ENGINE BAY PREP AND PAINT
January 3, 2023
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
THE RIDLER LOVE AFFAIR
It’s been said that in a perfect world creativity would flourish without criticism. Most attempts to reach a certain artistic understanding are generally met by some degree of judgment, and sometimes offhanded ridicule. Call it a misunderstanding, envy even, but the bottom line comes down to outrageous personal expression, whether some understand the need for it or not.
A FITTING TRIBUTE
When we shoot a feature, we give the owner a tech sheet to fill out to tell us about all the parts that were used on the truck. The tech booklet tells us what shocks or body modifications have been performed, and we always ask why that person has decided to build that particular truck. Many times the answer is that their father had one when the owner was a kid. This is the case with Hector Leon and his ’57 Chevy.
STAR CARS: A Family and Its Speedstar
Dale was working on a unique rod project when his father went to a Goodguys event and saw Bobby Alloway Speedstar’s new Rat’s Glass Speedstar body and Alloway frame package. Joe knew it was the look Dale was trying to accomplish, so he purchased the makings of a Alloway Speedstar street rod and traded it to Dale for his unfinished car. Joe and Dale then went to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, and saw a beautiful orange Speedstar that Alan Johnson had just finished. They were impressed with the roadster’s craftsmanship and attention to detail, so Dale decided to take his custom Speedstar build to Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama, to help him finish it. Dale’s intention was to build the roadster for outdoor car events, because the last rod he built was never driven, it was strictly an indoor show car. This time he wanted a rod that was exceptional, and a driver.
Spotlighter
GOD OF FIRE CORVETTE
This Big-Block ’66 Corvette Sting Ray Performs as Well as It Looks
“Corvette Bill” Bartenstein and his son, Bill Jr., are renowned around the state of Hawaii—more specifically Kailua—for their car-building talents. But that’s not all—at the 2007 Barrett-Jackson auction at Scottsdale, Arizona, a candy-blue Bartenstein-built ’69 Pro Touring Camaro fetched a record $182,000. It just so happens that this Firemist Red ’66 Corvette Sting Ray resto rod—another Bartenstein creation—rolled across the B-J auction block that same weekend and sold for an incredible $130,000. So what makes a Bartenstein-built car so attractive? Let’s take a closer look.
Author
Bob McClurg
Words & Photography
The Transformation of a Classic Corvette
According to Bartenstein Sr.: “We started out with an original 78,000-mile, one-owner 327 small-block Corvette. In fact, the same guy had owned the car for over 35 years. The car was a great driver but still had that ’60s look, so we removed the body from the frame and repainted and replaced just about everything.”
Powering Up with a ZZ502 Engine
For example, the Bartensteins replaced the original 327 with a 9.5:1-compression GM Performance Parts ZZ502, which produces over 500 hp. Although it’s stock internally, tune-up parts include an Edelbrock intake, a Holley 750cfm double-pumper carb and an MSD Pro-Billet electronic ignition system. Vintage Air climate control and serpentine engine pulleys, Year One ceramic-coated block-hugger headers and a pair of NOS Corvette side pipes complete the system. Backing it all up is an M22 four-speed equipped with a Centerforce clutch. A Be Cool four-core aluminum radiator and electric fan assembly handle engine cooling.
Upgraded Chassis and Suspension
Modifications to the chassis include a Vette Brakes & Products (VBP) tubular upper and lower A-arm/fiberglass mono-leaf suspension setup. Other updates to the front include VBP rack-and-pinion steering, a set of six-piston cross-drilled and slotted-rotor 14-inch VBP front disc brakes, and a VBP 1-1/4-inch front anti-sway bar.
Out back, the ’66 was updated to a 3.70:1-geared, late-model, single-mono-leaf-spring Corvette IRS equipped with VBP coilover rear shocks, a VBP 3/4-inch anti-sway bar and four-piston VBP cross-drilled and slotted-rotor rear disc brakes. Wheels and tires are 20×8-inch (front) and 20×10-inch (rear) Boyd Coddington wheels rolling on P245/40×20-inch BFGoodrich g-Force radial T/A rubber (front) and P295/35×20-inch BFGoodrich g-Force radial T/A rubber (rear).
A Flawless Paint Job and Exterior Modifications
Bill Bartenstein Jr. is renowned around the island for his incredible paint jobs, and the PPG candy-apple-red basecoat/clearcoat paint job on this Corvette backs that reputation. Prior to paint, Bartenstein flared both the front and rear fenders just as it was done in the ’60s, added a third taillight for a total of six, and installed a ’67 454 Corvette big-block hood.
Custom Interior Enhancements
Inside, the Corvette features the talents of island upholsterer Bob Arkus with its black-and-red ZR1 Corvette seats, door panels and headliner. Also along for the ride is the aforementioned Vintage Air climate control, a set of late-model Corvette electric windows and a Custom Autosound AM/FM Corvette radio. This is one nice Corvette!
