GA VCA any good muffler shops in Atlanta?

[Tiepilot]

I need to get my Roe ovals installed and had a bad experience today with a "We can do any car shop". I get there and remove a side sill and they are sure they can do it. I remove the other side sill and pull it into the shop on the lift.
Well, they decide the lift won't be suitable so then we try and get it on the flat/drive on lift, the Viper is to low and they can't figure out how to get it on the thing. Then it goes back to the regular lift and they need to jack the rear of the car up to get a lift arm under it and I do it for them.

The manager "we can do anything guy" start talking about how labor intensive it's going to be and how they will need to remove the entire exhaust system and then the mumbling begins about being afraid of damaging the car.

Figures start flowing forth of at least $150 then he says I can guarantee it'll be much more than $150 and all the shop time to be invested. The one line that got me the most was " I gues this car will be our Guinea Pig".

From there the situation rapidly deteriorates. After a bit more of "We can do the job but I'm afraid of damaging a customer’s car", I thank him for his time and proceed to remove the car from his shop and re-install my side sills, in the parking lot with my tools.

The fellow I used in the past up in Canton is too hard to get a hold of now and I would really like to get these Roe cats installed. Any suggestions?

 

[1TONY1]

If you want to bring it up and leave it for a day I will do it. I would take the exhaust off and weld the cats in. No doing it on the car for me. I have a car that should be coming up within a few weeks for a Vec2, we may could work something out with that......maybe to tough to align schedules. I think Achillies did his on the car...don't know if he did a cat change or delete.

 

[Tiepilot]

That would be a deal I couldn't pass up. I'd rather stay and get in the way actually! Let me know what day would work the best for you.

Thank You
Chuck

 

[Achilles99]

Tony, you are right... I did something similar on my car. I took the straight pipes off of my car, added the full borla setup and hi flow cats (I used the RT hiflows from JonB).

Tiepilot-What kind of exhaust do you have? That makes a difference on what options you have. Do a search on "cheap muffler delete" that J Dell wrote up. We put straight pipes on his (removed the hi flows), and documented it with pictures.

On J Dell's, we used band clamps on all joints. On LethalBite's, we also used a combo of band clamps and regular muffler clamps.

On mine, I had the hi flows welded directly to the Borla mufflers (simply because I couldn't get clamps on that specific joint). I brought the pieces in, and the muffler shop charged me $10 for each weld (not bad, considering each clamp costs $10... and the weld probably is less prone to leak). I then band clamped the front end of the hi flow to the flex header pipe.

I'd help you out, but I'm getting married next week, then on a honeymoon, then moving to NC...

I'm sure there are a few others in Atlanta who wouldn't mind lending a helping hand. In fact, this is kind of like a "pay-it-forward" exhaust chain. I helped JD with his, he and I helped with LethalBite's, so I think LethalBite is in line to help you out

EDIT-I did a high flow cat addition, as did Lethalbite. J Dell did a muffler delete. But, on all three jobs, we used the same clamps and techniques. Not hard to do at all. I've heard Roe Ovals have fitment issues. That would steer me towards using clamps (easily adjustable). If you read previous threads on this, we've used aluminum foil, exhaust clamp paste, and the clamps on top of all that with a high degree of success...

 

[1TONY1]

That would be a deal I couldn't pass up. I'd rather stay and get in the way actually! Let me know what day would work the best for you.

Thank You
Chuck

Achilles is moving ??? WHAT !!!

Easy on the deal...I never said how much $$$. Having help and getting in the way is the problem that is why I said leave it. Ask my best friends, I work alone. I need therapy

 

[Tiepilot]

Achilles,

I have the entire factory stock exhaust system. I had the canton muffler shop remove my muffler as it was impossible for me to take off (needed a torch). And we did a muffler delete with an X-Pipe the shop fabbed and added some very nice looking tips. Other than that the system is stock from the heads back. It dosen't resonators behind the cats but I'm not sure if a '96 RT had those.

I spoke to Chuck Tator and he has put in numerous sets of Roe Ovals w/o issue. Stating he places them in at a 45 degree angle. I'm not at all knowledgeable about the placement of the Roe's or tricks to Roe's product.

I can always call Sean and ask him about any tricks to the install as I'm sure he will know. I already have the cats got them for a wonderful price from E-Bay (used).

Tony, I can take the Mooney for a spin while you work!

 

[Achilles99]

Yep, I'm moving at the end of July... remember our conversation about a year ago? I was beating the idea of business school around... you said that an education is never a bad thing So, indirectly, you kicked me out of Georgia and into NC. I'm heading to Duke to start my MBA in the fall. Hopefully, the NC Viper community is active!

Tiepilot - Did you get the 3" or 2.5" Roe ovals? If you have the factory setup, then you have 2.5" piping. No big deal if you have the 3" cats... just get reducers and you'll be good to go. I've never seen the Roe ovals... you'd have to take the side sills off to see where they'd fit. Take a look at this thread:

http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB14&Number=403767&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=

Where you see "3 inch Autozone pipe" would be where your hiflows would go. Depending on what your setup looks like, you could use a 4" sawzall/recipricating saw blade to cut out a section, and clamp your cats in place. No need to weld, and you could always unclamp them and go with straight pipes if you wanted...

 

[Tiepilot]

Thanks for the thread pointer, it helps me a great deal.

