Pro Street
Making a street car look like a race car is the basis of the Pro Street formula. The most dramatic feature of any Pro Streeter is the mile-wide meats in the rear, made possible by a back-half kit, the narrowed differential, and the stretched wheelwells. Add a giant hoodscoop or poke a big 6-71 huffer through the hood and slather the body in custom paint and graphics, and you're in business.
Why you want it: It's nearly impossible for a Pro Street Pontiac to go anywhere unnoticed. Even those who aren't into Pro Street will at least stop to gape at the mods and craftsmanship that go into a quality build.
How to live with it: If you plan on driving it regularly, build a pump gas engine combo. Avoid the spool and stick with a posi out back. Aluminum interior panels are a Pro Street hallmark, but upholstery will reduce interior noise on the road considerably. Make sure you have brakes, drivetrain, and safety equipment that are commensurate with the power.
Holy Rollers
Everybody wants 20-inch-plus wheels and tires nowadays. Yes, they can look great, especially if you like the appearance of black rubber bands wrapped around chrome, but there are a few things to consider.
Why you want them: They're the latest style and add plenty of flash on the show field and on the street.
How to live with them: Those super-wide meats with seemingly no sidewall will result in thousands of dollars in repair or replacement cost should you hit one big pothole. Also, ride harshness will increase as the sidewall height decreases. If the Pontiac is "show only," you can go all out, but if you plan on driving it on a regular basis, you may want to look at a 17-, 18- or 19-inch wheel/tire combo (shown) unless you're in an area of the country that has very, very smooth roads.
Big Binders
Those giant wheels and tires fill the wheelwells great, but do your brakes fill up those wheels? In conjunction with increases in wheel and tire sizes come ever larger brakes. Currently, there are disc-brake kits offered in sizes from 10.5-inch up to 14-inch rotors with multi-piston calipers (from single up to six) for Pontiacs.
Why you want them: There's no such thing as too much brake. Bigger brakes are an absolute necessity from a safety standpoint if you have added a few hundred horsepower to your combo and you plan to use it. They're also an absolute necessity visually if you mount big wheels on your Pontiac. Few things look funnier than giant wheels with tiny discs or drums peeking through them.
How to live with them: As long as you purchased a complete kit from a reputable company that stands behind its product, it should be smooth sailing. Just keep in mind you won't be going back to the old 15-inch wheels ever again without having to replace those 13- or 14-inch brakes. As a general guideline, 17-inch wheels or larger are required with 13-inch brakes, 16-inch wheels with 12-inch brakes, and 15-inch wheels with 11-inch brakes. There are exceptions, of course, as some companies can get a 12-inch rotor within a 15-inch wheel, so check with the company before you order.
Rightful Air
We didn't get into typical suspension mods for this story because the look is just as important as the performance and you really can't see most suspension mods very well on the show field or at the cruise in. You can see that a car is lowered, so lowering springs and drop spindles can be considered. However, if you want to get wild, an air suspension system can not only promise increased handling prowess if chosen correctly, but it will also allow complete control over ride height at the push of a button.
Why you want it: You can drop the rockers to the pavement when the Pontiac is parked and raise it back to an acceptable ride height for driving.
How to live with it: It's tempting to drive around with the Pontiac sitting very low, just realize that you need acceptable oil pan clearance to the street if you want to keep driving. You can also use air suspension to your advantage by setting a slightly higher-than-usual ride height on rough roads to avoid crunching up your lower body or exhaust on typical obstructions. Choose a complete kit from a single manufacturer, as playing mix and match with components will lead to poor results more times than not.