Does anyone have friends that are stuck in a build era?
 

Geez, I get up this morning to go down to one of the car hangouts here in So Cal. I run into a good friend of mine there (he really is a great guy) and I have the PT car with me. Now, I used to run the ralleys on the car and he loved it and used to applaud me for not going the big billet wheel route. Well, it strains him everytime he sees the car now--it's actually kinda funny--he said I should start a website called BigWheelsBigSeats.com. He is a skinnys in front Protracs in the rear kinda guy and has several cars--Mopar only--don't get me started about Mopar guys and their uniqueness please---:lol:. Anyways, we spent the entire morning talking mostly about old school 80's stuff and how cool it still is--actually he did most of the talking. I grew up in that era, it was cool, but just as I've moved on (mostly--their still on my IPOD) from Def Lepoard and Poisin, i'm not highly attracted to the crazy paint schemes and protracs anymore. He really believes that one of his street cars with skinnys and bigs will handle close too or on par with most of the PT cars that were around. I told him my 235's are considerd skinnies (by Todd anyways-LOL) in the PT community. I have continued to evolve over the years with the cars I guess, but I realized this morning, my friend was stuck in the era, and is always going to be. I just can't believe the amount of distaste he has for the PT style--it amazes me actually. Have any of you experienced this at shows or with your on buds?

Doug

Sounds Like you went to Donut Derelicts. Yes I notice that alot,especially at chevelle el camino car shows.you built the car for you and thats what matters cars and people change,thats just the way it is.

I get that ALL the time being a Mopar guy and on my second PT build.

"Whatever happened to the good old days when everyone ran cragars and big blocks?"
:lolhit:

Have you showed him any of the PT Mopars that have been built? That might change his mind.........................or not.

Sure did ---told him about Jason's Dart over at G-Force--told him it was at a steal price of 35k on Ebay---have video from RTTH--it's on it--tried to at least get him to think about it-----didn't even get a nod of interest.

There are guys on the Olds board that think my 18" wheels should be on a Donk. :rolleyes:

Doug,
Maybe some are stuck in an era or maybe it's funds but IMO I think its all about taste. We have only a couple of shows here that if you were to attend, the majority is old school. Heck one of our larger ones is the Dells Autorama and I bet you last year there may have been 10 PT cars out of over 300 and one of them being Scott's (xcyz) car. At the Milwaukee world of wheels I counted no more than 6 veered towards PT. I sold my 34 pro street cover car at the Indy Goodguys because "I" felt the look, paint and stance was out of date. The build was finished in 91 era and it sold in 1hr at 08 Indy.
The PT versions are definitely the more expensive types of builds but you cant knock down a blown car with some mickeys in the back ripping her up.

A very good friend of mine has a GT40, shelby series I, his share of vettes and the benz' and when he has parties the first car he always wants to show his guests is his 70 cuda with the centerline convo's, traction bars, erson valve covers, etc. Its his pride and joy over anything he has, has the coin to change it but his answer is always.. why? There you go, TASTE

Hey Doug, I had the 3 1/2" skinnys (I think there kumo) traction bars and the infamous painted orange diff cover on the camaro I sent Rodger that was 1yr ago, I miss that look LOL My sons future camaro is sitting that way also.
Id post some photos but to this day I still havent figured that out. I think Rodger has some though prior.

Hey, not everbody can have great taste. Lucky for us..... I entered one car show just because a good buddy asked. I got my ass handed to me by an orange pro street Camaro. I was the only pro-touring car. All the young people drooled all over mine, but they didn't vote.

i dont think showing him cars will change his mind one bit... giving him a ride in a car that can handle and stop might infuse him the respect you are looking for from him... but if he is into pro street thats his thing... some people thing 4 rotor mazdas are the coolest thing ever.. others want carbonroof Civics and some think cars should be banned if they arent electric.. (i mean Jay Leno spends tens of millions on steam powered cars :willy: )

if i were you id shrug it off and open your invisible bs-umbrella when he talks smack about "the other cars" and retrete to your mental happy place instead of letting it get to you

and yeah i have a friend who just dont get PT... even after a ride in the malibu.. he thinks prostreet and 4x4 is the cooest thing ever.. and nothing but a bmw can handle... how do you argue with that?

