Anyone know any places in Atlanta that can do work?

[Dine]

I wanna do most of the work on my X myself but for the things I'm simply not experienced enough yet to do like an engine swap and such I'd like to send her in to get those things done professionally. Anyone know a place near Atlanta or a person around here that could do the harder tasks for me?

 

[kmead]

For most of the repairs done on an X, most any quality import repair place should be able to fix pretty much anything on the car. Particularly if you provide the repair manual. That said, most of the repairs an X will need can be done by you as it is a fundamentally simple car. Most things are mechanical and they electronics are simple movement of electrons down a wire with no multiplexing etc. There are some fussy jobs but by and large it is not too challenging.

If you want an engine swap done and you are thinking Honda K, then there is only one place you should consider and that is Mid West Bayless. They created the kit and Brayden (damn IOS spellcheck/correction) now does the work.

Understand that a engine swap is an expensive enterprise (20k+ if someone else does it, 10-12k if you do), to gain a good understanding of it have a look at the swaps done by Hussein and Rodger which are likely among the best you will ever see.

The Honda B series swaps cost less and have different problems to solve, there is a great presentation by Biswanger which shows it and Odie has documented part of his installation. This is an easier swap and could be accomplished by a local shop. Still will cost you something like 5k depending on the B series you choose.

I believe the swaps mentioned above are in the Best of X Web and I think the B16/18/20 swap is also in the Wiki.

Hopefully a member from the greater Atlanta area will chime in with their suggestions.

All the best.

 

[Pete Whitstone]

I wanna do most of the work on my X myself but for the things I'm simply not experienced enough yet to do like an engine swap and such I'd like to send her in to get those things done professionally.

By "engine swap", are you talking about replacing like for like, or are you talking about introducing a drivetrain that did not originally come in the vehicle? You need to be looking for 2 completely different kinds of shops for those 2 completely different jobs, IMO.

I can't help you with what's in the Atlanta area. But if it's the first type (like for like), you should really consider tackling the job yourself. It's not that difficult, it's just time consuming, and it will be a great learning experience. Maybe some Atlanta-based Xwebbers could be convinced to come over on a Saturday and help.

If it's the second type, then you need to be looking for a mechanic that has some fabrication skills and is not just a parts changer. If you have local races (1/8 or 1/4 mile drags, roundy rounds, SCCA races at Road Atlanta, that kind of thing), then go there, talk to people, and find out who they use for race fab work if they outsource it. A lot of times, mechanics themselves will be involved in racing - my main mechanic here does the dirt track oval stuff. He's worked on my K20 X before, and I would trust him with it.

For the second type of engine swap, however, you need to have very deep pockets. I would not expect anyplace who knew what they were doing to quote less than about $6-7k for a drivetrain swap, and that's assuming you supply a good working drivetrain, and the engine fits well without cutting too much up. If they have to start hacking into framerails, etc., then I would want someone more familiar with the X. As Karl said, MWB would be the people for that job. They did my K20 swap, it took a very long time and it was not cheap. Neither was shipping to get the car there and back.

I say all this to come to this point. Since you are new to X's, why not take the time to learn and enjoy the car as it is for a while. If in the future you decide on the need for more power, you can decide then how to take that step. In the meantime, if you know that more power is part of the plan in the future, then you need to be upgrading other systems of the car now. Better brakes, coil over suspension, VW radiator conversion are some very good places to start.

Good luck and enjoy your car.

 

[autox19]

By "engine swap", are you talking about replacing like for like, or are you talking about introducing a drivetrain that did not originally come in the vehicle? You need to be looking for 2 completely different kinds of shops for those 2 completely different jobs, IMO.

I can't help you with what's in the Atlanta area. But if it's the first type (like for like), you should really consider tackling the job yourself. It's not that difficult, it's just time consuming, and it will be a great learning experience. Maybe some Atlanta-based Xwebbers could be convinced to come over on a Saturday and help.

If it's the second type, then you need to be looking for a mechanic that has some fabrication skills and is not just a parts changer. If you have local races (1/8 or 1/4 mile drags, roundy rounds, SCCA races at Road Atlanta, that kind of thing), then go there, talk to people, and find out who they use for race fab work if they outsource it. A lot of times, mechanics themselves will be involved in racing - my main mechanic here does the dirt track oval stuff. He's worked on my K20 X before, and I would trust him with it.

For the second type of engine swap, however, you need to have very deep pockets. I would not expect anyplace who knew what they were doing to quote less than about $6-7k for a drivetrain swap, and that's assuming you supply a good working drivetrain, and the engine fits well without cutting too much up. If they have to start hacking into framerails, etc., then I would want someone more familiar with the X. As Karl said, MWB would be the people for that job. They did my K20 swap, it took a very long time and it was not cheap. Neither was shipping to get the car there and back.

I say all this to come to this point. Since you are new to X's, why not take the time to learn and enjoy the car as it is for a while. If in the future you decide on the need for more power, you can decide then how to take that step. In the meantime, if you know that more power is part of the plan in the future, then you need to be upgrading other systems of the car now. Better brakes, coil over suspension, VW radiator conversion are some very good places to start.

Good luck and enjoy your car.

totally agree 100% with the enjoy the car part. Especially the part about upgrading the suspension. think of it this way, think of everything you want to do with the X. take that list and put everything that has to do with a swap and put it on the bottom. Why? because the goal is to have the entire list done. all the stuff before the swap can be done while still enjoying the X in the stockish engine form. then when you are ready for the swap, those things will already be done.

Odie

 

[Dine]

totally agree 100% with the enjoy the car part. Especially the part about upgrading the suspension. think of it this way, think of everything you want to do with the X. take that list and put everything that has to do with a swap and put it on the bottom. Why? because the goal is to have the entire list done. all the stuff before the swap can be done while still enjoying the X in the stockish engine form. then when you are ready for the swap, those things will already be done.

Odie

That's so funny that you say that cuz I'm reading this while in the process of doing that exact thing lmao.

 

[tajiman]

I also live in the Atlanta area and I am doing an engine swap too. I started last year but stopped due to the cold. I have never done a swap before but I am good with my hands and like the challenge. It is going to be a long term project as I am going it alone and learning as I go. Lost my son last year, this was to be our project. Mine is pretty wild, Kawasaki zx10r engine with chain drive diff, but my son would have wanted it to be over the top, wild aero and all, that's who he was. i will restart when it warms up, maybe we can meet up. I am yet to see another X on the road here and would love to meet up with other members in the area.

 

[JDExSquid]

I hope it warms up soon.

 

[Dine]

I also live in the Atlanta area and I am doing an engine swap too. I started last year but stopped due to the cold. I have never done a swap before but I am good with my hands and like the challenge. It is going to be a long term project as I am going it alone and learning as I go. Lost my son last year, this was to be our project. Mine is pretty wild, Kawasaki zx10r engine with chain drive diff, but my son would have wanted it to be over the top, wild aero and all, that's who he was. i will restart when it warms up, maybe we can meet up. I am yet to see another X on the road here and would love to meet up with other members in the area.

Absolutely my friend, I hope everything goes smoothly with the engine swap and that you have fun doing it. Your son will be extremely proud when she's done, keep up the work brother and get her running so we can meet up! You never know, I've never seen another X in our area either so we may very well be the only ones, maybe a few stragglers out there but mainly I'd say any X owners in georgia aren't near the city.