American Performance

Steve updated a lot of my wiring and added a regulator to my vacuum pump! Awesome~

American Performance is the place to bring your classic car — Fair prices and quality work!
Steve is the most passionate mechanic I’ve ever met — his passion is getting the job done to the highest quality possible.
Pete is a great mechanic who did unbelievable detailed work making the car purr and look fantastic!
Pete and Steve did great work on a challenging job — Fuel Tank and Radiator on a 67 GS400. Finding the right fuel tank and manufacturing the filler neck was difficult to say the least and it looks beautiful.
Then, getting the right radiator to keep the car running cool even in the heat of the Diablo Valley — and it looks cool as hell, too! And because the radiator needed a big new generator to power the new electric fans, they rewired the car — so now not only does the radiator look shiny and new, but the entire engine bay looks awesome!
Fantastic work, good & fair prices and they worked extra hard to get my car back to me in time for the long weekend!
Steve has a customer for life in me for maintenance and restoration/​upgrades!

Steve was aggressive about what needed to get done. Final product was more than I had imagined my car could obtain in terms of power… engine totally woken up. Engine wiring… beautiful; Pully re-alignment…spot on. Ignition and timing… removed my ping at uphil climg. 400 H.O. Kicks ass from go now… revived my 1967Pontiac GTO muscle car to the bully she is on the road. Good job!

If you want to get your car worked on by someone who has as much passion about cars as you or more, go see Steve and his crew. He is very knowledgeable and has plenty of expertise and know-​how to get any job big or small done.
Attention to detail is the motto with Steve. I was extremely happy to get my car back from Steve and see him undo years of backyard antics and other rigging done to my car.
Steve was very welcoming to let you come into the shop and let you see the work in progress.
Go in and see for yourself. Talk to Steve and you’re sure to want to leave your prized possession in his hands for an awesome result.

I first met Steve in 2002 when he restored my dad’s 1970 El Camino SS. Steve is professional, honest and very straight with you, which is hard to find in this industry. He has done an amazing job on all of my cars without breaking my bank. Thanks Steve !!!

What can I say, other than Steve and his Team as a rare breed. I was stranded in Pleasanton with a clogged Cat. Even though the shop was officially closed, Steve went out of his way to get my car back on the road and over the hill into San Jose. At first he didn’t want to be paid, but I insisted. I highly recommend Steve and his team, they treat you like family!!!

I was new to the area and my car stop on freeway so I found them on google as near place to fix the car and Steve look at my car and told me don’t worry it’s will be ok and he fix my car so fast. He is best !!!

10−16−13
American Performance, wow what a job they did.
I have a 1966 Chevelle Super Sport 396 big block that run rough as hell, road like hell and didn’t stop very good.
Steve diagnosed the trouble for the motor running bad, as the cam was too big for a stock 396 motor. He recommended that we replace with a cam that was closer to a stock cam which would let the motor idle at less RPM.
He also said that by changing the cam it would increase vacuum which would activate the power assisted brake unit which wasn’t functioning due (o vacuum) to the larger cam.
As far as the rough ride the original builder raised the car by putting over size coil spring in which made it ride like a chopped Harley with a ridged frame. Steve suggested replacing all the coils spring, shocks and front lower and upper control arms with Detroit speed equipment.
Everything he suggested we did and it runs, handle and stops like a new car.
GREAT JOB!!!

I had recently purchased a ’67 Chevelle from a local shop and ran into problems the day I was supposed to drive it back to San Diego after picking it up. I talked to Steve and on short notice and on a Saturday, he picked up the vehicle and went out of his way to make sure everything was good to go in only a couple hours for me and my family to drive it back. OUTSTANDING SERVICE. WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE!!! Big thanks to American Performance for their help.

First let me say I found American Performance by way of a prior customer and he raved about this place. Not long after I ended up purchasing an old school and the seller took me, selling me a lemon with an engine that failed 50 miles later! [That’s another review that will be coming soon ;)] Bottom line is I found myself in uncharted water and needed an honest and reliable mechanic to help me out. I remembered American Performance and gave them a call. Steve was over the top knowledgeable and took the time to help me understand my options rebuild-​vs-​crate. It made sense for me to purchase the crate engine and he ended up installing a ZZ502 for me. It’s been nothing short of magic since with Zero problems.
A few important points of note–
* Steve went far beyond what good customer service is. Providing outstanding and frankly refreshing customer service.
* I needed help getting my car to his shop and he picked it up and loaded it on his trailer without any hesitation {Same Day!!!}. I mentioned I did not want to leave my car at the shop [I wanted to work on it while the engine was out] and he was glad to return my car to my house while waiting for the engine to be delivered and picked it up again to install the engine once it arrived at his shop. Free of charge!
* From the time the engine was received at the shop to the time he installed and gave the BEAST back to me was only 2 days!
* Steve is by far the most knowledgeable mechanic I have ever met and is willing to take the time to
* After the engine was installed he called me a week later just to check on me and make sure the car was still running and there were no issues. [Very much UNLIKE the car dealer mention before was all too willing to wash his hands of me]
* Lastly I ended up having a trany leak that Steve took care of me for dirt cheap and had me in an out within a couple hours.
The bottom line is this place is legit and although prices may be slightly higher than your run of the mill shop the work that is performed is guaranteed and will be DONE RIGHT. Steve has created an honest shop that does great work. All of my cars will be taken here as long as this shop stays open.
Give it a shot. The worst that could happen is you find a trusted mechanic that does a great work.

This is the place to go. Steve is very knowledgeable. He always takes very good care of us and takes pride in his work.

Steve is great! I only had him change the fuel filter but a lot cheaper than going to the dealer (duh). When I arrived he didn’t have the filter in yet so he drove me to work and then called me when he was ready — just a few hours later. It felt like the «old» days … he didn’t mess with paperwork but dealt with me as a valued customer. He will be servicing my truck moving forward!

American Performance… doing it right. I bring all my vehicles to this place. Be it an oil change or high performance custom work. Steve and his crew can do it all. American, exotic, foreign, and domestic. Give him a call and check it out for yourself! Honest people, honest prices.

Best place to bring your car if you want it to run better, HANDS DOWN. I needed to get my Camaro smogged in 2 days to get it sold. American Performance got the job done and I was able to get my car smogged and sold when he was finished. These guys can do anything at a quality level. Recommend to all!

Man I accidentally came across this guy let me tell u this guy is full of knowledge. If he can’t find a part he will build it. the item will be original and look sick as heck. He also works on anything and everything. You wont leave with a hole in ur wallet

I have taken my 66 Mustang GT to American Performance for several years now. Steve is clear about what the problems are and does even extra things that make improvements as part of what he does. He loves cars and knows his stuff. I have referred several friends to him.
Steve McKinley

From an italian friend of mine who was living here for 6 months: I’m an italian guy and I was in the USA for two months. I had a problem with the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor of my 1998 Hyundai Tiburon. All the mechanics told me it would be at least $ 150 only to read the code of my car: eventually I arrived to Steve’s garage. He was so nice and fair. He read for free the code and said me he would help me when I had to fix it. Finally I fix by myself (very easy), but I came back and give a bottle of wine to Steve. A great American person who helped an Italian poor boy…

I was sent to him with my MG when I first moved to the area. I say «him» because this is a true owner op shop. Steve will take care of any car you bring to him and even come get it is you can’t get it to him (for a small charge). The name of the place is American, but he works on everything.