It doesn’t always have to be about Camaros, Novas, and Chevelles if you’re a Chevrolet junkie. This 1970 Impala certainly gets a lot of looks with its low-down stance and large-diameter tire and wheel combination. It’s tough to make a big, heavy car handle well but it’s not impossible!
Ford platforms are a bit tricky because of the front suspension design, which involves mounting the spring and shock assembly on top of the upper control arm. This configuration does not have good geometry, and the bulky shock towers create a cramped engine bay. Ford guys generally have to get creative when it comes to getting the stance just right, but this Bobby Alloway–built Fairlane sits very low.
Ford Mustangs are a little easier to tackle, as a number of manufacturers, including Detroit Speed, offer suspension packages for most 1964–1970 Mustangs. By altering the suspension geometry, and reducing body roll, these cars can really handle well. Add a set of big brakes and sticky tires and you have a serious Pro Touring car.
Ford Cars
Ford offered a number of great choices for performance in the 1960s and 1970s, so if you’re a lover of the Blue Oval, you have plenty of options. Mustang is the prime choice, thanks to its lightweight unibody construction, good weight distribution, and vast aftermarket product support. You can also consider a compact cruiser, such as a Ford Falcon, step up to the midsize Fairlane, or go large with the Galaxie.
High-tech Pro Touring parts are not always available for every make and model but you’d be surprised at the product innovations in the past decade. Ford folks don’t quite have it as easy as the GM crowd when it comes to easy suspension swaps and parts availability but it won’t take long to catch up. In fact, Detroit Speed recently introduced its line of Mustang Aluma-Frame and QUADRALink suspension systems to fit 1964½–1970 Mustangs. Find out more on page 49.
Mopar Cars
What about the Mopar guys? You know there are lots of them out there, so why are there so few Mopars in the Pro Touring world? It all comes down to a suspension design that isn’t conducive to road racing or autocross racing. Lots of Mopar muscle cars had torsion-bar front suspension and leaf-spring rear suspension; it’s a suitable design for some forms of racing but it just doesn’t provide the same advantages as a generic coil-spring independent front suspension.
Coil springs and adjustable shocks provide much more adjustability than torsion bars, and Mopar’s front suspension geometry isn’t exactly ideal for a Pro Touring build. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to make a Mopar handle; it just means it costs a little more money and takes more time.
In most cases, the answer to these odd suspension configurations is to replace the entire setup with a more common design, such as a standard coil-spring front suspension. Detroit Speed’s solution is called the X-Gen subframe, which can be adapted to many applications, from street rods to muscle cars. It’s a generic 2 × 4–inch frame that ties into the existing front frame rails and features a race-proven front suspension geometry. It’s available in 53.5- and 59.5-inch track widths to fit a wide range of vehicles, and provide big-time handling improvements.
For the Mopar crowd, a true Pro Touring build is not easy. Many Mopar platforms featured torsion-bar front suspension and leaf-spring rear suspension, neither of which offer great handling in stock form. You can upgrade the torsion bars for an improved spring rate but at the end of the day, the poor suspension geometry is a big part of the handling problem.
Thinking outside the box certainly grabs more attention than a standard first-generation Camaro build. This Chevy Impala station wagon isn’t the prime suspect for a Pro Touring build but there are plenty of performance parts available for this full-size platform. This car’s crusty appearance adds to the cool factor!
Pickup trucks are also on the list of unconventional Pro Touring projects. Mark Turner didn’t go all out on his green Chevy C-10 but the truck now handles much better than stock, and offers a comfortable ride. The same theories apply to the trucks: lower the center of gravity, reduce body roll, and increase traction.
End Results
Through the years, the Pro Touring movement has seen a number of wild combinations with one-off parts and head-turning looks. The Pro Touring bug has bitten a lot of gearheads around the world as evidenced by everything from pickup trucks with trick suspension to unassuming classic cars from the 1950s. Some folks are even taking traditional-style hot rods from the 1930s and making them into all-out handling machines with wide rubber, big brakes, and serious suspension setups. Thinking outside the box (or as Hot Rod magazine used to say “Dare to be Different”) is a great option for folks who want to stand out from the crowd.
Hot Rod magazine coined the phrase “Dare to be Different” a few decades ago and it has carried through to the modern era. In the Pro Touring world, this Studebaker is about as different as it gets but it shares many traits with mainstream Pro Touring cars, including a supercharged LS engine.
Regardless of the multitude of options for build platforms, most builds are centered on the muscle car era, and that is where Detroit Speed has focused its efforts. From the earliest beginnings, Detroit Speed built components for first-generation Camaros. Since then, Kyle and Stacy Tucker have turned their business into the most popular source for Pro Touring components for many makes and models, including Camaro, Nova, Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Mustang, and Corvette.
Many enthusiasts are resorting to four-door and station wagon designs because the two-doors are harder to find, but the real advantage to these cars is space for all of your friends. This Chevy II wagon is a perfect Pro Touring example with its LS engine swap, big disc brakes, and aftermarket suspension.
The evolution of a business is dependent on a number of factors, and it was Kyle and Stacy Tucker’s passion to take a small backyard shop and turn it into a key player in the automotive aftermarket. The husband and wife team never imagined their efforts would catch on so quickly but the growth of their company speaks volumes for the quality and performance of each product. It certainly helps that Kyle and Stacy are hardcore enthusiasts, with the same desires that every gearhead possesses.
The early days of Detroit Speed remained in the two-car garage; Kyle and Stacy were the only employees. Starting small was the only option for this couple, but they eventually built a new shop and began hiring employees. Without question, the biggest shake-up in the company was the decision to move its operations from Michigan to Mooresville, North Carolina, in late 2004.
Although it was a risky decision for the Detroit Speed owners, the move offered more space, much cheaper operational costs,