Any good mechanics in Southern Cali

SuperDad

Registered User
I need to have some work done on my engine & I live in the Palm Springs, California area (Palm Desert to be exact). I don't know anyone around here who works on SC's. Does anyone know anybody in my local area or even LA.
If not, what types of questions should I ask the local guys here?
Thanks for any info.:)
 
SuperDad said:
I need to have some work done on my engine & I live in the Palm Springs, California area (Palm Desert to be exact). I don't know anyone around here who works on SC's. Does anyone know anybody in my local area or even LA.
If not, what types of questions should I ask the local guys here?
Thanks for any info.:)
I can help, what kind of work do you need done?

Paul
 
where are you located Paul?
I'm not quite sure what I need just yet.
I just got my 95 about 2 months ago, It runs very good but I only get around 7-8lbs of boost.
I have never had an SC before and it feels strong, but I keep reading that you should have about 12 lbs. I might need head gaskets. I get a rotten egg smell sometimes. I noticed some smoke from my exhaust just one time when I got on it hard, it was dark out and I saw the smoke in the guys lights behind me.
I could definately use some advice.

Thanks Jim
 
Jim, my apologies for not getting back to you sooner, I drove to NY over the weekend and just returned last evening. I am in La Habra and do most of my work out of the Montclair area. James Kanterakis (who actually does most of the wrenching) is located in Oceonside and can also assist. It sounds like you may have a clogged cat, unfortunately, that is something that I would have to diagnose in person to be certain. Give me a ring at the # below after 5pm weekdays or from noon till 8pm on weekends and we can discuss your situation.

Paul
 
Paul,
Thanks for getting back to me.
Thats funny you were in NY, I was born & grew up on Long Island, NY, then moved out to Cali about 10 years ago.
I have been wanting to get a cat-back exhaust system since I got the car, so I will probably get one from the exhaust manifolds back now, I kinda thought that might be were the smell was coming from. Any suggestions on mufflers or do you guys do muffler systems?
Jim
 
I lived in Staten Island until I moved out here 2 years ago. I drove out there then spent an evening in the Riverhead area before flying back Weds. night.

Personally, I am a huge Magnaflow fan. They do not make a manifold or cat back kit for our vehicles however. When I put my car together, I will be looking into having them custom bend a system for me. I would give them a call and get a recomendation for a competent shop.

MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust
22961 Arroyo Vista
Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca 92688
USA
Tel: 1.800.824.8664
Fax: 1.949.858.3600
 
Thanks for the advice Paul,
I will look around for a good muffler shop.
I will keep your number & when I'm ready to do some other mods, I'll let you know.
Jim:)
 
ok the smell can come from the fuel being to rich caused by a vac leak or boost leak the air is measured and any that leak out can make a rich condition.

a clogged cat would make your boost be high as the back pressure would make high boost not low boost ,

im near you in san bernardino ca maybe i can help out i know a litle about the sc,

mannysc@msn.com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mannysc
 
Thanks Manny,
I'll look into that too.
I did notice some kind of fluid, must have been spraying out of the top of my engine, because the underside of my hood is stained. It almost looks like anti-freeze.
Again, not major (yet!) but noticeable.
Either way, I still want to put a new exhaust in there.
Thanks again for the suggestions,
Jim
 
Palm Springs SC Work~

Hi there, I haven't been on here in a while, but I noticed your post today.
First, a good local SC mechanic in the Coachella valley... They put in a PS rack, and 4-wheel alignment for me about a month ago, and when picking up my 95 SC, noticed a 91 SC that came in to replace the clutch,so they are familiar with SC's. They also did some brake work for me. They are fairly quick with reasonable prices, use mostly Motorcraft parts, and are Ford specialists. I've been happy with all the work they've done for me!
Tell the owner, the guy with the 95 pearl SC(Dave), referred you to him from the sccoa forum. He knows about the sccoa, too.
The business is Auto Worx, 760-202-9200. They are at 69-510 Ramon Rd in Cat City, behind Chucks Automotive, just east on Ramon from Date Palm, about 1 mile east of Date Palm on the North side of Ramon.
I think that you'll be pleased with them. They are so many places that don't even have a clue about SC's, so as far as local goes, they are about the best!

