Even though Jim has plenty for friends, ride-a-longs are limited to one-at-time due to the rear-seat-delete option. That area is now home to an amp rack and a small storage compartment. What can you say? Dude digs his tunes.
Perplexed with the interior, now the main focal point, Jim decided the pedestrian red pigment needed a facelift. So, the car went back to Figliola and the crew at AI design for a glassy dousing of dark silver metallic wrapped in a brilliant, Viper Red bumblebee stripe around the hind quarters.
With the ’69 granted a new lease on life, Jim chose a pair of 18x10 Fikse Profile 5s wheels up front with 2-inch wider versions hanging out back. Toyo R888’s reside on all four corners (275/35-18 front, 335/30-18 rear) making sure the C5 Vette binders comply during aggressive deceleration.
We asked Jim what he might do different if he had the chance to start the build all over again. Answering candidly, Jim said, “It would have been cheaper if I had started with an unfinished car instead of making changes to a completed hot rod. That’s one of the reasons I named the car ‘Hoover.’ This thing inhales money faster than a top-of-the-line vacuum sucks up dog hair at the Humane Society.”
No matter the cost, he couldn’t be happier about how the car performed at the 2008 Run Through the Hills event in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. “Participating in the RTH4 event was great,” Jim goes on. “It allowed me to really beat on the car and share a great experience with fellow enthusiasts. But none of that would have been possible without the help of some fantastic and knowledgeable people. I’d really like to thank Todd Tureski, Steve Chryssos, Matt Figliola, Job Spetter and Manny Sirrus. These guys made great contributions in design and function. I can’t thank them enough.
It goes to show that Camaro guys know exactly what they want and they won’t stop until their ride is done exactly how they envisioned, even if it means taking someone else’s dream and completely dismantling it. Hey Jim. Hoover? We like it…