncture, imo.

[TooManyFords]

Definitely not a daily driver.

Maybe others trailer theirs, but you won't see PUREVIL on a silly trailer.` I won't be driving it in the rain for obvious reasons, but if the sun is shining I'll be cruising!

:D

John

[BillyGman]

I consider my Marauder to be heavily modified. I don't think that you need to have an 11 second or 10 second car for it to be considered heavily modified. It depends on how much you've done to it.

I've put $10K into the Marauder over and above the purchase price (not including back tires :D ). With an aftermarket supercharger, 4.56 gears, headers, modified exhaust, and an aftermarket torque converter with a higher stall speed than stock(3,000 RPM), I think you can call my Marauder "heavily" modified. A naturally aspirated 4,200 LB car needs to be heavily modified to shave a full three seconds off of the factory stock quartermile ET. It was a 15.2 second car, and now it's a 12.2 second car on pump gasoline (and still a daily driver at that). But I'd have to say that it is "heavily" modified.

[Big House]

Heavily modified = trailer queen. Everything else is slightly above stock:D

[1stMerc]

Heavily modified = trailer queen. Everything else is slightly above stock:D

What he said......

[stevengerard]

I call mine "stupid modified" because there is no reason to do what I did, to an everyday driver, except that I enjoy every second of it. Unless you open the hood, one has no idea what was done, you guys could tell I lowered it a bit and would notice the larger brakes, but I even had the calipers coated black. I like the sleeper style like Trilogy 2. If it came from the factory supercharged I probably would have only lowered it. Now I'm stupid modified and happy about it. What's next Nitrous?

[MarauderTJA]

I consider my Marauder to be heavily modified. I don't think that you need to have an 11 second or 10 second car for it to be considered heavily modified. It depends on how much you've done to it.

I've put $10K into the Marauder over and above the purchase price (not including back tires :D ). With an aftermarket supercharger, 4.56 gears, headers, modified exhaust, and an aftermarket torque converter with a higher stall speed than stock(3,000 RPM), I think you can call my Marauder "heavily" modified. A naturally aspirated 4,200 LB car needs to be heavily modified to shave a full three seconds off of the factory stock quartermile ET. It was a 15.2 second car, and now it's a 12.2 second car on pump gasoline (and still a daily driver at that). But I'd have to say that it is "heavily" modified.

I agree with you Billy. Once we take the steps to S/C and then start to go the route of various modifications to enhance overall performance (braking, handling, traction, tuning etc) away from stock, heavily modified immediately comes to mind. Full race trim (Marty's & Jerry's cars) are "Marauder Race Cars." I like the expression "Extreme Marauder" to describe all the things. So much so I stopped listing all things in my sig as it would be a page long. But that is what I love about these cars. You can go with a simple tune and some gears or go "Extreme.":D