LSX '55

Hello Gentlemen,

New member. Not great at introductions so I figured I'd ask an honest question instead.

Please tell me if the result of my goal is either a Restomod or a Pro Touring build...

Owner of a 55 Chevy, looking to put together the following:

Short Specs:

-LSX 454
-Fuel-Injection
-Procharger (maybe)
-T-56 trans
-Art Morrison GT-Sport Chassis

*I would like to hit the 700hp mark but 650+ N/A is perfectly fine. Nothing bottle-fed.

I want to be able to cruise comfortably on the weekends; take a trip to the store; drive up to Hot August Nights if I want; and not worry about breaking down constantly - would actually settle for a reliable 600-650hp.

Also, not sure if I will be tubbing or not but definitely not chopping.

Is this considered a Restomod or Protouring car?

What's the difference?

-TK

mebuildit

I don't know the "rules" of naming which is which.
But it sounds like you are building a nice car.
Just remember everything costs more than you think and never add up all of your receipts.

emfh

A pro-touring car is focased on handeling and are generally auto cross/street cars. A resto mod is an older car with modern comforts like fuel injection, overdrive trans, ac, cruise etc. I built a pro touring car with big brakes, 17 inch tires and low profile tires stiffer lowering springs etc. and didnt care for it. I drove the car on the power tour and long week end road trips. I have since switched back to 15 inch rubber factory brakes, monroe shocks, kept the sway bars and springs and i like the ride alot better. Good luck with the build.

My6speedZ

iTrader: (18)

This pretty much covers it.

However, you can achieve both from simply a styling aspect as well, leaving the mechanics neutral for both set-up, meaning either/or.

Here is an example:

This is a 55 from Pro-Touring.com




This is a 55 I found when i Google Image searched "restomod 55 chevy":



As you can see they are both basically identical except for the wheels. One set is modern and the other is from the same era the car was originally from (as they were both image searches I have no info about the rest of the car).

Restomod tends to adress the engine. Either large BBC motors that are way more advanced (better heads, EFI, ect) or just plain larger than they were back in the day, or they can have Gen 3/4 swaps.

Pro-touring CAN have gen 3/4 swaps but I have seen them with SBC and even BBC engines. So they are not mutually exclusive. However, where in Restomod the focus is on bringing the powerplant into the modern age. With Pro-Touring is usually focused around the suspension, brakes, and everything else. As one guy on Pro-Touring.com put it when talking about his 1970 Chevelle build "I want it to ride, drive, and feel like a brand new car while having the body of a Chevelle". The ride height coupled with the style of wheels are usually the biggest tell tale signs of Pro-touring or Restomod rides.

Restomod rides tend to be lowered a little with classic style wheels. Pro-Touring tends to be lowered a little more than Restomod with modern style wheels.

The biggest thing to remember is that it is your car and I wouldn't get caught up in which "definition" the car fits on, and I certainly wouldn't let it influence how I would build the car. You can have it handling great thus being a pro-touring or just put modern wheels on it and not do any of the other things you listed. Those definitions can simply refer to styling as well.

All in all... I wouldn't sweat it.

nofun

I hate the BS names people give car builds. Build your car your way and
call anything you like. I'm calling mine a "Retro Rattlecan Restoration"
just to **** people off. I'm sure a few years from now it will be the hottest
new building style. LOL

bwilde86

iTrader: (5)

I think a lot depends on who you ask too. If you go on classic vehicle forums they either consider it a restoration or if you upgrade anything it's a resto mod. I'm planning on doing a turbo 6.0 55-57 chevy truck. Seems people consider my plans a pro touring resto mod. I'm also planning to get a new chassis and upgrade to a c4 suspension. But I also want all the luxuries of today (AC power windows and locks radio etc). So I am not building to compete in races. I just want a very strong truck that handles well.

Good luck with your build! Sounds awesome

JustinEntropyRad

The T56 and AM Chassis would lead me to believe this would be more of a Pro-Touring setup. nice list of potential parts, but the power figures would be accurate with the blower..could easily eclipse the $80k mark depending on choice of body, interior, paint, misc...