I got them on eBay- they are for a Camaro- came white - I just painted them w/ black nail polish.


Richard

Summit has them- http://www.summitracing.com/parts/am...FWVp7AodMVAAAA

 

Looks like Richard as started "Touring in Grand Style"!

 

My .02 on the Pro Tour stuff is that it has made it easier to make the classic cars better. Many parts available to make your car as radical as you would like.

I did a 67 Nova SS a few years ago. Stroked LS motor to 427 cubes. Chassied dynoed at almost 500 rwhp. New coilover front clip and four link rear. Was it fun to drive? Yes. Was it a little scary with all that power? Yes. Had to be careful. My wife driving it (she's a very good driver) lit the tires up at 45mph and got a little sideways while passing a car was a bit scary.

My latest project is a 71 C3 vert with a stock LS1/4L60E combo. I really wrestled with how much motor? Bigger cam or not? How much brakes? How much suspension? Settled on stock C3 brakes with upgraded pads. Composite rear spring with Bilsteins all around. Nothing crazy just good parts. Borgesen steering box.

I don't need air since I'm in MN. Do need cruise control. The old foot get's tired after awhile. Heater and defrost is required along with good wipers. Great cooling system required.

We won't take 3000 mile trips in the car but we will hit a few legs of the Power Tour from time to time. Last year in our 73 Camaro LS3 combo we spent 3 hours idling in traffic getting into the WS Dells venue. Never overheated at least not the car. Needs to have that level of reliability.

Truly the best road car I've done so far is the car I built last winter. It's 1999 BMW 3 series vert. I put a built (mildly) LS1/T56 magnum it and upgraded the suspension. Super nice car to drive. Kind of like a M3 with 150 additional horses. Again more of a grand tour car than pro tour car.

Well everyone have Happy New Year. Thanks for all help on the LS swap.

 

I just finished the final plans on my C2 and hope to be driving it this spring. The C2 is a little more practical for long trips as it has plenty of cargo space. Ive had a lot of fun selecting parts and components and look forward to driving it soon.

I modeled the C2 after to 60s era track cars and plan to do the 68 after the L88 track cars like the C3 Lemans car. Both cars are more hot rods than anything else.

In both cases, Ive gotten carried away with hp. Ill see what the chassis can handle and then detune with a milder cam and less lift, lol.

 

I think the best example would be a "One Lap of America" car.
They have to do everything, and do some long hauls.

As I recall they were very well built, and went fast!
Anyone have some examples?

R

 

Kevin,
Looks very good, those Flares are perfect. Finally got the Grand Sport back from Jeff after only 7.5 years. Sold it 2 weeks later, it lost it's luster with all of the stress of that fiasco! Anyway keeping the 68 White Vert. Good Job on your build, you have a talent!!
Regards, Michael

 

I hear you but ive never really been sold on staying in the perimeters of a styling trend or placing labels on my builds,
I just grab what i like and build my car,

PT or GT?

I dont care what wiki, websters or carcraft says its definition is the simple fact is its something that has a different definition to each person you ask.

While i find some builds all about poustering, bragging rights and many times those are the ones that never see tracks, maybe the tracks parking lot, if those cats are happy, more power to them.

Other over the top builds are just what the builder desires and i fully support that but it might not be my cup o tea at all and the next guy not liking a build shouldnt but does get some guys butthurt because they build to placate their egos, big as mountains fragile as glass.

I deeply love many builds here but to own and drive them, no, like with my 81 wide body sometimes too much over the top takes the fun out of it for me.
My 81 was actually more fun to me bone stock.

So call it PT GT whatever you like, build to please yourself keeping a bit honest with what you will do with the car and i would bet you a Coke you will have more fun with it, i know i will with mine.

 

hey Richard, what heat shielding material is that on the tunnel?

your battery solution is wicked btw, I didn't even know Optima made 6v batts let alone would have thought to split them up like that, very pro-mod!

 

I'm strictly a grand touring girl. I want a car I can drive fast long distance in comfort and luxury.

 

I agree that definitions have probably changed/moved, but I'm with Bats - who cares!? Build the car how you like for what you like doing with it. I put more street miles (and more track miles for that matter) on my car than virtually anyone else here. I have stiffer springs, lower ride height, and more hp than most here - and I feel like I could go stiffer and add more hp without negatively affecting my regular driving of it. My car rides stiffish - no stiffer than many modern performance cars, but stiffer than stock. My car is comfortable enough that my wife and I have been on driving holidays in it, yet handles well enough and is fast enough to regularly beat modern machinery at the track. I drive it as my daily driver most of the time, and it is a full weight, full interior car. To me, it's what I want, that's why I built it that way! I fully recognise that a lot of people here would think my car uncomfortable or loud, and prefer it softer and more stock - and I also fully recognise that I could make it a lot faster on the track by gutting it, going stiffer on the suspension and wilder on the cam/intake/exhaust. But it's the right set of compromises for me, or at least it's on the path to getting there... By the way, as someone who has approaching 550hp - it's plenty, and more than can really be used on the street, but on the track I could definitely use more, and I will be looking for more in future. I don't have any major changes to the basic chassis/suspension design, and the car can certainly use more hp.

