I think it may be helpful if there was a group for Pro-Touring type cars. I know many members here are on other forums such as Pro-touring and Lateral G, etc.... It would combine about 4 or 5 different threads that I find myself searching for advise. It would combine some of the performance end of the engine swap, suspension, interior and any other aspect of road racing or auto-x-ing.

Thanks for the consideration.
Nick

 

What do you mean by group? We don't have groups, just forums. I'm not sure if there's enough material, definitely not for 4 or so threads, to warrant a separate section from this one.

 

Technically our cars are to "new" for the true pro-touring types.

Your best bet is to troll places like this, FRACS, Pro-touring and Lat G for what you need.

Good luck!

 

LOL a bone stock 3rd gen with the w62 suspension package is pretty much a pro-touring car already, it will out handle any stock suspension muscle car for a fraction of the price. The only oem car that handled better than the 3rd gen was the 'vette for obvious reasons.

taking a 40 year old car and making it handle like a 25 year old one... BIG DEAL.

 

The C4 vette certainly doesn't hamde better than a 3rd gen, yeah maybe the 84 Z51 or the larger ones with the revised real roll center/jacking remedy.

 

I understand the concept behind pro-touring I am a member of a couple of the sites I mentioned. The point I thought would be nice is to have a "forum" for cars with LSX swaps or high HP stroker motors and modified suspension that would make them perform or out perform a newer Camaro or Mustang. So the fact that our cars can out perform a 40 year old car is not what I am looking for. It is making a car that can run with the newer cars. So taking an "older" car and modifying it to perform like a new car is what I was talking about. Similar to Pro-touring.

 

I see... take a 3rd gen with the WS6 suspension package, upgrade the brakes to the
1LE package.. or go aftermarket brakes. Modify the engine... ready for cone carving.

There is absolutely nothing fantastic or cutting edge about the 5th gen Camaro or Mustang suspension and braking systems that can't easily be done to a 3rd gen or any other car for that matter.. Some cars are less expensive to making pro-touring than others, 3rd gens are great platform to start with.

 

I agree. Which is why I thought it would be good to have a forum like that on here, because it would be easy and relatively cheap to do.

 

If you really want to make a 3rd gen handle put a Corvette IRS into it.
The major limiting factor on the 3rd gen car is the solid rear axle.. great for 1/4 mile strength but for handling the IRS is vastly superior.

You could easily build a C4 vette. Those cars with some tuning can easily generate 1G on the slalom. all the mods you would do to a SBC in a 3rd gen carry over the vette. and the right year vette will start off with a TPI engine..

 

For a quarter mile car... anything with a solid rear axle is fair game.

but honestly, if I were to build a pro-touring car. I would start with a C4 'vette.
You have all the modern suspension and braking you will need along with a decent engine. and plenty of bolt-on upgrades.

Stay away from the CFI junk, find one with TPI and a manual trans... there are plenty of them out there.

 

It is funny you should say that. I have a C-4, an 85, and it is much cheaper and the aftermarket is greater for a Camaro. It is TPI with the 4+3, I could build it but I would have to get rid of my 3rd gen.

 

Except on bumpy/rutted rods, there is no real advantage of having an IRS vs. a solid axe - this has been proven time and again.

While the C4 Vette is a great platform, a lot of the parts (TPI related) are practically the same, plus the proprietary parts are even harder to find now than the 3rd gen equivalents.

If you have an IROC or WS6 car (assuming the suspension is rebuilt to factory), all you need to hit 1g (probably a bit more) is a sticky set of 275-40-17 tires and a set of Konis tuned to the car. It's that easy.

 

I like the OPs idea. What sites currently support 3rd gen pro touring?

 

I've been looking around a lot on the web, and to be honest, this seems by far the best place to talk about 3rd gens competing with new Z28s and BOSS Mustangs. I was fortunate enough to be able to drive a Laguna SECA model BOSS and man oh man, it almost made me start liking Mustangs...

Then I heard about the new Z28 coming out!

I just don't see the point in buying something brand spanking new, when I can build it instead, and realistically for way cheaper money. As has been said above, there's really not a whole lot of difference between the 3GEN F-body and the new one. Cept 7.0-427-500HP and a T56

but why I'm picking up a 3GEN:
1) Knight Rider (I'm 30 and grew up on that show)
2) I just have always loved them, and I'm a Pontiac guy at heart
3) We weigh less than the new "lighter" z28 - rumor has it she's 3820 curb.

all of the above makes me really start to think the new z28 is more a publicity stunt to get rid of their LS7 stock maybe. I like the car, but man is that heavy. Can't argue with her NurburgRiNG laptimes though. That guy was booking.

I personally think a road-racing/pro-touring/auotx area, if it ever was popular enough would be cool as a sub-board. That way the straight line boys have their section, and those that like to drive fast, turn hard, and brake have ours too. Fact is, it's hard to build a car that can excell at both.

 

Just so you newer guys know, this section is for all organized racing (for the most part) drag, autocross, and road racing. Road racing is just not in the title.

There are sections for LSX swaps, and a section for suspension if you wanted to do a Pro-Touring build.

There probably doesn't need to be a new section to combine a few sections together.

New cars today are big because people must be fatter than 10-30 years ago , they want more interior room along with a big trunk, high tech options. They need extensive crumple zones, many airbags, etc. Even the new Stingray weighs 3298 lbs instead of 3201. There are several reasons why people in this country don't buy Miatas, S2000s, RX8s, Solstices and other small sports cars/coupes.

 

Homer23,
that got a laugh out of me! That's great.

I noticed checking some things, it seems quite a few 3rd gen F-bodies running good in AutoX. These guys are in pretty much all the classes, so it's definitely doable. It seems having gobs of torque isn't exactly a great thing on the autox. I'm not one to say for certain though, I've autox'd, but it was in my 69 El Camino. yeah it was fun for sure! and that's the most important thing, but did I do "well" as far as actual lap times? Let's just say they appreciated me helping put the cones back.

they all had a blast watching me try though. The down-low torque in my 7.0L got the better of me though, even with 295s on back, she was a pain to handle with any sort of throttle. That's why I'm thinking those 1LE cars, 5.0/5spd would be a great way to go.

 

With Auto-x, drivers determine what car, setup, power level, etc. that works best for them. When you first start out, high torque cars are very difficult to control because you really have to be able to control the throttle application.