SNOW JOB
August 29, 2024
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Pyramid Optimized Design: The Builder’s Secret Weapon
When a build needs to go from “cool idea” to “everyone’s talking about this,” the pros call Pyramid Optimized Design. They’re the team behind some of the most talked-about show cars on the planet — using custom automotive design services to transform raw ideas into fully engineered, show-winning, road-ready components. Pyramid doesn’t just make parts. They bring visions to life, concept to completion.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Ford fans will willingly tell you that the Mustang is the No. 1 muscle car built in America, but its style, affordability and performance has earned this popularity title all by itself. The 2005 Mustang GT is a prime example of Ford’s success, and it seems to only be evolving to an even higher level of popularity today. Some say the Mustang was getting long in the tooth and was becoming boring in recent years, but believe it or not, Ford addressed it just at the right time with its new retro-style pony. Maybe the Mustang was evolving too far away from its muscle car roots and Ford decided to bring it back to tighten its focus; then again, perhaps it was just a coincidence of timing.
Meet the Legends of Hot Rodding at the Triple Crown of Rodding
This isn’t just a lineup—it’s a living hall of fame. We’re talking the visionaries whose cars dominate the Ridler, the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR), and the Goodguys Top 12. The innovators who set the trends that every other shop follows. The craftsmen whose names carry weight in any serious shop conversation, even if they aren’t on reality TV every week.
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!