 

I think there will always be people going to extreme limits the way they build a car.
I may add fuel injection at some point but I've given up on doing an overdrive transmission. I have about 400 horsepower 355 gears and a9" 2800 convertor. I can cruise at 80 all day long and still pass people.ive upgraded the suspension the side pipes are loud, and it's about perfect for me.
I'd jump into that Car and take out from here In Florida and go to new York and not think twice about it. My car and ones like it have something these hi buck builds will never have and that's soul.
​​​​​

 

I have never liked the labels either. They are too are too confining and also much like fads. What once was a mild custom becomes a restomod and then maybe grand touring. There is not real definitions either, so how do you know where your car fits in? Take my car. It is a 75 convertible with a L88 hood, 73/74 front bumper, 73 grills, pace car spoiler, 80/82 rear bumper, exterior color is non original black, interior color red is from 68 to 72 with black cut pile carpet like a late model C3 has. Now throw in my highly modified engine, drivetrain, suspension and steering. What do I have? What label fits?

Mike

 

If you go back and read Motor trend from the late 1970's they refer to the 79 L-82 as a Grand touring class car. Mine came with most every option including A/C, power everything, rear window defroster.

Grand touring definition: Wallowing through every curve in the road, gutless low MPG motor, marginal braking ability. Mainly do to the 255 tires that after a few heat cycles lost most of their traction. Grand touring does not mean Sports Car or Protouring.

Year ago I was at the Mid-Ohio road racing track for a Historic Can-Am racing event. We always arrived days early and set up the transporter tent and got all the cars prepped and cleaned. Well Mid Ohio was part of the Hot Rod Power Tour. The power tour does every kind of event during the tour. So we got to see all these muscle cars of every age taking on the road course. Some of them were extremely well setup with talented drivers. It was real bragging rights to fast time the events.

So these highly modded cars fit in the Pro-tour class.

When I was younger I drove across the US in my vette a couple of times. My longest by myself single continues drive was 1680 miles with just gas and go stops. I was looking at my Odometer last night and it was over 170,000 miles. So I qualify as a pro-tour car. I just wish that we didn't have speed limits in the US. I really like driving in the EU

 

Thanks-

I used the Zeroclearance stuff- https://www.thermalcontrolproducts.c...zeroclearance/

 

That's how I envision my 79. I just need to get rid of that god-awful gymkhana suspension. I've got a pair of 300 lb front coil springs and a 140 lb Hyperco "Easy ride" fiberglass rear spring. Now if I just ever get around to putting them in the car, lol!

 

My Protouring '68 is way more streetable than stock. I have very high coil-over spring rates, but it's really having supple shocks that makes it ride nicely. The motion ratio on a vette is such that the actual wheel rate is low. Switched to an undercar exhaust from factory side pipes, that is much quieter and cooler running, no earplugs needed anymore. Borgenson steering box is quicker, and the fuel injected LS2 starts and drives like a modern C6. Stock brakes! Not as quick as Danny's or the Detroit speed C3s, but just got 13th at the GoodGuys Duel in the Desert autocross finale vs quite a few tube frame race cars.

 

I learned this lesson years ago, building up another car, in this case a FIAT 124 spider. I built it up from pieces, got it on the road and I still remember a long day spent behind the wheel on a club drive of 5-6 hours. While the car was fine for a short jaunt but this longer drive really exposed it's short comings.

I could hardly stand up straight after the day at the wheel-the stock seats I had cleaned up and fixed were fine examples of '60's ergonomics. Looked good and stylish-no support. The 4.30 rear axle allowed the original little motors, later enlarged and strangled with smog controls let it scoot at low speeds, but it was miserable on the highway. The car was too noisy at cruise, the top leaked when up. Etc. Etc.

After that weekend I resolved it was time to stop trying to make it look better or go faster. It was time to make it enjoyable. This entailed a switch to 3.90 rear gears, nice high quality aftermarket seats, installation of later model hood inner lining, a nice smaller slightly smaller leather covered padded steering wheel and more.

Ultimately I got it developed to the point where is was comfortable and fast for what it was and I put many thousands of mile during long distance road trips on that machine. I changed things many times slowly getting on target. It was never off the road for long as opposed to being a ground up high spec garage build. I think it is valuable to make incremental change as it is easy to get carried away over building the car and ending up with something you don't really enjoy.

For me enjoy is something that is fast fun, good handling and a pleasure to take long road trips. If it can't do that I don't wnat it. No disrespect to those that build track rockets, quarter milers, show cars etc. I love visiting shows and seeing what you have done