Serious66

This blog is dedicated to "Serious66" a 1966 Corvette we're bringing to SEMA 2025 to compete in the Battle of the Builders Hotrod Category! The debut will take place in HPTuners booth #23361 in Central Hall at 11am on Tuesday (Nov. 4th) we hope to see you there!

Foreword

I'll preface what's to come with a simple statement; I love what I do. The cars, components, & concepts, aren't just a career to me. Everything I create inadvertently ends up as a piece of myself in metal or composite form and this car is the epitome of that. It's my greatest hope that you'll read through this blog and realize this isn't just another high end hotrod clad with a carte blanche parts list, but perhaps something more; something unique. Please enjoy, and sincerely thank you for looking. -KC

 Introduction

Five years of uncompromising work distilled into a singular vision: the essence of a ’66 C2
elevated with modern engineering, bespoke craftsmanship, and cohesive design. Every surface, seam, and system has been re-imagined from one-off body details and integrated glass, to an LT4/ZF8HP drivetrain and hand-built interior. Serious66 is not just restored it’s comprehensively re-engineered, a study in restraint, innovation, and execution. This car was purpose built for SEMA’s prestigious Battle of the Builders competition 2025!

 

Quick Specification Overview

• 66 Corvette Build Name “Serious66” Build Started Aug. 2020 & Finished Oct. 2025
• Project Concept – Retain C2 Silhouette and Aesthetic, Tastefully Modernize the Rest.
• Fully Bespoke Leather Interior by BUX Customs Pottstown, PA
• Art Morrison GT Sport Chassis w/ IRS and Road Race Rack & Pinion - Heavily Modified
• Strange Engineering S60 IRS Differential with Detroit True-trac Posi
• JRI Double Adjustable Shocks with  Valving by JJ Furillo at Ultimate Performance
• 2019+ GM LT4 Direct Injected Crate Engine with Dry-Sump Oiling (650hp/650tq)
• ZF8HP-70 Paddle Shifted 8 Speed Transmission Controlled with Turbolamik TCU
• Fully Engineered Cooling Systems by PWR North America (Radiator, Auxiliary Supercharger Heat Exchanger, Remote Engine Oil Cooler, Transmission Fluid Cooler)
• PDM Body Control, Dakota Digital HDX Instrumentation, Dapper Lighting, Tuned by HPTuners, built in charger and jump start lugs hidden behind lic. plate.
• Forgeline RS6 3 Piece Forged Wheels with Tribars & Custom Machined Lockouts.
• Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Rubber 345/30-19 Rear, 295/25-19 Front
• Wilwood AERO6 15” Front, AERO4 14.25” Rear Brakes with BP30 Pads & Adjustable Ratio Tru-Bar Pedal mounted in reinforced laser cut assembly.
• Dual X-Pipe Exhaust with Bespoke 1.875” Headers, Dual 3” Oval Tube Center Section, & Custom Modified Magnaflow Mufflers & Resonators Finished with 3” Titanium Tips.
• Many Custom Body Modifications, One-Off Components, and Unique Features.
• Very Detailed, and Fully Finished to a High Standard Throughout Top to Bottom.

Judge’s Specification Overview

Concept

A five-year re-engineering of the 1966 Corvette. The unmistakable C2 silhouette is preserved,
but every system, surface, and detail has been modernized with restraint, precision, and
originality. The result is a cohesive, concours-level execution purpose-built for SEMA Battle of the Builders.

Chassis

Art Morrison GT Sport chassis, heavily modified for geometry and packaging. Strange
Engineering S60 IRS with Detroit True-Trac posi. JRI double-adjustable dampers, custom-
valved by Ultimate Performance. Forgeline RS6 wheels with functional tribar nuts, Michelin
Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (345/30-19 rear, 295/25-19 front). Wilwood AERO6/AERO4 brakes with
adjustable Tru-Bar pedal assembly.

Powertrain

GM LT4 supercharged, direct-injected, dry-sump oiled crate engine (650 hp / 650 lb-ft). ZF8HP-70 paddle-shifted transmission with Turbolamik TCU and optional electronic clutch pedal. Fully engineered cooling systems by PWR (engine, supercharger, engine oil, and transmission fluid). Dual X-pipe titanium-tipped exhaust with bespoke headers and oval-tubing recessed into the body.

