Customizing and improving your game is a time honored referee's privilege - at least to my thinking it is. Many games tell the reader right in the text that the material contained in the book should be viewed as suggestions or guidelines and that the game belongs to you and you should feel free to alter and change whatever you desire. Player buy-in can be where the test of an idea is shown to add to the game or detract from it and it is therefore important to discuss changes around the gaming table.
One of the reasons I read role-playing books is for inspiration. I own way more games than I have time to play, but most of the games I acquire get read and I borrow many ideas from games to try with other systems I do play.
Many of the first role-playing systems that I acquired during the late 1970's and early 1980's were written in reaction to the World's First Role-Playing Game and were either the author's "house-ruled" version of that system, or an attempt to improve on various aspects of that game - combat and magic being too areas which got frequent attention. A desire for more "realism" prompted many of these game designers and fueled interest in the consumer such as myself.
An early RPG offering which has remained of interest to me through the subsequent decades, the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game includes so many good ideas. The default setting is rich in detail and is supported by a number of supplemental volumes. The combination of an innovative redefining of Alignment, original Occupational Character Classes and races that capture the imagination, and a combat mechanic that seems more realistic (at least in some ways) than that found in D&D allows the game to remain relevant, in print and almost unchanged to this day.
One of the borrowings that I have frequently used while running my version of the Original (White Box) Game is to use a combat mechanic based on that introduced in the Palladium system. It uses a d20 roll with adds based on class abilities and circumstances with any result of 5 or more scoring a hit. Numbers greater than 4 but less than the target's armor class effectively hit the armor and can result in damage to the armor/shield. Numbers rolled that are greater than the armor class score damage directly on the target's hit points.
Using this method helps me in narrating combat for my players, allows for damage to armor and shield which in turn seems more realistic, all while adding very little extra delay to the combat round. Damaged armor and shields necessitate repair which contributes to verisimilitude. The mechanic for documenting armor damage and repair needs to be simple however and I recommend a binary status of "damaged or undamaged" for armor and shield. Repair can be an expense or not depending upon referee preference.
Modifying or "house-ruling" your system of choice can be a source of fun and satisfaction for those who enjoy the study of game design and theory. I have found there are a lot of good ideas to be found in the hobby and way more systems than I can ever bring to the table. Borrowing and combining allows me to pick from among the best. Occasionally I even have what I believe to be an original idea! It can be fun to try those at the table too. Having players who are on-board with trying new mechanics and limiting the number of new rules introduced during any game session to only a couple seems essential for successful implementation of any rule modifications. The result can be a more satisfying experience for all concerned - which of course should be the goal!
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