cheap or no cost power upgrades for 2.7L

Does anyone know of any cheap or no cost upgrades to add power of improve the mpgs of the toyta 2.7L

 

Deckplate mod, removal of charcoil air filter and an air filter upgrade are all very cheap and very effective.

 

People here seem to rave about the deck plate mod to allow more air in the filter box.
I'd like to get a ScanGauge ( http://www.scangauge.com/ ) before I did any mods to establish some base figures such as MPG and rear wheel HP.
Supposedly the ScanGauge can give accurate rear wheel HP and MPG figures.

 

what exactly is the deckplate mod?

 

You can search it for exact instructions, but basically you cut a hole in the front section of your filter box and put a marine deck-plate or hand-hole cover (whatever you'd like to call it) in the front of the box. That way, you have open air flow to the filter like a short-ram CAI and you have a replaceable plastic cover incase you are in high water or mud situations. Most people never put the cover in.

 

wheres the charcoil air filter? and how do you remove it

 

You have a 1st gen, you don't have a charcoal filter, they are on 2nd gen Tacos. And there is no such thing as a free lunch, you gotta pay to play. You want more power you say? You gotta pony up the bucks. Only proven methods of obtaining any measurable power gains are new headers, exhaust, turbo or supercharger. And guess what, these cost money.

 

The removal didn't do any good on my 2nd gen.

 

I think it was the 2trfe 4cyl guys that noticed the gain. Not the V6 1grfe engines. But to the OP do the deckplate mod and get a good muffler. Both cheap and will get a little gain.

 

Don't the later model Gen 1's, ones w/o the cast iron CI exhaust, have a stainless steel header type exhaust?

I was reading on these CI exhausts on the 2.7's before buying mine. They would crack and people were replacing them with the later model welded pipe header type exhaust.

My question is will real headers, HEDMAN, HOOKER, exhaust help that much more??