Body

Flush-fit OEM glass in vacuum-formed channels, one-off CNC-machined handles and emblems, integrated rockers, tucked bumpers with fabricated closeouts, bespoke hood vents, and a completely seamless underside finished in matte body color. Each body interface is refined: fuel fill relocated into a custom CNC assembly under the rear emblem, titanium exhaust tips integrated into a reshaped valance, functional brake and wheel well venting. Over 800 custom 12-point ARP fasteners manually ball machined and polished.

Interior

Bespoke leather interior by BUX Customs. A CAD-designed dash bezel houses Dakota Digital HDX instrumentation and tcu readout, driver-focused controls, integrated brake bias adjustment, and transmission mode selector. Custom steering column engineered to integrate OEM clockspring assembly for paddle shifting without knee slapper cable. One-off steering wheel and horn cap, hand-stitched and enamel-inlaid. The Dash structure is re-engineered with DOM tube dash bar and billet column and pedal mounts for improved rigidity, packaging, and safety.

Execution

Over 10,000 labor hours, including 3,600 in bodywork alone. Every system re-thought, re-
packaged, and finished to the highest standard. A synthesis of American muscle, European-
inspired elegance, and modern engineering. Serious66 is subtle in form, uncompromising in detail, and over the top in execution.

Unique Features

Body

• The fuel fill location is moved to display the central body line un-interrupted and is now packaged in a fully bespoke cnc machined assembly under the rear emblem. The entire unit from the hinge action and fuel cap storage hook, to the bonded bulkhead which allows it to bolt to the body, and the dual fluid drains which remove overflowing rainwater or fuel to a vent above the license plate are all one-off.

• Flush fit OEM size real glass front and rear windows are installed in custom vacuum
  formed channels with a finished interior side integrated into the body and painted to
  blend seamlessly with the inside of the glass. The vent windows are also fixed in custom channels for a sleek finish while retaining the integrity of the door frame. The window belt moldings have been tig welded, reshaped, & bent to transition cleanly where there they merge with this vent window detail.

• One-off cnc machined door handles to compliment the body shape while remaining as minimalist as possible. I imagined these as “what would a racecar designer do in the late 60’s?” I based the mechanical action and main body around a stock handle, sculpting the “shark fin” finger pull with inspiration from the quarter panels.

 

• The driver’s door mirror stem is moved rearward and shortened with a one-off cnc milled base to tuck an OEM bowtie mirror as close to the body as possible while still functioning for rearward viewing from the driver’s seat.

 

• One-off side rocker panels wedged 1.5” front to back to compliment the rake of the stance and extend past the chassis from the side profile. These are fully integrated into the body for improved jamb appearance and taper inward as dramatically as possible at the base while still allowing chassis removal. They are also moved upwards to lessen the door to rocker seam creating a clean and level side body seam as viewed from quarter panel to fender.

 

• The crossed flags emblem on the nose has been reworked, 3d printed in aluminum, show chrome plated, and enamel filled into a custom design reminiscent of the original corvette logo utilizing an American flag instead of the Fleur-de-lis as was intended before commercial use restrictions of that era dictated that change.

 

• The rear valance panel has been extended underneath to blend into the rear vented closeout panel and raised to flow with the bottom corners of both rear bumpers. The chrome trim around the license plate is removed and the top seam where it meets the body is refined for a tight fit. The chrome exhaust bezels are heavily modified to accept the 3” titanium exhaust tips cut at a profile that matches the radius and angle of this panel.

 

• There is an onboard battery tender which is accessed along with jump starting lugs hidden behind the rear license plate in a custom cnc machined recess. The hinges are completely custom designed for the action and size as well.

 

• The hood vents are reminiscent of OEM big block vents but have been cnc milled with slightly enlarged openings and the vertical fins are reduced from 28 down to 20 and reshaped for a slightly more aggressive profile. They are also frenched into the hood where the OEM vents sat on top. The backsides have their own cnc machined keepers and the underside of the hood has been highly modified to smoothly converge at the vent surface.

 

• The front and rear bumpers are both tucked to the body and sectioned with completely custom bolt in mounts which have no reliance on the fiberglass body for support. The front bumpers have 1.5” removed from the centers to avoid the common “close to the center” look associated with the usual tuck job. Both front and rear bumpers also have one-piece aluminum flared hole closeout panels cerakoted in satin black to remain subtle closing out the bottom and backsides for a fully finished yet not overly telling execution.