For an exhaust, heres what I'd reccomend, (of course it depends on what you want to spend), but for a system that will breathe, consider the following....For the first part, there may be a bit of down time. Have the manifolds removed, send them off to Texas Thunderbirds. You'll see Wynn's banner on here. Get them bored out(ported),and order the 2 1/2" downtubes along with the manifold work. From supercoupe performance, order the hi-flow cats in 2 1/2" and the Magnaflow resonator with dual 2 1/2 inlets, single 3" out. This way you'll have the durability of the cast iron manifolds(you know the high under-hood temps with the heat out here).
Of course, you can also install headers if you like, but I find them rather fragile....
Then using what you've ordered, have a custom exhaust made to fit your SC. Use the 2 1/2 downtubes(they will need to be shortened) then right after the bend, the hi-flow cats. Then dual bends into the Magnaflow Resonator, with a single 3'' tube down the middle, to split into two 2 1/2"(left and right side) to the mufflers. You want to keep it all tucked up close to the body as much as possible.
For mufflers you can go with a set of 2 1/2 " Magnaflows, which have a nice sound. Or you might also want to check out Spintech mufflers. Thay are at spintech.com, and are located over in Riverside.They are used in Outlaw racing and have 0 HP loss, as well as a slight vacumn(negative pressure) effect. One of the techs there, Dave, I think, has an older SC, and can help you out. Haven't been there yet myself, but I believe they not only have a full-on exhaust shop to do the actual bending and welding,, but you are also buying direct from the manufacturer, thereby eliminating the middlemen(the distributor and retail outlet).
If you are on a budget, or want less downtime, its possible to skip the manifold porting, but it is a point of a slight size constriction in the stock system. If you are planning on over 300 HP at your "end point", port them out.
Parts as above will be around 500.
All this is custom work, and you can expect to spend 500-850 all together on labor, depending on where you go. Once you do the exhaust system, your boost will drop because of loss of back pressure, then put on a 5% pulley on the blower to get your PSI back to stock levels. Supercoupe performace has this also, as well as a lower temp thermostsat, and an intercooler fan, which all helps when it goes over 110 degrees.
After that, you may want go with Magnum Powers Cold Air Intake kit, also from Bill at supercoupe, or Magnum Powers direct. Its the best because its straight, has a divider, and doesn't use a cheap filter.
Next step... a 75mm MAF and a larger Throttle body, and a dyno-tune, that bluetooth motorsports can probably help you with. Beyond that, you're looking at bigger $$ for a new blower,intake plenum, injectors, fuel pump, etc., as you'll be at the limit of the stockers..... Do the exhaust first though.
Hope this helps you out. We should get together sometime down at The River to compare our SC's! Have a great Sunday! ~Dave in DHS:cool:
 
Also Jim.....
How many miles are on your '95 SC? Is it a 5-speed or Auto?
Does it smoke bad when you get on it at WOT? (Wide-Open Throttle)
The under-hood fluid could also be from a bad snout seal on your supercharger, causing a fluid leak. If its been going on for awhile, this could also be a reason for low boost. Make sure and check the supercharger fluid level. Its a small plug on the side, level should be up to the threads, and fairly clean. It's a special(that reads as expensive!) fluid, don't put anything else in there!
Usually, it's some sort of vacumn leak causing problems with boost.
I have a full shop manual for 95 SC if you'd like to check out anything else. Its very complete, and covers everything, as well as ford part numbers. You can find a lot of info on here, too, just use the search function at the top of the page.
I also know of some local parts 'birds too, but that info's "semi-secret"...LOL!Depends on what you need.:p
 
Dave,

Thank you so much for all of that advice.
Mine too, is a pearl white 95 with a 5 speed, with about 115K.
I really don't know much about a super charged engine. Back in the day, about 20 years ago, I used to work on all of my cars, so I'm not a total amatuer, (but it's been a while!).
The supercharger was replaced many years ago from what I was told. The smoke really isn't too bad. I bought the car from a guy in Michigan (shipped it over here), who really took great care of it .
I did have an '82 Camaro many years back, that I put a Banks 3" exhaust in myself, which sounded really good till someone stole the muffler! Yes, they ripped the muffler off the car from up in my driveway. I was in for a rude awakening when I started the car up the next day.
Anyway, back to the SC, thanks for the offer of the shop manual, the previous owner gave me a CD for the car, is the shop manual any different?
As far as the exhaust, I like the idea of going from the manifolds back, but I probably would not have them ported. This car is a weekend car for me. I don't want the exhaust to be really loud, just a little bit throatier (is that a word?) & I want the engine to breathe better.
All of the other mods, 5% pulley, CAI, 75 mm maf, larger throttle body..... are they easy to do? I am pretty handy with a wrench, but the SC engine looks pretty intimidating. I must admit, I had big aspirations of modifications I wanted to do to the car, but with lack of time & seeing how tight the engine compartment is, I kinda changed my thoughts.
Finally, I have never been to the river, but now I have an excuse to check it out.:)
Thanks again,
Jim in Bermuda Dunes
 
