Car "purists" really get on my nerves after a while.

[TonyL]

Regardless of the cars rarity, it's YOUR car. More importantly it's YOUR dream and vision. When you are driving as stock vintage car, you're still driving some designers dream. He drew it, He sculpted it out of clay and said to himself, "This is what this car is supposed to be." (and then he watched in horror as the bean counters changed it, but I digress) But that's it. I don't want to drive around in some other guy's expression of what a cool car should look like. No matter how cool that is Because I am not him, I'm me and you're you. Expression is what we do as hotrodders. Some people don't get that. They're okay in their cookie cutter life, with their boring house and their boring stuff. More power too them. We'll just keep on being awesome. And no matter what those haters say, they all wish they had the balls to be who we are. And to live *our* way.

[zipsimons]

Everyone is right! Dare I say, even the purists... I found some PT people telling me I was building my car wrong because of styling or component choices. It was fast as hell, handled incredible, and looked like the car I had dreamed up a few years ago. PERFECT (for me) A car is something different for everyone. Why so many people think everyone should like a car the way they do is beyond me. But hey, it's their right to think whatever the heck they want... It's your right to not pay any mind to it. I just opened a new shop with my best friend since high school (Donald Endonino... I stole him from prodigy! lol) We consider ourselves outstanding craftsmen. By no means do we think we are better than everyone though. We are just trying to earn a spot amongst the respected. Cars are freakin awesome and it should just be smiles and fun! People shouldn't be getting their feelings hurt over the way they like something. The point is.. do it the way you want and be damn proud of it. Someone will definitely disagree, count on it... so what, Lighten up friends, burn some rubber

[shortrack]

Cars built in the 60s and 70s suck. GM's Suggest-A-Steer, Kinda Brakes, and DoorHandle Deluxe handling aren't any fun to drive. Add in the Lap Belt Non-Restraints, Driveway Oiling System, and No Traction Tires, and those guys can keep their safety-challenged, poor-handling, and low horsepower vehicles.

Yeah no kidding, keep your manual steering and brakes, four wheel drum, bias ply tires etc etc....

Those guys on Barrett Jackson get on my nerves....Their obsession with "stock" can drive me crazy....they will "let a guy away" with upgrading 4 wheel manual drum brakes.

[Barrrf]

I now have to deal with this after I put seats in that actually have support.

"Those are rice seats"

OKay thanks. Bye now.

[Damn True]

I have a 2nd cousin who does resto and hot-rod builds here in CA. A lot more of the former of late, though he does have two Oakland plaque's on his wall from when he was mainly a rodbuilder. He hates my plan for my Camaro, tells me I'm ruining it and has refused to have any part in the build because he doesn't want his shops name associated with that kind of build......

Ok.

[Zachalanche]

Bottom Line, people watch too much TV. They would care less about your project if they had one of thier own. Whenever I get assaulted with someones opinoin, all I can think is: Great! go buy your own and build it that way, then when it turns out looking like crap send it to chip foose so he can put a 2-tone paint job on it. But, I keep my mouth shut because I've offerd my opinoins in the past too.

[rustomatic]

You, sir, are a master of euphemism! I have greatly benefited from stock 1960s lap belts on more than one occasion, however...

Cars built in the 60s and 70s suck. GM's Suggest-A-Steer, Kinda Brakes, and DoorHandle Deluxe handling aren't any fun to drive. Add in the Lap Belt Non-Restraints, Driveway Oiling System, and No Traction Tires, and those guys can keep their safety-challenged, poor-handling, and low horsepower vehicles.

[Schwartz Performance]

BEST THREAD EVER.

We have done several cars that we've received hate-mail on- the two main ones being the 1971 Olds Cutlass SX, and the 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger (Ok the Dart hate mail was deserved.. after all, the customer brought us a Mopar Nationals-winning nicely-restored Dart LOL).

Around where we're at in northern IL, not many people know about the pro-touring thing. I cannot express how bored I get going to cruise nights and car shows, because pro-touring cars have taken all of the joy away from the "other" cars. (This is not a bad thing).

1969 Camaro. 350/350. Ladder bars. Front disc brake kit- 11" single-pistons. Holley 4 barrel. Reupholstered houndstooth seats. Hurst shifter. Torq thrust II's. Now that's what people around here consider AWESOME.

Everyone on this board likely has the same opinion. We modify cars to have more fun with them & to not be PISSED when you get out of your stock 1965 Chevelle and hop into a newer car............

Classic example, I hear it all the time:
A guy buys his wife a new V6 Mustang. Drives it around with her.. gets on it a bit...
Next day.. gets into his 68 Camaro.. gets on it a little bit on the way to the cruise night.. backfire. Goes around a corner at 20mph and almost loses it. Squirrel runs out in front, slams on brakes.. dead squirrel.
Searches internet for solutions. Calls Schwartz Performance.