 

• The front inner fenders are completely bespoke and pulled off steel bucks produced to accommodate the extra wide 295mm front tires through the full range (over 30 degrees) of steering at all levels of suspension compression. They also utilize the forward most fender vent as a functional vent removing trapped air from the wheel wells to reduce drag.

 

• The full underside of the body is completely seamless and fully finished in body color with a light chip guard in high contact areas and matte clearcoat for contrast. The wheel tubs, rear floor, trans tunnel, & potions of both floor pans are completely bespoke and created by pulling vacuum formed panels from steel bucks we created. The oval exhaust is recessed up into the floor with an appropriate air gap to accommodate the engineered aggressive stance of the vehicle. It is very street drivable at the same stance it is shown at.

 

• The firewall is completely custom and recessed 4” in the center for engine clearance and bellhousing access, along with the drivers footwell being protruded into the engine bay up to 6” over stock in portions and downwards to more comfortably accommodate a driver as tall as 6’5” with full brake pedal swing. The Brake master cylinder reservoir is a custom fabricated aluminum piece design to blend into this aggressive function-based shape of the firewall and provide semi-shared fluid to both master cylinders.

 

• The hood latches have been converted to BMW latches and pins housed inside compartments seamlessly blended into the firewall so that the latch can be located inside the cabin and not exposed under the hood. The pins are custom smoothed and shaped with manually milled aluminum retaining nuts and strengthening plates added to the interior and exterior of the inner hood skin.

 

• The Hood Hinges are upswing components to clear the huge radiator based around a kit purchased from Eddies Rod & Custom. I’ve taken their good base product and added load distributing plates and fully blended them into the components where they mount to the hood to tie in a larger surface area of the fiberglass (and our custom steel inner hood structure backers) allowing gas strut hood opening assistance without over pressuring the fiberglass and creating future cracks or unpredictable hood gap fitment. This extra step is a demonstration of the commitment to the longevity of this build far past completion. Thank you to ERC for a great starting point!

 

• The cowl vents are flush fit to the body openings with custom vent bodies and the cowl openings themselves have been merged with the firewall only leaving a shallow 1” deep channel to increase space under the dash allowing the AC/heater unit to tuck higher up and out of the passenger footwell and the brake pedal to also locate higher up for comfortable operation with a large shoe while retaining a mechanically advantaged 6.25:1 ratio to compliment the manual braking feel. Rather than smooth this area completely losing character in the body we kept them functional allowing excess water running from the windshield to permeate here and direct under the car instead of flooding the rear hood opening.

 

• The front lower valance has been reshaped for a rear edge which travels straight across in a uniform manner, where it was more of multiple dips from the factory. I’ve removed the large opening for the oem front bumper mounts, and cut in clean slots to utilize the crossmember as a brace and bumper mount.

Chassis

• There are 800+ 12-point ARP bolts used in this vehicle which have all had the heads
  manually ball mill machined in a lathe to remove weight and add detail. After machining, each stainless bolt was hand polished with a 3-step process and any non-stainless hardware was polished and zinc plated. Any location requiring hardware that wasn’t available in 12-point received custom machined or fabricated hardware to match, such as: both oil pan drain plugs, two starter bolts, and I even designed 3d printed welding jigs and laser cut eccentric washers to replace the AME multilink IRS eccentric lower arm and toe adjustment bolts with custom ball milled 12-point versions.

 

• A large majority of the heavy components on this vehicle are chassis mounted where they would otherwise commonly rely on the fiberglass body for support (Dry sump oil tank/ coolant overflow tank/crankcase breather tank, both seats (with isolation bushings), battery & full mid chassis electronic control box, both oil coolers, optional harness bar, and vertically mounted AC condenser.

 

• The rear frame rails are pinched inwards around the rear tires 2” on both sides with flared dimple strengthening insets and the lower multi-link IRS arms are heavily modified as well to accommodate 345mm wide tires with additional wheel backspacing. The suspension can cycle through the full range of travel with these big meats without reducing the chassis track width or pushing out the rear quarter panels into a widebody configuration to fit them.

