For anyone who has ever considered purchasing a muscle car for personal enjoyment or even for profit, you’ve probably heard of or may have done some research into what some consider to be the ultimate muscle car: the Pro-tec. But what exactly is a Pro-tec, and what type of modifications can be made to one to make it perform to its full potential? Well, a Pro-tec muscle car is one that has been fully adapted to its intended purpose; to be an everyday street legal vehicle. Many of these cars were built by professional Custom Auto Modifiers who has put together a fully functional and reliable vehicle that can be modified with parts from other manufacturers, but retain all of the factory “stock” characteristics.
PRO-TOURNACH. Pro-Touring is a more common style of modified classic muscle cars, typically with better suspension systems, more air bags, bigger brake discs, and other added amenities to fully compliment a car’s original purpose. These heavily modified cars are generally built to exceed the capabilities of their most original counterparts, to serve as a cheaper, more efficient daily driver, or to completely replace them as collectible, or super fast road going vehicles.
PRO-TOURNACH. The Pro Tours is also known simply as Pro-tones, meaning, “speed tapers”. A Pro-touring car is a modern take on a classic muscle car, that features higher ground clearance, low ground flutter, high flow front bumper wiper, HID conversion headlights, HID conversion exhaust, aluminum body panels, stainless steel fender flares, front bumper lip, fog lights, and rear projector fog boxes. These are a few of the many suspension components found in modern day pro-touring car builds.
PRO-GLIDE. Many modern day PRO-tones feature carbon fiber body panels, front and rear bumpers, front and rear suspensions, and higher ride heights. A popular option that many enthusiasts have chosen for customization is to completely replace the engine with a fiberglass body style, such as a Cuda. However, many enthusiasts also enjoy using Pro-tones with more traditional performance enhancing parts, such as stiffer suspension components. Suspension components such as stiffer springs, struts, and stabilizer bars can be replaced by coil springs, leaf springs, and solid shocks, replacing components such as hydraulic brake pads, and/or hydraulic rotors and drums. Many people also choose to replace the transmission fluid and oil pump with higher performance fluids and oils, while many utilize a high performance oil to keep their Pro-tone looking fresh through regular use.
GRIMSBONES. All Pro-touring vehicles come standard with GRIMSBONES. If you would like to upgrade to a custom ride and sound, or just boost your vehicle performance for fun, adding a set of GRIMSBONES can do wonders. These are available in several different color choices and are typically black with red accents or colored glass.
REPAIR CHANGES. Most PRO-touring vehicles are customized, but not all are spiffed up with performance parts, tuning pieces, and other restoration items. Some people opt to purchase aftermarket parts to customize their classic muscle cars, but some also choose to go the “resto-mod” route. This involves completely replacing the stock parts, replacing the engine with a Hot Wheels Drive Train, adding strobe lights, mirrors, emblems, wings, grilles, badges, wheels, badges, and more. Most of these upgrades are available at auto part stores or online.
DISC BRAkes. If you have ever been behind the wheel of a classic car, you would consider yourself lucky if it featured OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) disc brakes. Of course, there are many different types of disc brakes from numerous companies, and there are many who would consider this a necessity rather than a cool modification that they would consider hot.
EXACT COPY. Some car enthusiasts who truly want to make a statement with their customized vehicle may consider purchasing an exact replica of a particular car brand or model. The same concept as hot rods is the idea that a vehicle is customized so much so that it is an exact copy of that of another vehicle on the road today. Since this is often considered a custom car, it is best to confirm with the original vendor before purchase, as to whether or not the vehicle will be considered an exact copy.