Anyone remember Pro Street?

[bret]

Yeah, I know this is a Pro Touring forum, but we all came from somewhere, right?

Here's where I came from...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiU_ykecdSI

Thanks to Scott Paytom and Michael Julian from Route 2 Media for a bitchin video!

[Larry Callahan]

I enjoyed it for a while. Thanks for posting.

[cornfedbill]

Wow, that brings back memories.

While I thought pro-street was cool, I was still trying to design IMSA inspired street cars during that era. I guess I just never fully assimilated into pro-street.

I did notice more pro-street than pro-touring at the Loveland Good Guys meet. It is not dead yet.

[rustomatic]

I was too young to drive, but I remember it. Yuck. Pizza cutters are not made for driving, hence the irony in the term "pro-street."

[qnitro]

Same basic engineering went into those cars as the pro-touring.. I'm a fan, but nothing is better than pro-touring

[MonzaRacer]

My buddy Jamie Quick just got a 65 es Impalla BBC/pro street.gonna switch up too 18/20s.and repaint . Me ill keep building what I can.
And I love Brets Mustang.

[TheJDMan]

I was actively bracket racing my Camaro in the late 70's but when I got tired of racing I just put the car in storage for 30+ years partly becasue it handled so poorly. The Pro-Street build style just never struck any chord with me. I always felt like PS was a one trick pony, impressive in a straight line but dont' plan on turning or stopping too fast.

[struck by Lightning]

I'm a Big Fan of Pro-Street ........ regret selling my 71 Bird.
.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/2ic4r3t-1.jpg

[GeoffP]

My car was setup for Pro Street when I bought it... Lots of memories!

[IMPALA MAN]

Ah yes Brett, you taking the Fairmont to the show and laying the magazine spread on the windshield beside the For Sale sign. Then coming home with a white Caprice with Corvette wheels on it for your soon to be wife. Do I remember. I followed "you know who" the whole way to the show in the Fairmont while he was cursing the car. These were some of the funnest times that I can remember. Then there was the story where two state troopers were caught drag racing near the show. You guys are just enough older than me to have enjoyed the times when you could REALLY have fun. Cool video and thanks for bringing back some good memories of how we got where we are today.
So name that guy....(circa 1985ish) he pulls out onto the strip in Jasper, nails it to the wood in his Supercharged Camaro (I think it was a split bumper) about the time he sees the cop, he pushes it more into the wood. Then suddenly realizes he has dusted a blower belt! Thanks again for the memories.

[Rod]

Loved Pro Street and I dont miss it! here in Hot Rod land I get to see a different pro streeter almost every day.....if it has wheels I want it! better yet if it has an engine I want it! I want to drive it, Race it, Build it

heres a truck that Joe (another guy at the shop) and I are building, at its first show, (we couldn't wait till it was done and just had to show it off) it will be his (Joes) AA gas

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/GEDC0406_zps4b8a807e-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/GEDC0444_zpsfb8e4fe9-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/GEDC0399_zpse716a5e3-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/GEDC0395_zpscc66ab22-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/GEDC0403_zps56ef0849-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/GEDC0402_zpse2e907f7-1.jpg

[shizzy]

While I'll never own or build one, Pro street will always have a place in my heart. They were big when I was a teen and I thought they were amazing.

[J-440]

Thought I saw an engine shot of Scott Sullivan's 66(?) Nova. Had the bug catcher on top with the blower, but the carbs were relocated on each side of the radiator. Weird setup and radical for the time. Thanks for posting!!

[rocketman]

I love pro street cars and still build that style today, shocks and suspension technology has made them better.

Honesty the pro touring cars are nice and I enjoy autocrossing when I can but not crazy about them.

[riles]

Never was a huge fan of the Pro Street cars , thought they were too over the top and gaudy. BUT, if I had to choose one this would be the car.


Dave VerShaves Nova.

[Boatmark]

Pro-street was one of those things where I appreciated a the craftsmanship of a nicely done car, but it wasn't something that I was interested in building. I was looking at the Sullivan "Cheese Whiz" 55' Chevy in Hot Rod recently thinking I loved it when it was a fresh build, and it still looks great today. I love some form of most anything with wheels or that floats . . . a well done car is always a well done car. No matter the genre.

[regal454]

Bret,

Thanks for posting that video. Im35 years old and the Pro Street movement was big when I got into hotrods in the early '90's. I was really into the NMCA back then. I remember going to Rockingham Dragway and hanging out in the pits next to Tony Christiansen and Pat Musi. It was awesome to be next to all of the cars constantly featured in Hotrod and CarCraft Magazines.
79562

[shortrack]

Ive never got it. Built my first Nascar Chevelle in '84 when I was 22. Ive always wanted something that handled. First motor race I ever saw live was the 1971 Can Am at Mosport Park when I was nine. Denny Hulme won the race. At the same time I had the Chevelle I was heavily into motorcycle road racing. Started off on a 550 production bike then up to a 750 Superbike last yr was '88. Thats the road race end of it. The stock car stuff comes from Nascar on TV and prob five 1/2 mile 1/4 mi pavement short tracks within 2 hrs of here. Still like that around here actually.

