thats not a great thing being close to ktec they aint exactly popular over with rtoc mate.

defo lightweight alloys and remove as much as possible all sound deadening makes a big difference its a pig to remove but worth it.

get it on coilovers and a decent cage in there, uprate the brakes then look at the engine.
they respons really well to cams/headwork and throttle bodies its not cheap of course but you can reach 220bhp rather easily if money will allow