Your car isn't a Donk? :rofl:

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

You're on to something Doug. Almost every single car show that I went to last year and the previous years, there are VERY FEW pro-touring cars at all. A lot of people are "still stuck in the 80's" with their visions and car tastes.:faint: Wide wheels in the rear that stuck out beyond the wheel wells and outdated paint jobs and what not. Old school drum brakes.:rolleyes:
As far as "out handling" these pro-touring cars,..... I don't think that is even a match up.:wow: :unibrow:

:thmbsdwn: :thmbsdwn: I think we have all experienced this from one person or anther, heck I bet there are people on this site and others like it that still like the older style cars. I believe the pocket book is much of the reason why, and no drag style car of the 80's will hold a candle to a PT car in the corners. Yet in a drag/street racing when your going up against 800-1000HP its hard to think the PT car will have a chance. I think the best way to present a PT car is its good at everything, but not great at everything. Just my $.02. Opions are like a-- holes everyone has one! So Doug don't let it get to you, I and many more here think your car is :hail: :thumbsup: :bow: and your friends style, well lets just say it "SUCKS"

Travis

If you really want to stir the pot, post this over at the H.A.M.B.

The mentality of a good part of the members there is stuck in a whole different time frame.

It's disappointing that folks can't appreciate variety.

My brother in law and sister have a 69 Camaro --- HUGE by large pro-street tires in back - skinnies in front - GIANT blower sticking out the hood - roll cage and fire extinguisher -- and T handle shifted automatic...

I look at that car and want to puke... talk about stuck in the 80's.... Interior is nasty - big ass tach stuck in there.... etc. Might as well bolt the MSD box on the glovebox door and put switches in it like a "real race car".... :rofl:

BUT --- THEY LOVE IT... and the butthead wins trophies at every show -- and it always has a big crowd around it.

I'm actually TRYING to get him to go a little bit PT -- and am trying to entice him with a "free" Speedtech clip etc if he would start the conversion.... But I don't think he's even considering the idea. Two reasons - $$ - and I think they LOVE that big ol' penis extension in the hood... Which to me -- is an embarrassment... but "whatever". I love them - and we have a blast doing stuff together.

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...m/DSC_4852.jpg


TYPICAL -- THE LITTLE KIDS LOVE IT!!

http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...m/DSC_4848.jpg

lolllllllllll............:rofl:
I was cracking up Greg!!! :cheers:

Oh Greg, entice me with the Speedtech front end----pleeeeeeaaassseee.

Hey, no disrespect meant towards Pro Street in my threads---some of them still look fantastic----I still like blowers through the hoods with injector hats--especially if they really are making boost---I just don't like to hear about it for 2 hours straight anymore--I love a car that handles and performs--with AC--preferrably a muscle car--but I can appreciate all types-----

D

i experience it all the time at mopar shows, alot of them just dont get it. oh well its their loss. heres a before and after I ran around with skinnies on the front for 5 years and i aint goin back. Its got the pro tour treatment the past couple of years and it handles like a new car and is more fun.

Great thread, I can relate. Plenty of old people around here that don't get it. The younger crowd gets it, the (new) Vette guys get it, but the guys who are in to flat heads, rat rods, etc, don't.

I love the look on their face when I tell them I get 24mpg hwy with my car. lol

Awesome ride, Moparnate.

Different Strokes for different folks

Some guys like Fat Girls.... Need I say more.

I really think that is what makes this " CAR " hobby cool. There are so many styles. Original Early iron, Hot rod early iron, street rods, classic trucks, Modern trucks, VW's, original muscle cars, Pro street muscle cars, Pro-touring, Rat rods, Vans, Kit cars, restored Exotics, modern exotics, Super cars, luxury cars, low riders, Rice rockets, Off road trucks, pre-runners and lifted trucks And I'm sure there are many more but you get the idea. Then you can get into race cars, everything from bonneville to saturday night dirt track stuff.

I think Automotive customization is the Highest art form. Your combining, sculpture, paint and design, let alone the engineering to make it work, let alone perform and a higher level if that is what your after. Some guys just love show cars, some guys just want to drive a bucket of bolts as long as they can drive it.