[mikedc]

I've never minded Pro Street.

I minded the fact that it dominated the hot rod world for about 10-15 years. I was so tired of seeing another bodystyle back-halved each month in the magazines, and the writers were invariably gushing about how "original" it was just because nobody else had done that bodystyle yet.

I felt (still feel) the same way about the Pro Touring world to be honest. I like it better because it is more functional overall. But IMHO our hobby is still pretty cookie-cutter for the most part. It went through a similar period where the same treatment was being called "groundbreaking" year after year as people did it to a different bodystyle each month.

[cactuss4]

Looked at this one today to see what it would take to turn into a touring car.. Think i'm passing since the cage would needs lots of modifications to put in a back seat, which just makes the cage kind of worthless. Right now it's Certified to 8.4 or something like that. Body is pretty decent, some stress marks showing at the back edge of the trunk and taillight panel. But the underside, drip reals quarter panels look really good, The front clip is all fiberglass but the lines are pretty darn spot on, someone did a nice job. Functioning lights, chrome bumper etc. Not that easy to tell the front is fiberglass. Would want to modify the cage so that the bar would go behind the dash vs in front of it (without extending the dash into the car more). Frame work looks nice in the back, probably make a nice track toy if I didnt need a backseat, probably pretty darn stiff!

7956979570

Still thinking If I had more know how this would be a great starting point!!!!

But alas!

Tory

[Nicks67GTO]

Pro street was all the rage when I started reading car magazines so it holds a special place for me. The truth of it is that pro street was only cool if the car bit as hard as it barked. Think Larry Larson, Jeff Lutz etc. Those cars are badass. I seem to recall a lot of these old prostreet cars looking like they ran 8's but could barely muster a 12.99 in the 1/4 and they were loaded with so much chrome you needed Blueblockers and some SPF50 to check out the engine compartment on a mid July afternoon. I specifically remember reading about an orange 66 or 67 Chevy II that had all kinds of racecar stuff, lots of flair, fabbed interior, and it just looked like it was going 100mph standing still. Then reading further it had a pushover 350ci SBC in it and I was super dissappointed. Even as a kid I thought..why would someone go through all this time, money and trouble to look fast and fill it with a 350hp SBC?? It seems like pro street was about the look more than the speed for a lot of guys??

[LS1-IROC]

What I think is funny is when you talk to "car guys" at shows and they either mix the 2 terms up or have no idea that there is a difference. I remember Pro-Street back in the day..it was cool. I'm glad the fad is over though.

[ho428]

I was ok with it when it was mainly old race cars converted back to run on the street, actually thought it was a great way to enjoy and show off drag cars more. But when the "copycat" PS scene took off and people started cutting up and back halving street cars is when I thought it got a little silly. 1000 hp, over the top builds for something you can't drive the way it's built to be run.
Sorta defeated the reasoning behind it IMO.

[Chevy Kid]

Pro-street was one of those things where I appreciated a the craftsmanship of a nicely done car, but it wasn't something that I was interested in building. I was looking at the Sullivan "Cheese Whiz" 55' Chevy in Hot Rod recently thinking I loved it when it was a fresh build, and it still looks great today. I love some form of most anything with wheels or that floats . . . a well done car is always a well done car. No matter the genre.


Saw that car at Goodguys Columbus last week for the first time in person. Car still looks good. Awesome build quality.

[GNon18s]

I grew up riding around in the passenger seat of Pro-street cars with my Dad and Grandpa. I'm thankful for the experience but I will never build one. A lot of time and money and when they are done they are too impractical to drive.

[CarlC]

It seems like pro street was about the look more than the speed for a lot of guys??

That can be said about many of the build types out there. Unfortunately, IMO, there are far more people interested in the look (car shows) than the performance.

[Nicks67GTO]

That can be said about many of the build types out there. Unfortunately, IMO, there are far more people interested in the look (car shows) than the performance.

This is true. As soon as I typed it out and sent it I thought..."well that goes for a lot of the car crowd actually" I think the pro street scene was a bit exceptional though. It was all about looking like a badass racecar. If your car looks like a racecar, it should at least be able to halfway act the part IMO.

[shortrack]

I grew up riding around in the passenger seat of Pro-street cars with my Dad and Grandpa. I'm thankful for the experience but I will never build one. A lot of time and money and when they are done they are too impractical to drive.

