Eastern Members - AutoFab Race Cars / AutoFab Performance

An older friend of mine suggested I contact a company called AutoFab Performance around Capital Raceway in MD to do some welding work for me because thats where he has his custom fab work done and they could do it for me. He gave me a name and telephone number for them. I looked them up online and the number is different than the one he gave me so I don't know if it is a personal number or not he gave me, but the company is advertised as AutoFab Race Cars so I don't even know if its the same company.

Anybody ever heard of them or had experience with them?

I dont think they are in business anymore.

They are a very good shop, and do excellent work, anything custom

A few years ago they checked out my MWC 9'' rear and I was impressed with their shop, they had several cars they were building set up in the shop, and it looked like a NASCAR garage. I was truly impressed with how that shop was setup and run! The shop area was organized and did not have a lot of junk or clutter laying around.

They did a cage on a friend's car. Nice work. They are off route 1 in Jessup. Also did the cage in Evan Smith's Cobra years ago too.

Any contact information for them or website?

**non sponsor link removed**

Ok yeah thats one of the ones I was looking at. I work pretty darn close to there, I'll probably go over one day this week after work and ask them house it would cost and check out the shop.

I found a place in Manchester called HFR Fab. They look pretty legit too. Any knowledge of them Mike?

No sir.

Alrighty. I'll probably swing by AutoFab after work one day this week and talk to them about it and I'll call HFR to get prices. Hopefully they're reasonable, if not I guess I'll be making a trip to DE!

What work do you need done??????????? Good God don't get overcharged by a shop with huge overhead...
Pm Justin bet he can do it.... no tuning maybe Randy or tuning REL3RD ...

I Pm'ed REL3RD and never got a response. This would be welding up SFC's. I need to get them done before the torque converter goes in. After the SFC's I will either jump right on getting the converter done or I may wait and do a converter and cam together and hope that the trans and rear last for a year or two at least.

The good thing that RPM has going being in DE is no sales tax lol

HFR does good work... He built my boss' Outlaw 10.5 racecar from ground up and does alot of work with the local racers... HFR is a small shop but very reputable and he does good work. He's closer to you and pretty sure he's cheaper than Autofab as well.

What work do you need done??????????? Good God don't get overcharged by a shop with huge overhead...
Pm Justin bet he can do it.... no tuning maybe Randy or tuning REL3RD ...

Shops with huge over head have huge over head for a reason. ;)

HFR does good work too!

I'll make some calls to HFR and AutoFab this week. I'll call the number my buddy gave me too and just see who picks up the phone.

Fran I did send you a PM about torque converter install/tune though I'm waiting for a reply on :) Wanna talk to you about transmissions too.

I ended up stopping by AutoFab Race Cars today. I was impressed with their showroom and the guys seemed really knowledgable but they told me they charge $63/hr for labor and it would take 4-5 hours to install SFCs :confused:

They also tried to sell me on custom fabbing a set rather than getting UMI ones, same 4-5 hr install plus materials so I have no idea what that would be.

I'm calling HFR tomorrow.

Thats crazy. Buy your own and get someone to weld them.

They said even if I bought some from UMI it would take 4-5 hours to weld them in! I looked at the guy and was like oh....alright....

They definitely know their stuff and AFRC is partnered with ELD and Jason from F-Body Central too but I think there are better deals out there. Hopefully I'll find one.

A buddy has a shop in Pasadena, like a little garage at his house or something. I don't think he has a lift but he has a welder. He said he could do it for me and he may do it for free even idk but I like the peace of mind of having a shop do it that will warrant the work just in case anything happens.

I Pm'ed REL3RD and never got a response.

Not to be a dick....but.....I'm thinking maybe REL3RD simply got tired of going back and forth with a multitude of PM's and no actual work and/or money coming from it. That's just a guess, but that's why I'd guess he stopped answering all of your PM's....

However, I do know I never got any PM's about installing SFC's, and I also know it isn't rocket science welding them in...Mike Morris can tell you what it is I have done for a living for the last 30 years, lol.

http://www.markthewelder.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/welding.gif

Any tuning, rear rebuilds/gear swaps, supercharger/nitrous installs and whatever else I do is for fun and to keep in practice...(and, of course, extra cash).

Anyway, Good Luck to you with whomever you finally decide to go with....whether you're talking cam, converter, SFC's or tuning...FWIW, I wouldn't even worry about the SFC's. My T-topped 2000 SS made 200 or so mid 11 second wheel's up passes and never twisted enough, or hurt anything, to justify them.

If I were you, I'd just save up a pocketful of cash, drop the car off at RPM and tell Fran to call you when your wish list is completed. Be done with it instead of listening to 50 different people about what you should or shouldn't do first or whatever. Pick a vendor. STICK WITH HIM, then do it all and be done with it...

.

Not to be a dick....but.....I'm thinking maybe REL3RD simply got tired of going back and forth with a multitude of PM's and no actual work and/or money coming from it. That's just a guess, but that's why I'd guess he stopped answering all of your PM's....

