Possible future pro touring build, wheel input needed

Both my GN and GS restorations are nearing completion and I want to start thinking about building the next dream car. I have always loved the idea of having a muscle car that is capable of carving corners and stopping on a dime. Over the past few days I have done extensive research on pro touring cars and I am hoping this thread will help me learn more. Below is a list of goals, ideas, budget, car, etc.

NOTE: This build would not be until the end of this year, just trying to gauge options.

Car:

A 70-72 skylark
Stock-ish 455
200 4r
3.73 posi

explanation: Eventually I would like to develop this car into a cross country driver. For now that build will do, but I would like to one day go with a T400 and GV overdrive and install EFI after a mild motor build.

Goals:

A fun street car capable of tearing up country roads and the occasional auto cross. This would be more of a street car than race car. I don't need the best available parts to achieve this. This car would be similar to what most people in the v8 pro touring section are running.

Budget: I do not want to go crazy here. If I can find a solid 1970 Skylark in the 5K range that wears some patina I am happy. I do not want to do any body work/paint. After that, I want to spend 5-7K on the suspension, brakes, wheels, and tires. I think that should accomplish what I want to achieve. Input welcome! This budget does not account for the GV overdrive, EFI, or motor build. That is all future stuff. I already have a 455 ready to go and a 3.73 10 bolt posi

I have pieced together my idea of a good suspension set up. All parts and prices are through summit racing:

QA1 coilovers- $445
QA1 upper and lower control arms- $850
Hotchkis front and rear sway bars- $450
Open to rear suggestions- contorl arms etc. Something spherical from my understanding.
Jeep steering box uprgrade

Brakes: Open to suggestions here. I have done a fair amount of research but seem to be stuck on a budget mindset. I was thinking Wilwood 4 piston D52 calipers on the front and a S10/blazer conversion on the rears.

Wheels and tires. Here is where I am really stuck. To me, the perfect pro touring look requires a mesh style wheel. Obviously they are $$$ and hard to find in a size/bolt pattern that work for our cars.I do not want to modify wheel wells. I definitely want to run 17s because of tire prices/ availability.

My ideal tire rims and tire sizes:
Front- 275x40x17 on a 17x9.5 with 5.50 backspacing
Rear- 315x35x17 on a 17x11 with 6.25 backspacing

Is my only option to fork out $2000+ on custom mesh wheels? I am open to changing wheel/tire sizes if the right wheels were available. the TSW nurburrings are the perfect style for me but the offset is crazy on them. From my understanding our cars need to have an offset between 0-12mm correct, or am I missing something? I am committed to doing this right and having one mean Buick street car!

 

Sound like a nice car. Maybe see you on the Hot Rod Power Tour! Keep us posted on the progress.

 

I am buckling up to enjoy this ride!

 

I have been looking at the weld rts wheels in black with polished lip in those sizes for mine , they make any size and offset around $2000

 

I hope you like long rides, this one will take a while.

Thanks for your input!

 

Look into the 17x8 BMW E39 wheels. You can pick up a full set for ~$500. They 2 piece and made by BBS. Some would run them right on our 5x4.75" hubs as the BMW 5x120mm comes out to 5x4.65", but I'd recommend getting a set of billet wheel adapters in a .75" size to be safe. That should allow you to run a set of high quality meshes with some 255/45s for ~$700 after the adapters that will fit your GS.

 

Being you are looking at going with 17" wheels I would go with up graded brakes. You can do a factory big brake using corvette pieces. using a purchased or self made bracket.

For some good info check out:

pro-touring.com

and pick up the book. How to Make Your Muscle Car Handle by Mark Savitske owner of Savitske classics and customs. Who is also a member at pro-touring.

Tim

 

Thank you for your input. I would rather spring the cash for a custom set than running spacers or even attempting to mount the 5x120s on our 5x120.65. I have never been a fan on spacers. Another option would be to drill the axles to make them 5x120, I have seen it done before.

Tim, great advice! I have been spending more time at the pro-touring website than v8 (gasp! Lol). I just ordered Mark's book from Sc&c.

thank you both again! This build is going to happen, just a matter of when. Once the weather breaks I'm going to start searching for a candidate.

 

I am working on something like this as well. I was going to go with UMI all the way around.
As far as brakes, run manual disc all the way around and run 15 steel wheels. Sleeper look but looking at Boss338 or Torque thrust 2 in a 17in rim in black. The torque thrust are not bad in price but they are a popular rim so everyone has them, but could be found used. To help with the search on rims, Chevy s10, Camero (not sure about the new ones) and a lot of the late 90's early 00's GM cars used the same bolt pattern just check back spacing. So if you find something that is advertised for a newer vehicle it should work and be cheaper. So don't limit your search but double check before you buy.

