Anyone know of ‘02 mechanics near Shreveport, LA?

[Oldblue2OO2]

I’ve moved around a lot with the military and haven’t had a shop with real thorough knowledge for working ‘02s since I lived in Richmond,VA (5 years ago). Now I’m in Shreveport, LA and just got turned away from a Foreign/Classic auto shop while seeking a “tune up”. The last shop I employed at my last assignment was in Florida, and they had my 02 for over a month to swap a brake master cylinder. I’ve done almost all the maintenance on this car for about 15 years, but don’t have experience (yet) with adjusting timing.

 

Does anyone know of a mechanic ivo Shreveport, Dallas, Little Rock or New Orleans (or anywhere in between) that has 02 experience? 

Edited July 26, 2019 by Oldblue2OO2
Clarify location

['76mintgrün'02]

I cannot recommend a shop, but I can recommend a timing light!

The Innova 5568 will pay for itself in no time (~$100 online-delivered), compared to paying someone to tune it.  If you are using points and condenser, the 5568 also has a built in dwell meter to allow you to dial in the points gap; which you adjust prior to setting the timing.  It has a tachometer and a volt meter as well.

 

The neat thing about that light is that it has the variable advance feature, which allows you to assess the way the distributor is advancing the spark.

 

Some people prefer to install a PerTronix or HotSpark, to avoid having to set/maintain the dwell and that keeps you from having to adjust the timing as often.  As points wear, the dwell angle changes and that will affect the timing.  Typically, you adjust the timing to accommodate the changing dwell, as long as it remains within the acceptable range.

 

I think setting points and adjusting timing are very rewarding exercises, but to others they are a pain in the butt and they'd rather pay someone else.  That's up to you, of course; so you can either stay on course and locate a shop, or purchase that light and check back in here if you are in need of a tutorial.

Tom

 

PS maybe change the title of this thread to "near Shreveport, LA" instead of "nearby" 

[PaulTWinterton]

1 hour ago, Oldblue2OO2 said:

don’t have experience (yet) with adjusting timing.

 

Sorry I can't help you with your request, but...a few inexpensive tools and supplies and you could do it yourself with the help of the FAQ.  It's very satisfying.  Doing it yourself would save you triple the money you'd spend on a tune up, my guess.

[02Les]

One I can recommend for sure, but not real close.

 

Skip's Foreign Car Repair, Inc.,

288 Highway 64E,

Conway, AR 72032-9410

 

Tim Abendroth is in Shreveport and could help you. Don't have his info though.

 

[jimk]

Les,

At the MidAmfest this year, Skip announced that he shut the business down and moved on to new endeavors.  The 02 community lost a very good resource.

[02Les]

29 minutes ago, jimk said:

Les,

At the MidAmfest this year, Skip announced that he shut the business down and moved on to new endeavors.  The 02 community lost a very good resource.

 

Really! That's a shame. 

[ray_]

36 minutes ago, jimk said:

Les,

At the MidAmfest this year, Skip announced that he shut the business down and moved on to new endeavors.  The 02 community lost a very good resource.

Hmph.

 

 

For the OP, Greff''s in Metairie / NOLA is very good.

 

But yeah, best to do it yourself.

 

Cheers,

[Oldblue2OO2]

3 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

I cannot recommend a shop, but I can recommend a timing light!

The Innova 5568 will pay for itself in no time (~$100 online-delivered), compared to paying someone to tune it.  If you are using points and condenser, the 5568 also has a built in dwell meter to allow you to dial in the points gap; which you adjust prior to setting the timing.  It has a tachometer and a volt meter as well.

 

The neat thing about that light is that it has the variable advance feature, which allows you to assess the way the distributor is advancing the spark.

 

Some people prefer to install a PerTronix or HotSpark, to avoid having to set/maintain the dwell and that keeps you from having to adjust the timing as often.  As points wear, the dwell angle changes and that will affect the timing.  Typically, you adjust the timing to accommodate the changing dwell, as long as it remains within the acceptable range.

 

I think setting points and adjusting timing are very rewarding exercises, but to others they are a pain in the butt and they'd rather pay someone else.  That's up to you, of course; so you can either stay on course and locate a shop, or purchase that light and check back in here if you are in need of a tutorial.

Tom

 

PS maybe change the title of this thread to "near Shreveport, LA" instead of "nearby" 

I guess it’s about time that I learn how to adjust the timing myself. After going through a few rounds of points/condensers, I did install a 123ignition distributor, paired with the Bosch red ignition coil.  The install only went as far as programming the recommended 2002tii profile and installing the distributor. Idling immediately improved, but all other aspects of the timing haven’t been fine tuned in some time (and it shows). 

Thanks for recommending the Innova 5568. Looks like a good place to start. 

 

Scott

['76mintgrün'02]

Ohhh, you're a smart-distributor guy.  You may not need that fancy light with your computerized ignition.  Hold off until you get another opinion about that.  I love mine, but I'm a points and condenser guy.  I'm too simple-minded to help with the 123.

 

Tom