19 years of Pro-Touring.com

[Larry Callahan]

https://i.hmjimg.com/images/2019/03/10/s-l500.jpg Today March 10 2019 Pro-Touring.com has been online for 19 years.

It's been a fun ride and I think the fad is here to stay. Track days, cross country drives and cars shows are very often dominated by the Pro-Touring build style. I can't thank the members of the site, the great moderators and a lot of site sponsors enough.

All of my adult life I have always known that I wanted my '68 Camaro to handle and brake and out accelerate most modern cars. When I first started modifying it over 30 years ago this style didn't have a name. Along comes Mark Stielow and Jeff Smith and the rest is history. Since then the build style has come a long way and a lot of companies have started to support it. Long gone are the days of having to make everything yourself.

Thanks again everyone for being a part of it and just for fun answer me this.

How has the Pro-Touring build style affected you? Did you change the direction on a build? Are you new to it? Did you start a business around it?
Have you made a number of new friends or attended track days that you enjoyed or?????

Larry Callahan

[minendrews68]

I've got to admit, I for one have really enjoyed this forum. It has been quite informative, rewarding in that I've learned a lot about other peoples builds. I have gained knowledge, and I have given some knowledge on these pages. I have enjoyed them all. And the camaraderie has been great. Here's to another 19 years Larry, we appreciate what you do!

[D-Man]

I got into it before it had a name as well. It was a lonely time as everyone else in my neck of the woods were building pro-street or drag cars.

[David Pozzi]

It's great to see all the progress we have had. Long ago, back in the early 70's I was in a Camaro club. We were all very young, and a couple of members kept ribbing us about being into Autocross and following the Trans-Am races. My feeling then as now is, I want a car that can accelerate, corner, brake, and have a certain amount of comfort, a well rounded high performance car.It's nice to have this community to share that passion. I think giving it a name boosted it's status a lot.
Many thanks to Larry for putting in all that extra time and money to keep this forum going.

[Bad Bowtie]

It's hard for me to believe I've been here almost 15 years now. This place changed the direction of my builds by improving overall performance of the vehicle and no longer looking at just 1/4 mile drag racing efforts. I haven't owned a fully tubbed out drag car since. I've really enjoyed being creative on improving the mantra " A classic car with all the modern technology" aspect, I know with all the member contributions have helped me build better cars.

I'd really like to say thanks to Larry for his dedication on continuing this website it gives all of us a place to visit with like minded individuals and share our experiences to help one another keep the Pro Touring movement going forward. Here's to another decade of Pro Touring .com:cheers:


BB

[Restomod]

I have enjoyed the 15 years I have been a member!
Heres for many more!

[79 Camaro]

Congrats on all the years. No doubt this forum has been more than helpful. Although not the hard core pro touring cars like you see on this forum my builds have had the pro touring theme. My first pro touring build was influenced by a Stielow build. I met Jeff Smith at the Car Craft Nationals in St.Paul and we still email back and forth from time to time.
Big brakes, LS swaps, overdrive transmissions, upgraded suspensions and better seats are my idea of a better hot rod.
I look forward to many more years.

[qnitro]

Congrats this site made change the way I see cars.. I see PT everywhere

[TheJDMan]

Happy 19th anniversary Larry and PT.com!

I have owned my 68 since 1973 and always knew I wanted it to do more than just go fast down a quarter mile. One day I ran across this picture of MotiV8r on the internet somewhere and it lead me here to PT. This pic, this site and all of you here have been directly responsible for where Dust Off is today. Thank You Larry, moderators, members and vendors, you have been my inspiration. It has been a wonderful ride and here's to 19 more years! :drive:

162325

BTW, I can't wait for MotiV8r 2.0 to hit the street.

162326

[Frank69]

Wow, it seems like just yesterday. I started my ‘69 Camaro build that same year. I learned right along with the first forum members and even attended one of the first Pro-Touring SEMA dinners. A big thanks to Larry and everyone else who has shared their knowledge and vision through this community.
162327

[Rod]

short post with a lot of pictures!!

It's a great site, with a wealth of information from real world hard knocks and wins. I feel lucky to have stumbled onto the site. I have meet 100's of folks from the here, raced all over the country with many of you, and humbled to call many of you friends. I know this place has been both a forum for angst and joy in the same swipe Larry, but Thank you, Thank You! For starting a little page to talk about your build and letting the rest of us knuckle-draggers tell our stories through this virtual bench racing platform. I am extremely grateful to call you a friend and from that friendship I have done all this!!!!!!