Jim, concentrate on getting your exhaust done first and see where your boost is at before you do any mods. Check for vacuum leaks as well. What elevation are you at? If you are available this weekend and want to take the car for a ride, Jim and I can meet you somewhere midpoint this weekend.
Once you have gotten past the exhaust and low boost concerns, map out a plan for your goals before you forumlate a plan for the performance parts you are going to buy.

Paul
 
SC Mods

Thats great advice, Paul. As Paul reccomends, do things one step at a time, and get it running right, as a start...
It does look kinda intimidating at first. There is a lot of "plumbing" going on with an SC. Really not that hard though. Except when you go to change the plugs...that is a JOB because of the room to work, and the intercooler tubing, which must come off.All the pieces mentioned above are the easier bolt-on pieces. The only special tool needed is a puller for the sc pulley.Note the order which I advised, and I think Paul would concurr, Exhaust first( the most expensive of the bunch),CAI and then 5% pulley. Any Roots blower loves to breathe, and the less restriction on the intake side, the better. The pulley simply gets your boost back, because you got rid of all the back pressure from the stock exhaust.The revs will come more easily, and the blower works more efficiently, with the pressure resistance gone. Yes, the exhaust will give you the "throaty" sound that you are looking for, IF you stick with the Magnaflows.These three things will give you the most bang for the buck, and really improve the way the engine breathes.You'll get around a 25-35 HP gain, as an estimate, and mileage may slightly improve.
I am planning on going the exact same route on my SC,
perhaps we can bring the price down by doing both at the same time.
Time to do it is an issue for me too...
Two questions, Jim: Do have a K&N Panel Air Filter in the stock airbox, and has the airbox silencer been removed? Those are a couple of things that help the intake side, even with the stock exhaust.The silencer is underneath the airbox, and sticks down into the RH fenderwell.Prolly been done already.
The other things mentioned above are strictly for cooling efficiency, which is a real issue out here. Off-pavement road temps can easily hit 150 in the summer, and A/C use is mandatory, not optional.
Another thing that may help for short periods Jim... If you are in slow traffic or stopped, and the needle starts climbing above the M, turn on Max A/C.
On Max, the fan remains on constantly, and doesn't cycle on/off. This does help just a bit when traffics real slow, even though you are heating the AC condenser. Ford set the cut-in/out temps on the fans fairly high.

Jim, we are going to have to run these two nearly identical 'Birds! Mine also has right @ 115K. My guess is that you may slightly outpull me due to the auto/man gearing differences. We are going to have to find out sometime!
Sending a Private Message w/ my phone number...
About the River... so.end of Bob Hope Dr. and 111 on the RH side.
Great Steaks @ Flemings, PF Changs, Yard House has over 100 beers on tap, Best theatre in the valley, great place to eat, drink, and cool off.
Nice Place to meet, too.
Also, we are all going to have to get together with Manny for the Orange Show Smoky Burnout/Fire Throwing Contest during the RTE.66 rendevouz held every year in Berdoo. You have to see it to believe it, its a crazy show.

Paul, elevation is darn near 0, no more than 500 in most places. Salton Sea, 25 mi. away, is below sea level in some spots. Also very dry, which can create detonation problems. Often as little as 10-15% humidity.
Low, Dry and HOT, very thin. Loooong airport runways.

Needing Premium only, can you believe that we are paying up to $3.95 per gallon out here? Often the highest in the nation. I still want to know why its cheaper in Wyoming, when we are 100 miles from the LA refineries!
Theres more going on than just smog laws.
~Bye all,talk to you later, and Cheers!
 
Back
Top