Classic & Custom Restorations
Amsleys
Customs |
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Vented 454 - '69 Camaro Convertible. Featured in Camaro Performer's Magazine See the complete thread on Lateral-G.net Forums... What do you do when your site unseen ebay purchase turns out to be a patchwork nitemare? Well, if you're bill and larry amsley you turn that 30 year old rusted detroit iron into a one-off hand crafted masterpiece. After dismantling the 69 camaro and revealing previously done shoddy bodywork and rotting sheet metal, the Amsley duo decided to start from scratch and build something unique and out of the box without destroying the beauty of the original iconic styling. One off pieces include a custom chin spoiler, front valance, rocker trim, clean firewall and extended cowl hood. The dash and functional roll bar are also fully custom but the most notable item is the classic '69 scallops in the rear quarters that the Amsleys turned into agressive looking air vents - contributing to half the name 'vented 454'. The other half of course is the 454 big block built by Shawn Ridgley. The relatively mild build focused around massive torque and drivability with horsepower topping out at a conservative 450 hp at 5000 rpm. The remainder of the drivetrain includes the reliable and bulletproof turbo 400 trans along with the highway-friendly 3.08 rear 10 bolt rear. They next focussed on bringing the handling and braking ability up to match the forward motion. The full Martz front subframe and lowering hotchkis leafs in the rear allowed for the agressive stance and 2 inch drop in ride height. Wilwood 4 piston calipers on all 4 corners bring the drilled and slotted discs to a halt. To get all that ability to the ground they added 18 inch front and 20 inch rear 5-spoke boze ZE forged tach rollers with Nitto 245/40 and 275/35 rubber. The interior consists of the Amsley’s custom work throughout. Starting with the dash, Bill got busy creating a one-off piece that possesses a slightly modern look, but he was careful not to alienate The General’s familiar operating quarters. Stewart Warner Maximum Performance white face gauges are meticulously aligned and aggregate the necessary performance data. What’s left of the dash has been smoothed and painted, playing perfectly into the look of the matching gray stitching installed by Helmans Upholstery. The unique roll bar is another custom piece the Amsley’s fabricated for aesthetics as well as functionality and safety. As alluded to previously, this car was built for the sole purpose of driving-not just for show. It's hard to improve on perfection and the '69 camaro styling
is often described in those terms. We think you'll agree that the Amsley's
have somehow taken that perfect styling to the next level. |