What is "Modern" Pro-Street?

[Steve Chryssos]

Cam Evans and I orchestrated this beast back in Y2K starting with an insane engine build. Back then, we conspired to build a coupla monster "cover" big blocks to stimulate newsstand sales of Popular Hot Rodding. The 638" Monster Merlin story did well, so a 705" all aluminum Monster Merlin must do better right? Somewhere in between, TF driver Tony Bartone stepped up to fund the whole deal--engine and car.
A Pro Streeter with NASCAR cup martinsville brakes, a C4 vette clip and overdrive? People didn't know what the hell we were doing. Outsiders thought we were nuts or stupid. But everyone involved was on the same page. The Bartone's are hardcore drag racers that also love Porsches and Ferraris. So they knew the deal:
Big brakes, slightly wider front tires, overdrive, fuel injection and the rest was pure pro-street. The 4L80E made the 4.56 gears work better. The front clip and brakes didn't hurt E.T., so why not run 'em? The biggest challenge back in Y2K was the rear tires. The car was actually mocked up/built on Pirelli Scorpion SUV tires while the search for tires continued 345/70-17!! By the time the car was done, the only reasonable available choice turned out to be Prowler tires at only 295mm wide. The Mickey T's make the whole deal work now. Modern pro street is way easier.
I just re-read the article for the first time since 2002. The car still looks fairly current. Read it HERE

[HRBS]

Steve...... you know I'm diggin this.

[fesler]

Pro Street new style how about this

[907rs]

Originally Posted by fesler

Pro Street new style how about this

Pretty cool car, Fess.

[jephs422]

I'll always be an old school pro-street junkie, but modern pro-street is starting to make me itch to build one. To me modern pro street takes all of today's technologies and wraps them in an older package.

kinda like this:



Big motor, modern injection (good gas mileage), streetable, but still at home on the track.



and I think that a "Modern" pro-street should be comfortable, not the hard buckets of yester-year, and it better have a kick as stereo!!

[HaulinAsp]

Originally Posted by fesler

Pro Street new style how about this

That stance is killin .....



Killin the chit out of the exhaust system..... You wouldn't get a mile down the road before that exhaust gets ripped off the car up here in Jersey!

[fesler]

Originally Posted by HaulinAsp

That stance is killin .....



Killin the chit out of the exhaust system..... You wouldn't get a mile down the road before that exhaust gets ripped off the car up here in Jersey!

Thats what the shockwaves are for, 1000HP and on air so it rides like a cady and handles like a newer Camaro.

[SDMAN]

Never been an air bag fan. Dont much care for the ride and they can strand you if they fail. And I know users who have been stranded. No thanks. If you have to raise the car to drive it, whats the point? Properly sprung double adjustable coil overs are my preference. You can tune those for street driving and race track use easily. Requires more work to get the ride height as low as possible without running into ground clearance issues, but worth the extra effort.
My current project is about as low as you can be and still drive it without problems, so we went the extra mile on my exhaust to prevent any contact. My custom headers have a transition to 4" oval pipe, and we modified the morrison frame to pass this wider pipe thru the frame rails. NOTHING hangs below the frame rails. Not the headers (and they are 2.250" primary to 4.5" collector), mufflers or any pipe/clamps. Big job, but in the end it will be worth it.

[Josh69]

Fesler, that is awesome. My last '69 Camaro had a tunnel ram with a fuelie style scoop and I sold the car after I removed it to go pro-touring. I just didn't feel the same about the car with the scoop gone.....wish I had left it alone and still had the car. This brings back memories...

[cwylie]

Originally Posted by fesler

Pro Street new style how about this

This car on Air Ride? Stock front subframe?