Just because you can bolt something to your rig doesn't necessarily mean you should. Six-inch tube bumpers come to mind. So do widgety grab handles and entry steps on stock-height vehicles. Call us jaded, but if we had that much money burning holes in our pockets, we'd probably spend it on stuff that improves the performance of our vehicle rather than making it look like something a cat barfed up. Here are some things we've used and liked. They all may not be a slam-dunk bolt-on, but they won't cause you to get laughed out of the drive-in, either.
Edelbrock Performer RPM Q-JetWe've proven time and time again that the Q-Jet is an acceptable alternative to fuel injection. Now, thanks to Edelbrock's new Performer RPM, you can run a seriously high-performance engine at extreme angles off road. The Performer RPM Q-Jet is rated at 850 cfm and can support engines over 500 hp.
Performance DistributorWe've used Performance Distributors' D.U.I. (Davis Unified Ignition) quite a bit in the past with nothing but excellent results. Performance Distributors has HEI replacement distributors for almost any engine, providing there's room for the large cap. Engines with valve-cover clearance issues like Chrysler 440s can use the company's small-cap electronic distributors. We dropped one in a '70 Cadillac 500 in about five minutes.
High-Torque StarterYou can get lots of stuff at your local AutoZone. We went in for a regular old stock replacement starter for our Caddy 500 when the guy behind the counter asked if we wanted the high-po model. You know our answer.
K&N Fipk KitIf you've got an '80s or '90s fuel-injected Ford, then one of the best modifications you can do is to ditch the restrictive factory airbox in favor of K&N's Fuel Injection Performance Kit. It's smog-legal, installs in about 20 minutes, has a million-mile warranty, and really wakes up anything from a 302 to a 460. We stabbed one in a '93 F-350 with the 7.5L engine.
AutoZone Mega-coolerSometimes all you have to do is ask. We were having a hard time finding a radiator bigger than a two-core for our '85 Dodge when the guys at AutoZone offered to call up their radiator manufacturer, Modine, and have one built for us. The new four-core radiator (PN 43-6006) is an almost drop-in replacement for the spindly two-core stocker and should keep any engine that we throw in the engine bay cool.