Kinda hope Hot Rod mag is wrong

[Steve Chryssos]

The same bolts are used to bolt that kit car together that bolt your camaro together! Fiberglass or steel does't matter

Nah,
You can mail order a turn key 32 Ford rolling chassis from two dozen possible sources and never break a sweat. No rust, no engineering. But you're right: The bolts are the same.

[MarkM66]

Speaking of Hot Rod, did anyone else get two issues this month? I did, a normal one, and one wraped with a AOL CD inside.

[parsonsj]

Sorry JP, but the poser term really blows.

You're right. Poser has a negative quality, and that's not how I feel about such cars. Mod rod works: different build style, different goals. But still worthy of attention, magazine coverage, and emulation.

jp

[toddshotrods]

I agree that it's a good thing. The only down side is higher prices for old sheetmetal, but that's going to happen over the course of time anyway - basic supply and demand. The more these cars are "rodified", the more parts and options will become available - at cheaper prices. The thing I like most though is street roddering is modern art. I look forward to seeing what is done with them over the next decade as they become more commonplace in street rodding.

In my part of the country, street rods are commonplace at the cruises and shows. The only thing I see come in on trailers are nasty drag cars with lights and plates, and everyone understands why they had to be escorted in. These street rod guys plop down on their comfortable seats, reach behind their billet steering wheels, turn the key on their crate motors, fire up the air and entertainment systems, and put a LOT of miles on their cars!!! How can you fault a guy for that, just because he has no interest in straightening out corners?

[Steve Chryssos]

I won't name names (JP), but when a certain car (II Much) launches, it will be obvious that radical style, stellar performance, and solid functionality need not be mutually exclusive.

A channelled body goes a long way towards fulfilling that ideal.

[69rs]

You're right. Poser has a negative quality, and that's not how I feel about such cars. Mod rod works: different build style, different goals. But still worthy of attention, magazine coverage, and emulation.

jp

You mean Bill?

[6'9"Witha69]

Steve,
Great points. I was able to read the article last night and it stated that these cars were for driving. At least that was a quote in one of the captions. Neeless to say, these things are still going to be eye candy. And who knows, they may start doing things that will flood over into the PT world. Overall it will be a good thing.

[trapin]

Thanks for the clarification, Steve.

....and you're right, you wouldn't want to touch that interior in your Riv. In my humble opinion, that's the '65 Riv's claim to fame. You could put that interior into a new CTS and it would transition perfectly. It was WAY ahead of its time, and probably why I love that particular car so much.

[Steve Chryssos]

Thanks. Bill's car is a perfect example of a Pro-Touring car with some street rod influence.

I've seen the detail pix. The car will speak for itself. Supercharged engine, good suspension, killer brakes, modern production based interior, etc--meets street rod inspired two tone paint, custom leather and a billet steering wheel. That the car or owner may never attack an apex in anger is irrelevant. The car will still take turns and E.T. way better than a stock 65 Goat or a typical street rod.

What is it? Mod Rod or P-T car? It's obvious to me: Pro-Touring. Bill's Goat CANNOT be a poser simply because it meets his needs to a capital "T".

But we tend to overreact because some outsider lumped the theoretical car described in my earlier post with Pro-Touring. So: The hardcore set defensively overcompensates: "If it don't see a track day, it ain't P-T." The moderate set just doesn't care--which is fine (we're not talkin about world hunger here), and the soft set, i.e. Goodguys, latches onto the blurred misconception and tries to run with it.

The solution is always the same: Education and tolerance. Hot Rod's article is a good start. Identify and clarify the distiction, then tolerance will be a natural progression.

[Steve Chryssos]

p.s. Sorry for pontificating, but with a new business at hand, I really do try to think this crap through. It means everything to me and I hope I'm being objective about it. I'll hop off the old box du soap.

[Damn True]

Steve said it far better than I did. Thanks dude.

Don't get me wrong here guys. I know some people aren't into the idea of beating on their cars at a track day or auto-x and that's cool. If I had a car with a $10k paint job I wouldn't either. For the record, cars like Bills and Prodigy are freakin awesome (even though they have poser 20"s....I kid, I kid) and they are IMO, "PT" with emphasis on the touring part.

What I was getting at is that I hope this genre dosen't become too populated with the kind of rodder who buys McHotrod (as Steve described) and dosen't understand that there is a fundamental difference between a car that is built in a style to emulate a high performance vehicle and a car that actually IS a high performance vehicle.

[Steve Chryssos]

Ha!!

Looks like www.modrod.com is taken by one of those guys with a bazillion parked domains. I'm sure he'll sell it for the right price. www.modrodder.com is free so some smart individual (Travis) should snap that domain up and start his own message board for enthusiasts of modern street rods: Muscle with street rod influence. I got no time.