 

[LethalBite]

I'm sure there are a few others in Atlanta who wouldn't mind lending a helping hand. In fact, this is kind of like a "pay-it-forward" exhaust chain. I helped JD with his, he and I helped with LethalBite's, so I think LethalBite is in line to help you out

EDIT-I did a high flow cat addition, as did Lethalbite. J Dell did a muffler delete. But, on all three jobs, we used the same clamps and techniques. Not hard to do at all. I've heard Roe Ovals have fitment issues. That would steer me towards using clamps (easily adjustable). If you read previous threads on this, we've used aluminum foil, exhaust clamp paste, and the clamps on top of all that with a high degree of success...

I'd be more than glad to help. Although my expertise was in the driving/delivery portion of materials involved in the task. I almost forgot about the "be real quiet and keep the car running facing the exit" part of the night as well. Secret ops for tools wasn't it?

Cutting it out with a torch probably would have been a bit easier, and saved us some gas money. I don't think you could go wrong with Tony's offer though. If you can get a hold of J. Dell, ask him for some info as well.

 

[J.D. Farmer]

Chuck,

Sorry for not yet returning your call. It's been a race filled weekend. I did want to add one further possibility to the mix. The only place I recommend when asked for exhaust work is Grand Muffler off of South Cobb Dr in Smyrna. I sent a few Vipers there and heard of no problems. They handle more high end and hot rod cars than I have seen from "we do it any car" shops. However, If Tony is willing to do it for you, I'd go with him.

The other comment, I've had no luck with using clamps in front of and immediately after the cats. The wide aluminum stretch clamps thatis. They keep expanding from the heat and leaking. Finally had to weld the cat in after numerous dollars spent. Lesson learned though. Just my two cents.

J.D.

 

[Achilles99]

I went to Grand Muffler for my first Viper's muffler delete. They did it for $100, I believe. When I tried to get them to install hi-flows, they wouldn't do it. Said something about emissions laws. I told them that I had straight pipes on, so anything would have been better than nothing

They quoted me $500 to install a new exhaust and hi flows (that's in labor alone, I still had to buy the parts). I guess they've gone up in price a little!

 

[Joseph Dell]

I'm not one to argue with JD, however I will say that I am leak-free with the clamps so far using the Achilles99 method... clamp with aluminum foil around the joint, with a bead of muffler-repair paste inside the aluminum foil...

Of course, if you can get it welded, it is much cleaner...

But the other method isn't a bad 2nd...

JD (other JD)

 

[Achilles99]

I'm leak-free so far, too. The biggest obstacle with welding is finding someone who can weld while the pipes are on your car. It's hard to make a good seal all the way around the pipe with about 2" of clearance from the side of your car. In fact, when I had the straight pipes on the car, there was a big leak from one of the weld joints.

Mike Adams was the one who reassured me about clamps (that's how he installs all of his systems... his quote was "every customer changes his mind... clamps make it easy to switch systems." ) The aluminum foil and exhaust paste was just a lucky idea

Worst case scenario, we pull off the sidesills, loctite the bolts and retighten the clamps.

 

[1TONY1]

The biggest obstacle with welding is finding someone who can weld while the pipes are on your car.

Exactly, that's why I pull the exhaust off, do the cutting, put the pipes/new parts back on to test fit and tack weld , then pull it back off to completely weld it.

 

[Achilles99]

Tony-How do you pull the exhaust off in the back of the sidesill? IE, do you weld at the joint connected to the elbow which holds the O2 sensors? Or, do you just clamp that joint, and weld the ones on the hi-flow cats? Also, do you unbolt the front header pipe to weld the front joint of the cat?

 

[vinny2]

i called grand muffler to do some exhaust work a couple of months ago, and they were less than interested, and were less than helpful. they seemed like they could care less if i brought my car there or not, and actually broke an appointment i had made. david lord, of lord's muffler did my work, and he was great. not the same work you are talking about, but i would have him do any exhaust work after meeting him.

 

[1TONY1]

Tony-How do you pull the exhaust off in the back of the sidesill? IE, do you weld at the joint connected to the elbow which holds the O2 sensors? Or, do you just clamp that joint, and weld the ones on the hi-flow cats? Also, do you unbolt the front header pipe to weld the front joint of the cat?

The stock joint just down stream of the rear of the sill will staythe way it is. Yes, unbolt at the manifold/header and weld the cat joints. Then it is taken off/on as one unit about the length of the sill.

 

[Tomcat]

DO NOT USE GRAND!

 

[Warren 00 GTS]

Lord's Muffler
Surgar Hill, GA
(770) 945-4556 or (770) 932-1881

 

[ViperRichRT10]

I want to give the STRONGEST recommendation of a muffler shop in the Atlanta area. The shop I have used twice now and loves working on Vipers is the Meineke on Peachtree Industrial Blvd.. The owners name is "Tim" and ask to speak to him and tell him I (Rich...Yellow Viper guy)refered you. He is very fair on his work price wise and they have a great employee named "Ronnie" who is outstanding and can fabricate anything. They have put an x pipe on mine and have installed high flow RT Cats. The owner loves cars and has a 67 Corvette, but don't hold the Vette against him! Call Tim at Meineke at (770) 849-0772, you will not be disappointed!

Rich
2001 Yellow RT10
GA VCA Member

 

[ViperRichRT10]

Update...Never go to this shop. This time he SCREWED up my car and I had to sue him. Luckily I won in court but don't ever take a viper to Tim at Meineke!

 

[garolittle]

It is about 3 hours east of Atlanta, but "Total Automotive" in North Augusta, South Carolina does excellent work. They installed my dynomax race mufflers and the welding work is perfect. I think the total cost was about $100 but I am not sure.