I have an 1981 Monte and I don't know where to start. It runs just fine but i want to make it into a sportier car rather than just a commuter. If anyone would be willing to give me some ideas of cheap ways to go about this I'd be very appreciative.

 

are you looking for appearance or performance? either way post some more info and some pics of the car.

 

Welcome to the site. Rims and tires are a quick way to change the look of a vehicle. Craigslist or other local classified ad's may be a good way to get a set cheap. Lowering the car is another way.

 

Welcome to the Forum!

I always Liked first to start with the appearance...
I believe this was already suggested(By Lou)....But wheels and tires are always a great start! For your Model/Year.. i would like to see a nice set of Cragars on it!

This is just me...But, I have always been a Fan of putting dual exhaust as well as getting a Custom air cleaner and filter...even if its a cal custom item!
It definately assists performance and appearance!

Where do you hale from?
Would also kinda help determine what to do and when..(Depending on the weather)
Hope this helps!
Dont forget to post some pics!

 

I think we need a little more info on what you want out of the car? Lowered? Old school rake? HP? Handing?apperance??

 

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back on here. I want to increase performance before I go and redo the looks. I want to install a CAI and a DOR exhaust but I'm not sure where to start as far as those go. I'll post some pictures of the car on Sunday. Any tips you can give me would be great. Also, I'm on a budget so I'm trying to keep my spending under $1000.

 

Hey man WHAT KIND OF MOTOR DOES IT HAVE? V6 or V8?? There's not a whole lot of options on performance upgrades for them old v6's. But there's all kinds of stuff you can do for a v8. If you have a v8, an upgraded carburetor and aftermarket intake, headers, dual exhaust, small cam upgrade, and a free flowing air cleaner is a few basic things you can do to make it have more power. Trying to do these upgrades yourself is a great way to save money and learn some valuable stuff about these cars. Remember, you can Google ANY car repair and someone has already did the same repair to the same car and documented it on the internet. Youtube has how-to videos for about any kind of car repair or upgrade. If your car has a v6 or a 305, a good upgrade is to take that thousand bucks and upgrade to a 350. I'm not 100% sure about a 3.8, but 4.3 v6s and 305s bolt directly to the same transmission bellhousing as a 350. The most anemic pitiful runnin 350 out there will put a big smile on your face compared to a 305/5.0 liter. You can directly replace a 305/5.0 with a 350/5.7. You don't have to change nothing, unless you use a fuel injected, 1987-up 350. I've done this swap a couple times, so you can ask me questions about it. But we still don't even know if you even have a v8 car, so I might have blabbed all this for nothing lol.