MD Speciality Shops
 

Trying to find any shops in MD that offer GM performance services for LSx cars. Have plans for upgrades on my '99 Formula and need to find a local shop if one exists to install and tune it. I live in Carroll County, willing to travel some but nothing crazy, 50 mile max.

Any recommendations??

*I know of Total Performance in Mt. Airy and Woodbine Motorsports but I'm trying to find a shop that focuses on F-bodies and/or LS cars*

We so only LSX cars. We are about an hour north of baltimore. Feel free to give us a call.

Don't go to Total Performance.

What do you plan to do the car?

I actually just looked you guys up after finding you in another thread prior to making my post. Your shop is actually 2.5 hours from my house (117 miles) which I really can't justify traveling unless there is nothing closer. But one thing is for sure, I don't want to just go to any "performance shop" if I had to travel to you guys to get it done right the first time I will.

Bad experience with them?

Short term plans (~1 year or sooner)
-Lid
-Headers
-Catted Y-pipe
-Lower Control Arms
-Sub Frame Connectors
-Tune

Medium term (1-3 years)
-Intake Manifold
-Throttle Body
-Stall Converter (3000-3400)
-Trans Cooler
-12 Bolt with Gears (not sure what ratio) if needed
-Tune

Possibles
-Nitrous Outlet F-Body Package 75-125 shot*
-Cam or H/C package*
-Built 4L60E
-Driveshaft if needed

*One or the other

Gallant Auto in Bel Air (Harford County) is a corvette shop. I took my car there just to finish up some stuff that had to get done so I could take my car to cruise week. I would recommend them to anyone and know a few friends who have had stuff done there as well. Never a bad experience

Yes bad experience with them in regards to some friends who had work done by them-they are very dishonest and the quality of work is terrible. I wouldn't have them work on my beater car

For your short term plans-most of that can be done by you. In regards to the tune-go to Frost or have him get a mail order tune for bolt ons. Subframe connectors-I know of three people in Westminster that could weld them up for you.

48 miles away, thats do-able I suppose. Keep the suggestions coming.

I know my friend josh went to F-Body Central but I think they're out of business now. A former co-worker is related to the owners of Glen Burnie Racing which has some of the fastest LSx cars on the East Coast apparently, anybody have experience with them?

Thanks for the heads up. Not really mechanically inclined so I'd want someone else to install the exhaust components, might be able to do LCA's by myself. My mechanic could probably do the exhaust but I'd need that mail in tune. Not sure where SFC's really fit into my plans but I heard they help with T-Top cars. Not sure if I'd really need them though, I assume any welding place could do them though, if so there is a place around the corner from my house basically that I could go to

[QUOTE=LS-ONE_DAY;15120462]I actually just looked you guys up after finding you in another thread prior to making my post. Your shop is actually 2.5 hours from my house (117 miles) which I really can't justify traveling unless there is nothing closer. But one thing is for sure, I don't want to just go to any "performance shop" if I had to travel to you guys to get it done right the first time I will.



You can't go wrong with Fran. I travel 3 hours ( one way) to go to him. I wouldn't trust anyone in MD with anything. They are all either over priced, steal your parts, or blow up your car. Fran takes real good care of his customers and their cars. Id travel 6 hours if I had to.

My car is up at Jason's place from F-Body Central as we speak, just dropped it off this morning to get some exhaust work done. This was my first time meeting him and he seems like a pretty cool guy, my Dad had his car worked on by them in the past and they seemed to do a pretty good job with it. Although, I have read some negative stuff about them over the years, not sure what it was about, but just sayin'.....

Most I am using a shop for is the tune... Problem is I am not traveling 3 hours on a bad tune to get up to PA. doing the cam install with friends as well as the headers... Yay more HP.

Well now that's a recommendation! My concerns with traveling that far are gas which is obvious since I'd have to drive the Firebird up there (relatively poor college student after all) and how I would be able to get the parts there. I'm not sure how big of a box headers and y-pipe come in but I have a feeling I won't be able to put an extra rear end assembly or trans in the back of the Firebird and get it dynoed and tuned up there. I have no way to trailer the car and have no where to store parts for the trip. Plus if I need a tune I wouldn't necessarily want to drive 117 miles on it without one.

Really? Where are they located now? I thought they were gone and while I've heard mixed things, 2 local people I know fairly to very well both got their cars worked on there with no problems

Well, he for sure doesn't run his shop out of the warehouse type thing in Baltimore like he did years ago. Him and a few other guys are located in some kind of house/garage type combo right around the Columbia MD area, you can call to get their exact location because I'm not even really sure what it's called myself since I used my Garmin. But anyways, the place doesn't even really look like a shop, just appears to be a 2 car garage like connected to an actual house, and he has like one lift on one side of it and a bunch of tools, that's about it really. He had about 10-15 F-Body's sitting in the driveway or whatever over there and a pretty mean looking Z28 sitting on the lift when I was there this morning though.

Then to the left of all of that, there's like a little house. Not sure if he lives there or not but.... it is what it is I guess. As long as they do a good job with the work, I guess it doesn't really matter how it's setup.

Well now Columbia would be convenient considering I work there, at least for the rest of the Summer. Is the website still current as far as contacting him? If he's still an option I'd definitely have to consider it

Yup, the number on their website is still up to date. I'd jot it down and give them a call if you're interested, wouldn't hurt. Like I said, he seems like a really cool guy and all of his mechanics seem like they know what they're doing, so I wouldn't let the appearance of their work space draw you away.

Im sure you could have the parts delivered to their shop, call and ask. You wont be disapointed. Plus the drive bak is soooo much fun. It helps you get a customed to the way the car is.

Im sure they could order the parts for you and you wouldnt have to worry about anything

Yeah I completely forgot about drop shipping and all that. I guess it wouldn't be all that day to make a longer drive...I'll just have to not drive the car for a week or so beforehand so the mileage evens out because I know once I would get back home I won't be able to not drive it after!

Short term plans (~1 year or sooner)
-Lid
-Headers
-Catted Y-pipe
-Lower Control Arms
-Sub Frame Connectors
-Tune

Medium term (1-3 years)
-Intake Manifold
-Throttle Body
-Stall Converter (3000-3400)
-Trans Cooler
-12 Bolt with Gears (not sure what ratio) if needed
-Tune

Possibles
-Nitrous Outlet F-Body Package 75-125 shot*
-Cam or H/C package*
-Built 4L60E
-Driveshaft if needed

*One or the other[/QUOTE]

im in mount airy/new market. built the car in my sig, tuned a few, did lots of work to another ls1 mustang, cam install, bolt ons, rear swaps i can do it all.
pm me for my number. (mike morris can voutch for me)

Holy crap its Justin!!

He is local to you and can be trusted. Go to him LSoneday. You can trust him with your car overnight.

I've had my car tuned by Jeff @ psi in glen burnie. He does only ltx/lsx cars. He does nice work.