I hear ya' A guy in my neighborhood had a 68 Chevelle back in the day with a BBC, Centrelines and the fat skinny look going on. Beautiful Marina Blue paint and body. A mid 11 sec car IIRC. We went for a ride, took off from a light, the car bit hard, the front end raised up with the drag shocks and we hauled azz up to prob 100 mph although the car floated over bumps and heaves in the road. Pretty neat, pinned you back pretty good. There was a lot of wheel input as we slowed down and it didnt feel particularly controlled. But then we gingerly made a slow speed left onto a residential street and the front tires folded over and cringed mercilessly. Im like WHOA! It was gross. And we continued to do this on every right and left through the neighborhood. Cornering/accident avoidance? Not happening at all. And I wouldnt even want to think about the rain. VERY one dimensional car.

[PT Sportwagon]

While I thought pro street was kinda cool I always loved a car that handled.

Tim

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

We remember! It seems to me like there has been a renewed interest in Pro-Street lately although I don't have any anecdotal evidence.

Dennis Marchand (RIP) and his '56 Chevy - 1999 GoodGuys Street Machine of the Year. Chris actually built this car in the '80s.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/Chevy56_DennisMarchand-1.jpg


Here are two builds that were finished in the past year or so, sent me to by customers who built them at home.
Royce Bradley's '61 Skylark - Click for more pics. (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.449545421805084.1073741830.360398240719803&type=3)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Mark and Diane Morgan's '67 Chevy II - Click for more pics. (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442652949160998.1073741829.360398240719803&type=3)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[cactuss4]

Man that Nova is fantastic..

Although folks need to figure out how to keep their back seats and incorporate in the design!

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

Man that Nova is fantastic..

Although folks need to figure out how to keep their back seats and incorporate in the design!

Unfortunately, there just isn't any room for a functional back seat in any of these cars once you lower them and put in a decent tire. Even our new gStreet Full Frame (http://www.cachassisworks.com/cac_press_67-69Camaro.html) doesn't really have space for a back seat. In the '69 Camaro version there is less than 37" between the wheel tubs. The body we're building now will probably have less space for a back seat once it's finished. That's why mini-tubs became so popular; you can shove a moderate amount of tire in and still keep the back seat. You still can't get the car really low, but it's a start.

But, when you're building a car that's meant to be completely over the top, badass, and more toward the 'pro' end of the spectrum, as opposed to the 'street/touring' side, you have to make some sacrifices somewhere. Most people are willing to sacrifice their kids...erm, sacrifice taking their kids with them.

[cactuss4]

True enough.. I want my kid and sometimes my wife with me! :)

Tory

[Nicks67GTO]

True enough.. I want my kid and sometimes my wife with me! :)

Tory

Thats the reason I sold my Nova. The minute a rollbar goes in the car isnt really family functional anymore.

[Nicks67GTO]

[QUOTE=Carl @ Chassisworks;1007967]
Royce Bradley's '61 Skylark - Click for more pics. (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.449545421805084.1073741830.360398240719803&type=3)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

QUOTE]

this skylark is awesome

[chevnut55]

Heres my pro street 55, not back halfed just mini tubed. Built it so I can loose the blower and change the wheels for more of a pro touring car.
It has a 468 bbc with a 671 blower, built th400 with gear vendors o/d, 4 link rear. Its making roughly 800 hp w/o no2 and has not been down the track without breaking something yet but is fun on the street and lights up the tires at any speed.
I owned it for 30 years and I built it this way because I have a pro touring Camaro and new vette, the 55 is like driving a truck no matter what is done to it so I like this look.

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

I'll take that 1098 behind the Chevy if you're tired of it!

[todd8525]

79759
after an eighteen year slumber she awakens.ok pro street may not be dead but this euro tech look is.lol
i remeber the kids riding in the back when this was new now the grand kids ride in the back.oh darn i can remember
McDonalds using styrofoam containers.im old its official.

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

Heres a truck that Joe (another guy at the shop) and I are building, at its first show, (we couldn't wait till it was done and just had to show it off) it will be his (Joes) AA gas

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/07/GEDC0406_zps4b8a807e-1.jpg


Rodney, I see that this truck has a lot of our parts on it. Did the original owner of this build pass away before it was done? It's very familiar to C-Ray. Do you have any more pics of the build? It would add some nice variety to our Facebook page. Shoot me an email - [email protected]

[uxojerry]

Pro Street is far from dead. I get all of my engine info from the Yellow Bullet forum and have learned a lot. When you see guys with 1500hp C6s changing to Power Glides it gets your attention, lol. I dont want a pro street car, but they generate a lot of good technical information on their forums.