Pro Touring Dragster

[Discoquik]

Open to suggestions here and photoshop magic. Thanks to a friendly fella at a race in Pittsburgh I was forced to rebody my car. He basically told me that's racing when he backed over the nose on my car and we are at $4800.00 and counting to repair it. It has come time to paint the new body and I was wondering what everyone thought about a PT style touch to the car. Tired of all the barbed wire, flames, and checker board paint schemes out there. Just looking for input and or color combos. Would like to powder coat the wheels as well. Already have Twist Machine's bezels on the way, which NOBODY has in the drag racing world.

[subtlez28]

Pro-touring dragster...

Wide front tires, and big front brakes.
Overdrive manual trans for good road course times and better mileage on road trips...

Lose the wrinkle walls, they will kill you on the road course and on ramps. Come to think of it, so will the long wheel base.

I'm kidding of course. My understanding is Pro-touring is about making a car handle, brake and drive better than stock. Being able to compete in multiple forms of racing (not just drag racing). So I'm not sure how you could practically apply 'pro-touring" to a purpose built drag car.

[Discoquik]

I am fully aware of the definition of PT, with my current 70 Pontiac Formula I am doing with LSx power. I am merely looking for the look of PT or the influence of it. Clean smooth (European?) design cues. Many cars on here look more exotic than "Hot Rod". Just trying to get some ideas for a clean look. Like should it be black wheels, Pearl white with a black pearl stripe down the top of it? Spun aluminum dash? etc etc.

[formula]

Sometimes people seem to have a difficult time reading past the title of a thread...

As soon as I'm on my laptop I'll take a spin at it. Shoulda lit the other dude's trailer on fire though, as a side note.

[Discoquik]

Thanks for the efforts. I deal with alot of Pro Touring projects working here at Wiseco, including many builds on here. Just want something different and tired of the sea of purple, orange, red, blue racecars. Gets old.....

[DocJr]

I agree with the "Taking it overboard with the definition of PT" statements.

People forget that with PT comes a few different elements of style. Materials are the main thing I'm talking about. PT is what started the "Powder coating" of wheels, trim, and what not... You guys also started the CNC look...example: The Ring brothers haha..Carbon Fibre usage...all kinds of stuff...

Pro Touring dragster? Hell Yea!

[79PonchoUK]

You need carbon fibre, the appearance of thinner tyres, or split rim wheels, smoothed off bodywork with simple paint.

Hard to do on a dragster but may be a nice departure from the traditional flames and chequered flags. lol

[Discoquik]

Funny all the Pontiac guys get it. The Firebird/Trans Am was inspired by European influences. Certainly not as "cool" (boring) as SS Chevrolets, but by far the most sophisticated looking of the bunch.

Before the current paint job I had black with a 70 T/A grey metalflake stripe on top with a screaming chicken on the nose. Spun aluminum dash with SD540 decals on the scoop.

It has a K&N Carbon scoop and autometer gauges. There is plenty of high end parts on this car to get the "feel" of PT. That is all I'm looking to do 245" wheelbase won't get around turns no matter what sticky tires on it..... Thanks for the encouraging words.

[Procharmo]

Any pics of your cockpit and the Twisted Machine Bezels...

[Steve Chryssos]

Thanks for getting our bezels. I would like to see you do it up like a Buell Firebolt with the extensive use of anodizing, and a tinted windscreen.

[novaderrik]

you need 20" wheels with red multi piston calipers visible thru the spokes.

[rednecknate]

O>D> GREEN WITH BLACK WHEELS!!!!

Or Battleship grey with Black wheels!!!!

[JayR]

Ask 100 people, get 100 opinions. You're making a perfect case for hiring a designer. It's a lot cheaper than the bill for an ugly paint scheme.

[Discoquik]

Bezels are on the way. I can pay Eddie Hollon $800.00 to do renderings all day long. Problem is I am into this thing $4800.00 and counting to fix front end damage that happened in the water box at a Pittsburgh area track. Super Gas style IROC backed over the nose of it after he was prestaged(!) and after trying to talk with the guy he told me that's racing and he wasn't gonna pay for it, much less help. So apparently when he is prestaged and feels like backing up he is the inly racer in the country with this privilege as the track let him continue to run. So new front suspension, steering and body later I am at a point where I can redo the car with funds I didn't have. So I am just looking for positive input to maybe help me do a theme not normally seen on the drag type cars.
If I was not a Mopar guy I would love to do a 1st gen Back-halved Camaro with all the PT goodies for that look no one would have on a car everyone races.

[Discoquik]

Ask 100 people, get 100 opinions. You're making a perfect case for hiring a designer. It's a lot cheaper than the bill for an ugly paint scheme.

The reason why I posted here is the fact that there is an enormous amount of talent in the regular Joe on here. The response to the post prove it isn't as easy as it looks to put in a good suggestion for making a simple machine look good. It's alot easier to do a F-body, or Mustang, or even a Studebaker. They have character to start with. The dragster is a jungle gym on wheels with zero character. It's tough to do tastefully. So one designer's idea wouldn't necessarily be the right answer IMHO. My Dad's Volvo I built with the Martini Rossi cars of the 70's in mind. Their protoypes always had Martini colors on flat black prototypes and finished products mostly silver or white. So I sprayed it as a what-if "one of none" drag program research car if there was every to be one.

[Steve Chryssos]

Then perhaps a Gulf Oil scheme on a dragster will do:

[Discoquik]

Funny you suggest that as I have LOVED that paint scheme ever since I was a kid watching those cars on ABC Wide World of Sports! LOL

That's the flavor I'm after, even the newer Jaguar Team cars are pretty good looking cars as well. I will post as I go if anyone is interested.

For Pontiac guys here is a Firebird I just finished to help me put my Dragster back together. Couldn't talk him into different wheels but did get him to upgrade brakes an suspension components. Pretty nice piece.... 455 with a Turbo 400.

[rednecknate]

Then perhaps a Gulf Oil scheme on a dragster will do:

If you go this route My new Mountain Bike that i built will match this theme perfect Even has Huge disc brakes,cutom shocks, super fast and big wheels.. LOL ... I alway's loved those color's as you can tell

[novaderrik]

screw the Pro Touring look and just paint it orange with a rebel flag on the "hood" and a "01" on each side...

[Discoquik]

screw the Pro Touring look and just paint it orange with a rebel flag on the "hood" and a "01" on each side...

Like the Clay Millican, car he blew over at Milan? LOL It did look pretty cool but there is enough "Southern roots" in drag racing I don't need to contribute.

I thought about the Pearl White, Bronze Wheels, and grey and red accents so common today on the Import Supercars (BMW, GT R, 911 etc)