 

Good luck with the mesh wheel search. I searched for weeks, but eventually gave up on the true mesh due to budget. You can do the BMW wheel thing, but you won't be getting a lot of lip. I settled for some Coys C-67s and love them. I have gotten a LOT of positive response, and the pictures online don't do them justice. Yeah sure they are patterned after Eleanor's wheels (Gone in 60 Seconds Mustang) but who cares.

If you want to do it right, look at a custom 2 piece by Centerline, Forgeline, Boze, Rushforth, etc. But be prepared to spend 700-1500 a wheel...

 

subscribe

 

I'm doing a similar build right now. I have viking double adjustable coilovers front and rear, they are a very nice piece and cheaper than qua1 singles. I went with umi adjustable spherical arms in the back with speed tech mounts for the Vikings and it all looks very high quality. For the front I went with speedway tall dropped spindles, a arms and the cherokee box as well. These were all budget parts. Lots of options out there.

 

For wheels, i'd suggest 18's over 17's. Having shopped for 17's i find the tire size selection is limited compared to the 18's. The prices are very similar. Also most of the really good brakes seem to support 18's but not 17's. Thats not to say 17's has no options but 17 is getting to be old technology now. Some tire sizes are even being discontinued.

For Mesh Wheels, i totally support your decision. You've got good taste! I really liked mesh wheels before they became popular. I wanted something different and these were it.

Dont disregard the BMW wheels just yet, you can still make them work without spacers. Here is a wheel i got in 2006 (attached) for $300, and i havent been able to find any info on them, but they are a really high quality wheel. Originally made for BMW. On the back it says Made in Italy. The rest of the info is on the front. They also come with center caps that say RW. The previous owner had them on a Firebird. The best way i can describe the modification, is it looks like the holes were oversized, and a black bushing like material was inserted. Then the holes were redrilled for the 5x4.75" pattern. The black material is hard, almost as hard as the aluminum wheel, but it almost looks like rubber.

In any case, i've had these on my skylark, and my firebird, and a handful of other GM's i've owned over the years. The wheel just slides on, no adapters. Its got a massive 3" lip, so it looks cool as hell. Plus no one has white wheels, so they are always different.

Im not saying to search for RW wheels, but im trying to show you can do the same thing to a BMW wheel. Just becareful about the offset, because most BMW wheels put the rim too close to the frame on our cars. But there are ones that will work, factory BMW or Aftermarket.

You should ask around town to see if someone could perform such a modification to your wheels. Search the internet, the BMW to GM thing is very common now, and you may be able to find a technical article on exactly how to modfiy the wheel safely. Good luck with the build. I like your idea of trying to stay on budget and not getting carried away with a $100,000 ++++ dollar car.

 

problem with bmw wheels is most are to narrow , 11 wide rears fit nicely

 

Viking seems like a great company. I may go with them since their reviews are great. Helps free up a little more budget room. PM sent

This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for your input. I have talked myself into spending the cash for the right wheels. I want to do it right the first time so I can have a solid foundation to build on with future upgrades i.e drivetrain, interior, comfort features.

I agree. 315/35 are what I'm shooting for on the rear, fit perfectly on an 11 inch wide rear.

Thanks for everyone's insight and interest. Hopefully the ball starts rolling on this project sooner rather than later. Knowing me it will be later rather than sooner. :laugh:

 

Those look great! I will pile on to what you said about the 18s. I also was hesiant, but 18s I think are they way to go for the sake of tire selection and performance. It is kind of the sweet spot for contact patch and sidewall thickness, but still giving you a little flex. You don't want too thin of a sidewall, else you get an overly harsh ride and the wheels can get beat up on the street. I also read the a 26" overall diameter is kind of the sweet spot as well.

PLEASE make sure if you go the BMW route you do the research and mount them responsibly by using a redrilled bolt pattern or some sort of adapter... it is a bad technique to have a wheel depart and pass you on the highway! Also, doing some calculations and measuring is critical when figuring out your backspace and spacer requirements to get the wheels to fit both front and back. Check out my thread in this forum about my wheel selection, and also pay a visit to pro-touring.com as there is a wealth of info there in this subject.

 

Stay tuned...:TU:

 

I will be following along.

 

I second this. Went down this exact path on my pro touring build.... if I did it over again I would do the Vette brake conversion.

 

Anyone in need of a set of 18" tires. I have a set of 235/40-zr18 Goodyear Eagle F-1 Asymmetric 2 95Y XL. Summer only tires take offs from my 2013 Focus ST. That have about 8K miles on them. (I can get the actual mileage if wanted) I swapped to an identical tire but all season as the Focus is my daily driver. No damage or repairs. They are just taking up space in my storage right now. $400 or b.o + the ride. shoot me a P.M

Tim