A lot about build style has to do with how the car makes the owner feel.

Some guys go the pro-street route since they really want their cars to be evil-handling, obnoxious, loud, fast only in a straight line, etc. since they enjoy the experience since they had a car like that, "back in the day".

We should really be careful about "branding" people as being a certain personality type just because of what style of hobby car we happen to see them driving...Many folks I know have several different cars and enjoy them all, the variety and being able to play with all of them, just adds to the fun.

I am building (albeit at a snail's pace) a ---Gasp!---67 ElCamino pro streeter as well as my "Pro-Touring" 69 Camaro. I intend to make it "evil-handling, obnoxious, loud, fast only in a straight line, etc." because it reminds me of my old Chevelle race car from back in the day, and there will be times when that is exactly how I want to feel, and what I want to drive.

I agree, Rob. I like all cars, no matter the style. If it's cool, it's cool. Period. I just have to chuckle though when people say stuff to me like that I forgot the chrome parts for my motor. lol I've also had people tell me that my car is too low, and that my wheels are too big. :D

Nailed it!

My issue is most of my buddies are stuck in Euro mode.
They don't even get the muscle car thing... I don't know why I even like my friends thinking about it now? lol
They have always thought I was crazy, always wrenching playing muscle cars... when FUel showed up they did not get it it.

I admit that my last '69 Camaro had a tunnel ram and dual quads, a cage, a strung out small block and air shocks. LOL. But, when I took the tunnel ram off and began the pro-touring conversion I lost interest. For some reason, that particular car was awesome for what it was, and what it wasn't. It was obnoxious as hell, and people loved it. Without that Mr Gasket scoop shaking in my field of vision....it became lifeless...I think I killed it. :(

So this time around I went all in on the PT route with the Firebird because that's what I wanted.

Now, seems like nobody will talk to me at the little local car shows anymore that is over 40. I'm the baaa-baaa black sheep. Maybe I should rename the car. :willy:

I go to the Car Craft summer nats each year hoping for a variety of PT cars to look at. I haven't brought mine yet because it wasn't ready last year...but I think the only one I saw in a sea of 10,000 cars was Scotts, it looked so lonely.

So it goes.....

x2 if its cool, its cool

Scott,
Ive heard alot of sayings over the years when guys are commenting about cars but forgetting the chrome parts on the motor is hilarious, thats a new one

Funny story from this last weekend in Scottsdale. Jon and I are doing our thing in the booth and an older gentlemen who is looking at our display wheels in disgust walks up and asks if we had any 13's. Jon points to Shutt displays and says "sure, here is our steering wheels!" Guy just kinda looks at Jon shakes his head and walks away. Maybe you had to be there but I about feel out of my chair laughing. :willy:

Just think of all those Camaro's that got cut up from the pro street days.They still are one of the best looking cars tubbed.

Dont sweat it. He will eventually come around. I had a couple of puriest buddies who didnt like the way my car sat. Thought it was too low, etc. Now they get it. Likes the way it handles and has come around to the modern parts on 40 year old cars.

All my friends have 15" wheels and are stuck in 1969...I'm the only one that escaped alive.

I believe 95% of the pro-touring community is stuck in the street rod era. Bolting on every possible high end billet or chrome fancy performance part, every modern drivetrain option, every high end seating option, suspension subframes. Yet the cars just sit, and rarely get driven except to 'goodguys' events and autox events at car shows. The concept of pro-touring goes against car shows IMO.

I saw the same behavior in street rodders that I do in the pro-touring community. Lots of upgrade addiction and constantly evolving cars constantly in a state of evolving/changes, rather than the owners actually enjoying DRIVING THEM.

Sinking 150k into a camaro to drive to a cruise night or drive in a 35mph autocross at a car show? Doesn't make sense to me. I think for some people, its all about wrenching and tinkering, I can understand that. But not enjoying the fruits of your labor is an absolute sin. I've given up on inviting anyone on these forums to track events because no one shows. Seems like everyone thinks you have to have every go-fast product on the market just to keep up with the jones's. I'm all for supporting the aftermarket community and buying parts, but whats the point of buying a set of coilovers or sway bars when you've never even pushed your car to the limit to know that it NEEDS those coilovers.