However, I do know I never got any PM's about installing SFC's, and I also know it isn't rocket science welding them in...Mike Morris can tell you what it is I have done for a living for the last 30 years, lol.

Any tuning, rear rebuilds/gear swaps, supercharger/nitrous installs and whatever else I do is for fun and to keep in practice...(and, of course, extra cash).

Anyway, Good Luck to you with whomever you finally decide to go with....whether you're talking cam, converter, SFC's or tuning...FWIW, I wouldn't even worry about the SFC's. My T-topped 2000 SS made 200 or so mid 11 second wheel's up passes and never twisted enough, or hurt anything, to justify them.

If I were you, I'd just save up a pocketful of cash, drop the car off at RPM and tell Fran to call you when your wish list is completed. Be done with it instead of listening to 50 different people about what you should or shouldn't do first or whatever. Pick a vendor. STICK WITH HIM, then do it all and be done with it...

Well now I feel like a idiot lol. You are correct sir, the PM never got sent. I know I PM'ed you in April about a gear swap but I like to plan things several months in advance and shortly thereafter decided it would be better to save the money and put it towards a rear end since that will come with new gears anyway. I do want SFC's though, 99% of what I have heard is positive about them, and I'd like them to be done locally, so if you want to throw a number at me for me to consider I'd like to hear it.

As far as tuning, the cam, converter, etc. go, I really don't know what order I want to do them in. If I go to Fran I'd want to do several things at once so I can make 1 trip, but that means having to wait longer. CSP in PA has a package deal that includes tuning and install for an FTI converter so I was going to do that but I haven't heard anything from Greg or Andrew recently. I also talked to Chris at Circle-D so if I go with his 4C converter I'd go through Fran but I'd either want to do a cam or built trans at the same time (or all 3) but I can't drop that much money right now. Ok well I can but it wouldn't be responsible of me to do so.

Basically my short(ish) list for remaining mods is SFCs, Shocks, Converter, Cam, Trans, Rear, Nitrous, and then probably Intake Mani w/ TB. The IM/TB and Shocks would just be little "hold-over" purchases in between the big ticket stuff.

Again, sorry for the confusion Bob, and as far as you answering PMs and not getting business out of it, not sure if that was a personal thing against me since I'm pretty sure the gear one was the only PM I sent you but I like to shop around and find the best deal, nothing wrong with that imo, and like I said I like to plan things out way far in advance so I can budget them properly just in case something else comes up.

I bought a 9" 4 link set up from Autofab for my '78 corvette.
I've never been to the shop but they were very helpfull before and after the sale and the quality of the parts sent to me and the care in how it was packaged was top notch.
The pricing on the 4 link kit they manufacture for the c3 corvette was extremely reasonably priced, especially since they are the only one's that make a "kit" for the c3's.
4-5 hours to weld in subframes.........I'd just keep in mind they are a chassis shop-they are not gonna just put it on a 2 post lift and weld them in.
I'm sure the car will be put on frame stands-made perfectly level-then welded in properly.
Chassis shops do things differently. You wouldn't think it could take 1/2 of a work day to 4 corner scale a car but it does. JMO

If I were you, I'd just save up a pocketful of cash, drop the car off at RPM and tell Fran to call you when your wish list is completed. Be done with it instead of listening to 50 different people about what you should or shouldn't do first or whatever. Pick a vendor. STICK WITH HIM, then do it all and be done with it...

.

:D:D

I agree...; getting multiple PM's about the same thing asking the same questions over and over again just shows someone you are not serious.

99% of what I have heard
.

You just pick a shop you want to work on your car from here on out and ask what they recommend. DONT read and believe what everyone on the forums has done or says to do. Half of them havent done it. Half of them they have havent done it right. So only believe MAYBE 25% of what you read/hear.

An older friend of mine suggested I contact a company called AutoFab Performance around Capital Raceway in MD to do some welding work for me because thats where he has his custom fab work done and they could do it for me. He gave me a name and telephone number for them. I looked them up online and the number is different than the one he gave me so I don't know if it is a personal number or not he gave me, but the company is advertised as AutoFab Race Cars so I don't even know if its the same company.

Anybody ever heard of them or had experience with them?

Your friend is correct. AutoFab can easily handle what you need to have done.

I bought a 9" 4 link set up from Autofab for my '78 corvette.

That is a very nice setup you received from them.

Autofab does good work.

FWIW my car is a hardtop, never had SFC's installed.

I'm going to get it done by ATVracr to do it over at Glen Burnie Racing one evening. Said it shouldn't take much more than 2 hours if that and he gave me a very fair price.

I'm going to get it done by ATVracr to do it over at Glen Burnie Racing one evening. Said it shouldn't take much more than 2 hours if that and he gave me a very fair price.

GBR does good work. They won't steer you wrong.

I'd hope not, especially since I know some of Steve's family lol