Wotcha and welcome - with these NA motors its all about power to weight ratio's - strip out all the excess weight - back seats, parcel shelf, sound damping etc and performance should improve then upgrade the chassis - brakes ARB's and suspension to reduce braking distances lessen body roll and sharpen steering - all for improved safety and road holding of course ;)
We are fortunate to have a wide range of vehicles on this forum not necessarily all high BHP and razor handling so I think you will feel right at home :)