162328

162330

162329

162331

162332

162333

162334

162335

162336

162337

162338

162339

162340

162341

162342

162344

162345

162346

162343

162347

162348

162349

162350

162351

THANKS LARRY! and lets get 19 kick more kick ass years!!!!!!!!

[130fe]

Big thanks to Larry and the others that make this page such a great place to be. Like others have said, this place has made my car a much more enjoyable one to drive- comfort, speed and fun!

[Nine Ball]

19 Years! This site is a wealth of incredible information and awesome people. I built my first pro-touring car in 2003, one of the first LS1 swaps out there. Happy to say I still own a pro-touring car. Some "fad", eh? Haha

2003 Build
162355
162356

2019 Build
162358
162357

Tony

[Steve Chryssos]

What..... is..... Pro-Touring....? I can still remember the first day of pro-touring.com and I remember all of the silly "What is Pro-Touring" debates. Today, the concept is ubiquitous. So many of today's hot rods feature modern technology including disc brakes, EFI, overdrive better suspension and all of the tricks. The automotive aftermarket is better off thanks to Pro-Touring and we're all better off thanks to pro-touring.com. Thank you Larry Callahan and all of the moderators for keeping the flame lit and the servers humming.

Okay, okay.. One photo... High banks of Daytona
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/03/iSteveChryssochoos1968ChevroletCamaroDri-1.jpg

[nvawgn]

I've got to admit, I for one have really enjoyed this forum. It has been quite informative, rewarding in that I've learned a lot about other peoples builds. I have gained knowledge, and I have given some knowledge on these pages. I have enjoyed them all. And the camaraderie has been great. Here's to another 19 years Larry, we appreciate what you do!


well said, ditto and thanks everyone!

[BonzoHansen]

Here's to 19 more.

[jimco84x]

Early 90's, I was building a red, 1968 Z/28 with the goal of making it turn and stop on par with the IROC-Z that I also owned at the time. Dick Guldstrand gave me some parts and lots of advice. It had a little over 400 hp, and I thought it was the best thing ever, then I saw this and the game was changed. Congrats on 19 years of website and around 25 years of some of the coolest cars around!!

162436

[andrewb70]

Man...how time flies!

Thanks for the ride, Larry!

Andrew

[MonzaRacer]

Congrats man, still working on projects while life throws me curves. Been here since Bret and crew from Ridetech sent me over. gotta love cars, I've tried to help where possible. Been helped and even had one guy send me a FI intake off an LT1 for my project and never even charged me shipping. I still hope to use it soon.
Still working on my DIS ignition idea, still tweaking my bolt on Hbody suspension parts hoping to soon get them finalized and able to make them to order for Hbody owners.
But Congrats and I believe I still have that magazine in my collection.

[Peanut1959]

Though I haven't yet built my version of a PT car, I am inspired by the work I see in some of these threads and look forward to the day I can share my build. Until then, I'll keep living, vicariously, through you guys as and gals!

Congratulations on 19 years of Pro Touring awesomeness!

[MCB Matt]

Congrats Larry, we are at 18 years now, SO much has changed over the years! Glad to see you still here on the board! We have been a sponsor for... Well, I don't even know, MANY years! Keep up the place, it's nice to see a site that hasn't turned to junk!

[vegasmax]

New to Pro Touring, hope to make several while I have time.
1971 Torino with extensive mods 2013 Mustang running gear and interior and modifications to suspension and engine and of course body. I am in West Texas where do I sign up for tours in 2019?? Love the car and it's is different. I've owned Camaros, Mustangs, Nova, 40 Ford Panel, Model A's , Nash, 1915 Maxwell, race cars, 55-56-57-59-60-61-63-64-67-68-69 Chevrolets and I forgot a bunch! LOVE them all. But, this one is different and that's what I like and all the late stuff for my comfort. Hope to you guy guys at some events soon.

[Kenova]

I've been kicking around here since 2004.
Excellent community with enormous accumulated knowledge and sound advice. More than once someone has saved me from making a mistake.
Probably saved my Nova from a drag race build (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Ken

[PT Sportwagon]

I have been here since 06. Thanks to picking up Tony's Pro-touring book. Still working on my PT.

Tim

[andrewb70]

I have been here since 06. Thanks to picking up Tony's Pro-touring book. Still working on my PT.

Tim

Speaking of Tony H., what is he up to these days?!