Feel free to send me a royalty check if you make it big. But remember the Opti-Grab!

[Bill Howell]

Thank goodness, my car is protouing since I have it stitched in the headrests and Tennessee issued "PROTOUR" as my tag!
LOL,seriously though, I know it has a lot of streetrodder styling. Why, cause it is mine and that is what I wanted.
I found this site one year ago (10-10-04) when I was searching for info for a recent purchase (80 malibu) that I intended to build for the Powertour, and cruise everywhere in. I already owned a matching number bb 69 camaro with TTII's so when I stumbed in here, I felt I had found home. From the onset, I have always been pro active in Protouring, but focused on "Touring". After getting my feet wet with the malibu, I found the 65 here in the for sale section and having owned a real one 20 years ago, knew this would be my next project. I knew from the getgo that some would question it since, truely, who is going to race a ragtop with no rollbar. However, that being said, I researched and found I could indeed buy GW stuff for the susension, Wilwood had the brake setup and Tony's (nineball) camaro with the blower really blew me away.I found Frank to do the body and the rest is history. Well, almost, it should start this weekend.
Am I a poser because of the wheels I choice or the fact it will never be on the tract much? Is it a streetrod because it has a carbon fiber dash? Will it not see the tract because I am scared of chipped paint? Is it not a street fighter because it has electric windows and A/C?
The bottom line is, who cares. I built the car , as I said at the beginning here, to DRIVE.
Steve is SO right about tolerance. The Hotrod article and similar ones will influence this hobby. We can argue until we are blue in the face,but why? I started a thread months back and we lost a great suspension guy over it. I hate he and his knowledge was lost. That taught me though that these threads never settle anything.
So, call me Poser,call me Protourer,call me streetrodder. Just please,call me when it is suppertime!

[69rs]

Thanks. Bill's car is a perfect example of a Pro-Touring car with some street rod influence.

I've seen the detail pix. The car will speak for itself. Supercharged engine, good suspension, killer brakes, modern production based interior, etc--meets street rod inspired two tone paint, custom leather and a billet steering wheel. That the car or owner may never attack an apex in anger is irrelevant. The car will still take turns and E.T. way better than a stock 65 Goat or a typical street rod.

What is it? Mod Rod or P-T car? It's obvious to me: Pro-Touring. Bill's Goat CANNOT be a poser simply because it meets his needs to a capital "T".

But we tend to overreact because some outsider lumped the theoretical car described in my earlier post with Pro-Touring. So: The hardcore set defensively overcompensates: "If it don't see a track day, it ain't P-T." The moderate set just doesn't care--which is fine (we're not talkin about world hunger here), and the soft set, i.e. Goodguys, latches onto the blurred misconception and tries to run with it.

The solution is always the same: Education and tolerance. Hot Rod's article is a good start. Identify and clarify the distiction, then tolerance will be a natural progression.

While his car is an awesome example of a Pro-Touring car with beautiful street rod influence, Bill, the man, is still a POSER!

[Bill Howell]

While his car is an awesome example of a Pro-Touring car with beautiful street rod influence, Bill, the man, is still a POSER!

Yeah, a poser with a sore back and way too much computer time on my hands today-lol

[Damn True]

Thank goodness, my car is protouing since I have it stitched in the headrests and Tennessee issued "PROTOUR" as my tag!

So, call me Poser,call me Protourer,call me streetrodder. Just please,call me when it is suppertime!

Oh no you didn't? Vanity plates?

Where is that pet peeve thread?

[parsonsj]

Bill,
I'm sorry I won't get to see your GTO's debut at SEMA. I will definitely see it within the next 10 months or so.

Mod Rod. I like that term.

jp

[Steve1968LS2]

I sold my '69 because it came out too "street rod".. too pretty..

I wanted something a bit more vicious.. the '68 will keep its bad attitude

[MuscleRodz]

I sold my '69 because it came out too "street rod".. too pretty..

I wanted something a bit more vicious.. the '68 will keep its bad attitude

Steve, your '69 is far from what I consider street rodded. I think the guy that built the red and black '69's that was talked about recently are exactly what should be considered "street rodded". Also Cook's recently finished yellow '69 falls into this catagory imo. Cars built more for show but are perfectly driveable.

Mike

[Nine Ball]

In the same issue of Hotrod, I saw a few misrepresented statements about "pro-touring" cars again. In that GTO article, they were praising how it had useful 17" wheels instead of the "normal 20 inch wheels on pro-touring cars". Then they showed a pic of that black Challenger on HUGE wheels, stating it was a pro-touring car.

I'm also glad to see Hotrod 'define' these street rodded musclecars instead of calling them pro-touring, but that doesn't help if they still don't clearly define what pro-touring is all about in the same article write-up.