I’m stuck in lockdown, therefore getting mechanical work done by others is a no no ,
I’ve taken the rear seats out so we can fit an electric trike in the back, as Nicola can’t ride a normal bike, that was fun, for performance increases on the v8, where do you start without going crazy, is it performance filter and plugs ?
what brands do I look at ?
the trim around the shifter is stuffed, that looks doable , what else should be a starting point ? Was thinking remove the cat mmm,

 

@Wheelspin not much for performance increase on these, they are all electronic as far as I know no one bothered with chip upgrades. I can not say that they really need anything, mine booms along quite well I can cruise at 70mph through all types of terrain flat hilly etc. I do not tend to because it makes already poor gas mileage worse.

I live about an hour out of Vancouver BC and I can run to Whistler at 70 without issue and have done so loaded up for 4 days of offroading.

 

Supppsedly there is a UK company that does ecu flashes that add more lower rpm timing.
That may make it feel a little more responsive.
Otherwise, you need a Kent or Crower camshaft.
You can also port match the heads and exhaust manifolds.

 

I would suspect Amazon dot NZ has these, I like them a lot and it is indeed pretty simple and a good detail to update...

These have black stitching, many online have white stitching, which does not match anything on the truck...

 

Thanks they look really nice, I’ll sort that out tonight

 

The easy things from the outside that would improve street performance would be low-profile street tires if you don't do off-roading, ram-air instead of air through the fenderwell if you don't do fording, ECU flash if you can find such, new spark plugs+coils+clean fuel-injectors+driving in Sport Mode, weight removal, and port-matching your exhaust manifolds to your heads.

Bit more effort to install the performance cam (worth it!).

Also, I love my generic high-flow cats.

 

If I wanted more power, I would go with a supercharger, built engine, and all new electronics.......anything else is just a little 'give here for take there.' Not worth time, effort , or $ for such little gains... This is a supercharged Buick V8.....

Plenty of English power builds using the rover buick V8....

Or....a TD5 and mess with boost....

 

Your best bet is dropping a good American V8. The rest is money thrown away.

 

For the cost of a cam(especially if you're already doing head gaskets or an oil pump, basic D2 engine maintenance, etc) , and the time to port match heads and exhaust manifolds, is worth the wake up grunt they provide.
And anyone who has built nice engines like those above...knows the amount of money that went into it.
Not to mention the cost to get it in a D2, or the rest of the drive train, either being swapped, or breaking under the extra hp, stress kills.

 

This is a Buick Nailhead engine which isn't the same. I have a '56 Buick Roadmaster & the quickest way to identify the engine is by it's horizontal valve covers.