Are you a car enthusiast? If so, one of the things you will no doubt love to do is take part in pro-touring muscle car events. The trouble is, building such a vehicle can often take a lot of time – and money! But, what if I told you there was a way that you can do this without spending a fortune?
Sure, one way is to win the lottery. But, I’m not sure I fancy your odds of winning! I’m afraid the only way to do that is by spending your hard-earned cash. Don’t worry; you won’t need lots of money! So, what are the secrets of building a vehicle worthy of pro-touring muscle car events?
The good news is that I’m going to reveal everything you need to know in today’s blog post! Keep reading to find out more:
Buy a cheap muscle car
The first thing you need to do is, of course, buy a muscle car! Now, at this point, you might be thinking you’ll need to spend five-figure sums. Here’s the shocker: you could pick one up for a three-figure sum if you know where to look!
As you can imagine, the kind of car you’ll get for that money won’t be perfect. And, it’ll probably be quite old. Still, you could end up with a solid ride that isn’t rusty! I recommend looking at autos for sale from drier parts of the country. That way, you won’t have to spend time and money welding in new sections of bodywork.
It doesn’t matter whether the motor inside the car is any good or not. All you need to worry about is buying a muscle car that looks amazing and rolls down the road with no issue.
Gut the interior and engine bay
Once you’ve acquired your muscle car, you need to strip it out. That includes the engine as well. There are two reasons why you are doing this. First of all, you want to make your muscle car lighter. And, second, you want to “see” what you’re working with.
Working with a rolling shell means you can identify any bodywork that needs attention. To save on costs, I recommend you learn how to weld. You should also get yourself a good quality welder.
Get the car vinyl wrapped
Once you’ve fixed any bodywork issues, your next task is to finish off the look. You could get the car resprayed, of course. But, you’ll end up spending a lot of money to achieve that goal.
A cheaper and innovative alternative is to have it vinyl wrapped. In a nutshell, this is where you have a layer of vinyl covering the body. The job is a fraction of the cost of a respray. Plus, you can just peel it off when you fancy a change!
There are two ways of getting your muscle car wrapped. The first is to have a big film heated onto the body. And the second is to “spray” it on just like paint. Either option is still much cheaper than a typical respray.
Get a new motor
You will need to get the right drivetrain for your muscle car. There are plenty of options out there, one of which is the legendary LS1 unit. Some people even fit them to Mustangs, much to the dismay of Ford purists!
Try to look for a crash-damaged car where the engine is otherwise intact. You won’t have to pay much for the motor and gearbox. Plus, it’ll be more reliable and powerful than the stock unit!
Upgrade the wheels, suspension, and brakes
It’s important that your pro-touring muscle car handles wells and stops. Scrap the components that your car came with. It’s time to upgrade them!
A set of lightweight aluminum alloy wheels with Michelin tyres is a good start. For the suspension, it makes sense only to opt for race-spec parts.
As for the brakes, the bigger, the better! Unless you’ve got a big budget, forget about carbon brakes. You can, however, opt for a set of Brembo brakes or similar. Plus, replacement rotors and pads won’t cost a fortune.
Strengthen the chassis
Last, but not least, you’ll need to strengthen the car. Start by adding a roll cage inside of the vehicle. Next, you can add some strut braces to the front and rear suspension turrets. The aim is to ensure your car doesn’t flex much when going around corners at speed.
If you’ve bought an old muscle car, this step is vitally important! A strong chassis will give you the edge you need when racing.
Good luck!