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Pro Street Is Still Alive!

MuchoReverbo

MuchoReverbo

Surf/Instro Fan Extraordinaire
Subscriber
Anyone here into pro street? While it peaked in the 1990's, there is still a significant presence today.

I'm trying to finish my 1964 Nova SS that I've owned since 1983. Getting close. Hopefully it will be finished this year.

There are still plenty of shows, drag & drive events, and other gathering nationwide - especially on the East Coast (PA, OC MD, Outer Banks, Pidgeon Forge, and many more across the country). A real good one is in Indy. I subscribe to Zlumlord on YouTube who specializes in pro street shows - especially the OBX gatherings but you'll see him all over the country too.

Events like Sick Week, Hot Rod Drag Week, Havlik's Fastest Street Car Shootout are just a few of the race/shows.

If you have a pro street car post it up!

Here are a few vids.....



 
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Used to know some of the more-prominent Pro-Street guys from South Georgia back in the 1980s and 1990s. Richard Godley and Ricky Griffin. Ricky worked for a body shop, that was right next door to the GM dealership where my Dad worked. In fact, I think Dad had Ricky do some bodywork on one of my cars, after Dad had a minor fender-bender in it. Godley had a transmission shop, that did a LOT of performance transmissions for guys all over south Georgia.

Godley had a Gen 2 Camaro with a blown big-block, and Griffin had a Chevy II with a blown small block (I think he may have gone to a big-block later). Both had the look, and could back it up at the track. I know for sure, that Griffin's Chevy II was a 10-second car, even back then, and Godley may have even gone faster. Tubbed, with 14" wide rear tires on the Chevy II. They were terrors at Albany Dragway in Albany GA. I think both of them were in Hot Rod Magazine- and one or both of them may have well been on the cover, IIRC.

It was funny, to be with my Dad when we drove by the body shop- and see twin, 14" wide, black marks on the street out front. "Oh, Ricky must have been out testing again..." :D

Regards,
Gordon.
 
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I remember seeing Ricky Griffin's car with the big meats, for the first time... "Good grief, where does the SUSPENSION go?" Looked like the rear tires almost met the pumpkin in the center of the diff! Chevy II bodies ain't that wide!

Regards,
Gordon.
 
I have a 509 too.
• Gen VI GM HO502 Short Block (Bill Mitchell Hardcore Race Prepped)
• Forged internals
• Dart 360 heads
• Isky mechanical roller cam
• Jesel shaft rockers
• Jesel belt drive
• BDS 8-71 supercharger
• Twin Quick Fuel 950 cfm double-pumpers
• MSD ignition

Here it is on the dyno....

1774241005274.png

1774241018665.png

Video Link Below...

2022-01-13_1813858740_1505092009876485.mp4

drive.google.com drive.google.com

Street Setup (Pump Gas)
  • 92 octane fuel with 8 PSI boost
  • 958 HP @ 7,200 RPM
  • 811 ft/lbs torque @ 4600 RPM
Race Setup
  • 110 octane race fuel with 12 PSI boost
  • 1117 HP @ 7,200 RPM
  • 889 ft/lbs torque @ 4,600 RPM
 
Mystic said:
Pinging @grillebilly ....

Rick might not himself run (but he might?) a PS rig, but I'll bet he's built a few PS engines.
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Never had the dough to build a street showpiece for myself. I was fortunate enough to be in on the builds that started the Pro Street craze, first being Rick Dobbertin's Nova.

1965 Chevrolet Nova SS For Sale At Auction - Mecum Auctions

View the 1965 Chevrolet Nova SS for sale at Indy 2019 in Indianapolis, IN as S236.
www.mecum.com
LS7 crate motor that we disassembled and fitted for blower pistons, balanced, and all the needed machine work for boost and camshafts. Every magazine had multiple articles on it, Hotrod 3 months in a row IIRC. Only Popular HotRodding mentioned our shop.

Rick had to stretch the limits on his next build, a Pontiac J2000. This one had an all aluminum SB that was built piece by piece. Too much trick stuff to mention. Way over the top.
www.hotrod.com

Pro Street Is Back!

Rick Hay brings the famous Rick Dobbertin J2000 Pro Stret back to the limelight and proves Pro Street is still cool.
www.hotrod.com www.hotrod.com

Once again his local machine shop, Kenson Auto Machine, wasn't mentioned much. In fairness, while we had the most well equipped shop in the DC area, Dobbertin was the artist. We were just an extension of his hands doing everyday machine work. Same things I did for everyone else.

From a personal perspective that's probably skewed, I would rather make a real pass than drive to to a show. We can all appreciate the artistry of course.
 
I think that Mike Cotten still has the Pro Street Mirada that they redid on 'Faster with Newburn and Cotten":


Maybe more show than go, but EXTREMELY representative of the look of the era.

I'm just glad to see any decent Pro Streeter get saved and enjoyed, rather than going to the crusher.

Regards,
Gordon.
 
MuchoReverbo said:
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Bus with zoomies for the win. :D

IMHO, the Vette with the checkered flag paint, wins for best 80s throw-back bad-ass-ness, though. It's got it all, the custom stripes/scallops/patterns paint, the Greenwood style sunken headlights, and a big-ass bug-catcher.

The first 'Cuda in the video, is pretty mean looking, too.

Regards,
Gordon.
 
They are a cool bunch of guys. They hang out at the OBX (Outer Banks) of North Carolina plus travel the country to numerous shows and events.

More of them will be showing up later in the summer. Some of them belong to a group called "The Blown Mafia".

Here's the leader of the "Blown Mafia" Bradley Gray in his awesome garage. In addition to Bradly's awesome cars, you'll notice Rick Dobbertin's 1965 Nova SS is sitting there. Another guy owns it now and takes it to shows.

 
MuchoReverbo said:
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That butterscotch-color Nova near the end, made me think of David Freiburger's "Tunnel Cram Nova".

tunnel_cram_nova.jpg

They had to give up on the pro-street 1969 Mustang on Roadkill Garage- but I was glad that they followed through with the Tunnel Cram in the Nova.

I will never end being amused by a blower on top of a tunnel ram. Genius. Pure genius. :D

EDIT: Holy crap, I have been re-watching a lot of Engine Masters episodes- and not even ONE MINUTE after I posted this, here's David Frieburger going "And now- the TUNNEL CRAM!". What timing!!

Regards,
Gordon.
 
GordonW said:
That butterscotch-color Nova near the end, made me think of David Freiburger's "Tunnel Cram Nova".

View attachment 3760493

They had to give up on the pro-street 1969 Mustang on Roadkill Garage- but I was glad that they followed through with the Tunnel Cram in the Nova.

I will never end being amused by a blower on top of a tunnel ram. Genius. Pure genius. :D

EDIT: Holy crap, I have been re-watching a lot of Engine Masters episodes- and not even ONE MINUTE after I posted this, here's David Frieburger going "And now- the TUNNEL CRAM!". What timing!!

Regards,
Gordon.
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Methinks he took the motor out of it and listed the Nova for sale. Why, no idea.
 
damacman said:
Methinks he took the motor out of it and listed the Nova for sale. Why, no idea.
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I think he went into "car storage overload" mode again. Too many cars, nowhere to put them all. He also had a bunch of other cars up for sale, including the El Cochino, and even the Crop Duster.

At least they got the Nova running and driving... and made some pretty good passes with it at the track.

Regards,
Gordon.
 
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