Many people are not aware of the benefits of making a classic car a pro-touring machine, nor the pro-touring theme itself.

Awareness! Can we have a Pro-Touring Awareness week? Month? And cool rubber wrist-bands?

-Dale

[MidnightSpecial]

Awareness! Can we have a Pro-Touring Awareness week? Month? And cool rubber wrist-bands?

"Modify, so thou shalt not die"

The slogan on the wrist band

[Thephranc]

Just had a guy in the shop ask me why I wasted all this time and money on an AMC Spirit when I could have made a mustang. I asked if he'd like to race his all stock fastback. He declined.

[jerrys85iroc]

Can we have a Pro-Touring Awareness week? Month? And cool rubber wrist-bands?

-Dale

Can we make this a thing? I think its too good of an idea not to.

[Rod]

with that kind of build......

ha ha ha , that kind of build! that's funny.. right there

[Nicks67GTO]

Heres a reality check: In 50 years no one will care, most of us will probably be dead and the next generation dont care a lick about them, so who really cares?? I say do what you want with what you have. It's your car no matter how "rare" it is. For me, unless its a super rare, highly desireable, Hemi car, Boss429, RAIV GTO or SD bird etc then mod away. The only cars worth more in completely nut and bolt stock form are these supercars" anyhow. Also rare dosent mean expensive. A ZL1 69 Camaro is rare because it was big time stuff and super expensive in the day and that makes it really desireable. A 2 barrel 67' GTO is rare because no one wanted one and isnt worth all that much in stock form. Theres a big difference. Im sure these armchair purists don't realize how expensive it is to do a complete correct nut and bolt restoration to "stock". Some of the old NOS parts are stupid expensive and it would cost more to do a correct nos restoration than it would to mod the car and have more fun. Not to mention the first thing these guys did, when they got them from the factory, was to stick a set of headers in it and a hurst shifter and some slot wheels. My guess is that most of these cars stayed bone stock for about a week out of the factory.

I have a real California black plate 67' GTO HO car. AT AC PS PB PA factory tint. Ive got all the stock numbers matching stuff and its all out of the car in boxes. The car is 1 of 598 based on the original California residence, HO engine and auto tranny. Ive heard it before...."oh you should restore it to stock or sell it to someone who wants to" Iv'e had the car since I was 13, its not going anywhere and ill do as I please with it. I'm not cutting mine up because I really like the original look of the interiors and bodies on them, however it might get an LS. *GASP* It already has a 455, a 5 speed, 4 wheel discs and some chassis mods on my way to SC&C stage II. fuel injection and 17's or 18's are in the near future. My guess is that by the time i'm done, it would sell for equal or more in PT form, than with all the factory equipment and be a heck of a lot more fun to drive.

[andrewb70]

This thread is almost as funny as the "cookie cutter Camaro" thread...LOL

Andrew

[critter]

Well if you really want to piss off purists take a one of less than 800 built, 1974 Super Duty Trans Am and modify it like I have. I went to Trans Am Nationals the first year it was finished. Original drive train was blown up by the original owner. So I built a Pontiac 455 and dropped it in, good date code, just not a SD engine. I did go ahead and put the SD call out decal on the shaker since the VIN was an X code car. I was in a light modified class because of my aftermarket stereo and other minor things. The SD purists on the front row of the show field got wind of me and made a special trip to come pick my car apart. And that was the last time I went to that show. I've considered going back now that it has all the modifications I've done over the past 10 years. I'd love to see how many would drop dead on the spot when they saw the 18 inch wheels and paddle shifters.

[rockytopper]

Only purist I see are in my rear view mirror and they aren't there long enough for me to hear much out of them so sorry guys I can't really relate to what you guys are saying.

[shizzy]

well, here is what I started with. Grease marker and date code plug wire crowd can say what they want...

[Jim Nilsen]

The purist are the sole reason I wish I could afford a 100 point restored 55-6 or 7 T-bird. I would document the butchering process where I would bring it to modern day standards with an LS which I would proudly display in the middle of their cars. I pick on them because they seem to be the absolute center of the no nut or bolt altered community.

I actually know that there is a car just like you describe. I saw it at the Chicagoland Goodguys event in 2012. The guy was was very proud of doing what he wanted to do with his car and it was a beautiful thing.

[Jim Nilsen]

I like to park my car next to a restored piece, walk up to the resto-nut and say.... "Nice car. Let's take it apart...."

......and when they envision us taking their car apart they see a sawzall in our hand and a welder , not just the regular hand tools for the meek restorer.

[shortrack]

I call them the "original air in the tires crowd"

I see their point to an extent though, my car has probably the most mods of any car on here and I wouldnt have done it to even a real SS. It was originally a Malibu 307 PG car.