Makes no sense to me. Lots of cars in a constant state of upgrading around here. For what purpose? Seems like an awful lot of SEMA cars which are show cars.

Racing? Only know a few people that hit the track here.

Autox? A properly driven miata with minor mods or an S2000 will destroy the entire pack of high dollar pro-touring cars at a good guys event. :willy:

I see a lot of guys sinking so much money and details into their cars to the point where they're too scared to push the limits of their car on a track for fear of balling it up. 20k paint jobs on a car thats supposedly built to be reliable and a touring car that can be driven from CA to NYC? Thats just silly.

I wish more cars were built to be driven. More streetfighters, more restomod cars. Less of these six digit show touring cars. I'm willing to bet those that are guilty of having high dollar builds had street rods in the past.

/rant.

:rofl:

Dane --

Take two aspirin - go back to bed - your fever has made you delirious... :rofl:

Do you sell any of the drugs you're taking? :unibrow:

Didn't mean to offend anyone, just stating what I see. Lots of expensive parts and innovation (which is good), lots of luxury builds, and minimal driving, road trips, track days. More and more $20k paint jobs.

I thought pro-touring was all about

Thats a rarity in this community, most cars are trailer to events/car shows.

When that group of guys got together with the idea of driving to SEMA they got a lot of respect. Wanna know why? Its rare that so called 'pro-touring cars' are driven for what they were built for.

Don't get me wrong we're all on the same page, but I don't see any pro-touring cars at events. I've invited lateral-g every time I go out, never once has anyone shown up.

I've given up on inviting you guys. I'd love nothing more than to have a lateral-g or pro-touring group of guys out there regularly showing what we're made of and all about. Everyones just so damn reluctant.

Dane, are you coming out for the RTTH event? There's only 3 spots left I believe. I'll be joining you for some track events this year---I usually need a bit more notice than a week or two--just how it is with kids and all. This will be my first "official" run with the car, but hopefully many more to come following this one. You can bet Todd will also be seen at more West Coast events as well. Hope to see you on the 3rd, and hope you are doing well.

Doug

Dane --

You (nor anyone else - well - maybe Todd could) offend me... we're all a great community - and I view all this stuff as if though we were all sitting around the garage and chatting... and if you said that while we were sitting around - that's the very response I'd have said right to you... I was laughing while typing it.

I kinda sorta agree with you -- in many cases the cars are way overbuilt and under utilized... it's the very reason that my poor old Nomad body is just about falling off it's fancy frame -- I like DRIVING IT... and I'm a "greaser" not a "waxer"... but I also like stuff to look nice... and have nice leather interior - and big azz stereo - and billet in my motor space...

There's actually more guys driving their cars on LAT G and PT.com than there are "show cars" -- I think we're a group of people that actually use what we build. Kind of "tweeners" -- show cars that can actually drive... Charley hammers his stuff - Mark S does - Kalis does - I do - Todd does - Scott G does - Jody does - Scott M hammers his stuff - DFresh is sideways most of the time when he's wheelin'.... There really is a LOT of guys here driving their stuff.

When you throw in family and work - and life - etc - WEATHER - I think we'd all like to drive MORE -- but all those other things get in the way. BTW -- I drive my HOT ROD every day that it isn't raining (my 37 Ford)... but I always trailer anything that is a distance. The reason for that is to have all the other STUFF there when I arrive.. EZ Ups - chairs - tools - wax - tools - coffee pot - tools - a garage for when the weather gets poopie... 4 years in a row - my car drove home from Hot August Nights - while someone else's broken downer was in the trailer... so it's become real "handy" to have.

:cheers: :woot:

The site appears to be down. I just tried to register and sent Bill an e-mail.

Sure thing, Rogue. How many miles a year do you put on your Camaro?

I don't have a pro-tour car,...yet!!! :willy: :unibrow:
But, would like to auto-x it at least a couple of times to see how great she handles. If I spent all that money on kick ass parts, I would to be able to show that she can "duck and move".:thumbsup:

Thank God for those folks!

without them i would be stuck with the sidepipes and 15" certerlines that came on my car when I bought it.