 

• The AC condenser is mounted under the driver’s fender to rectify oil buildup issues
  which would stem from horizontally mounting it with the cooling stack. It is fully chassis mounted with two custom brackets and isolated with 3d printed TPU bushings. The inner fender incorporates both an aluminum scoop to generate excess low-pressure air and a mesh screened vent to direct the fresh air across the face of the condenser which is sucked through by two electric fans and vented out of the two rearward fender “gills”.

 

• The front to rear plumbing is centralized and tucked (also protected & heat insulated) in the chassis including a recess into the IRS cradle keeping them safe and largely not visible along the bottom of the vehicle. They are designed to be chassis mounted yet serviceable in the event of a line failure without having to remove the body from the chassis.

 

• The front brakes are ducted with fresh air through custom formed frame sections which enable large aluminum fabricated ducts in the front grill opening to scoop and funnel air via 3” scat tubes directly to the center of the brake rotors. 3d printed aluminum closeouts place the tubing where the directional vein brake rotors can centrifugally pull air through it at speed. Any large rocks or road debris are screened by titanium hex-mesh covers.

 

• The Full AME chassis including the Multi-link IRS cradle and all suspension arms have
  been Tig welded with the weld beads distributed widely so that they can then be fully
  metalwork blended creating smooth profiles while removing minimal strength. Every
  weld and joint have been dressed excluding a few choice original Tig welds which I
  believe demonstrate the underlying quality of this process. The full chassis has then been body worked, primed, and painted for a slick gloss finish which contrasts the matte clear on the bottom of the body.

 

• The mid-chassis crossmember has been entirely reconstructed from laser cut .125” 4130 chromoly to allow removal from the bottom of the car without the need to separate the body while accommodating the highly tucked oval exhaust sections and setback of the engine & transmission. It also incorporates exhaust and seat mounting provisions and a laser cut 4130 chromoly forward driveshaft safety hoop capturing the custom CV style carbon fiber shaft made by The Driveshaft Shop.

 

• The front chassis crossmember is constructed out of a radius rolled piece of 1.75” tubing which has been “swissed” by tig welding 13 pieces of 1” tubing through it to create an interesting visual piece which also won’t capture road debris or water. A nod to a nostalgic racecar fabrication technique but refined for longevity and street use. The part is finished off with laser cut mounting pads and gussets and facilitates mounting the front bumpers in a cleaner fashion.

 

• The front spindles are prototype Wilwood unit bearing hub 2” drop spindles, and have been fully metal finished to remove all texture and casting and fully polished and outfitted with ball milled stainless 12 pt. hardware.

 

• A large scoop sits at the front of the vehicle directing air into the radiator core and hiding the steering rack from sight. It is secured with two quick release fasteners at the front for easy removal without tools. The scoop is painted in satin black to blend into the shadow of the vehicle and can withstand up to 250lbs of downforce.

Powertrain

• The combination of the direct injected dry-sump oiled LT4 and the ZF8HP-70 8 speed
  automatic transmission is at the cutting edge of pro-touring tech. The transmission
  seamlessly communicates with the engine ECU via CAN-BUSS network and can be
  operated in a fully automatic mode with manual paddle shifting interjected as wanted like many new age OEM vehicles. There are 7 different operational modes controlled by a knob in the dash bezel which vary from easy traffic driving to ultimately enable fully “manual” operation with fast and precise paddle shifting; and even the use of an
  electronically actuated clutch pedal to maneuver the car just like a manual transmission. This combination truly gives the convenience of an automatic when you want it, and the visceral experience of manual operation when desired. It is unmatched.

 

• There are hundreds of hours spent removing the cast texture by hand & reshaping casting ribs and details wherever possible on several components of the powertrain & chassis including: the supercharger lid, supercharger coolant manifold, supercharger body, head castings, engine block, water pump housing, dry sump oil pan, transmission body, rear spindles, & parking brake calipers. None of these components have any filler added and have been painted in cerakote to display the metal finish underneath.

 

• Both cooling systems (engine and supercharger) feature custom designed swirl pots
  which allow trapped air to escape through a central vortex created by swirling the coolant around the cylindrical bodies. The supercharger swirl pot is of particular interest, as it has the power steering reservoir integrated into it which aids in both heating up the power steering fluid to operating temperature and regulating the fluid temperature under heavy steering use. The placement of the power steering reservoir is optimized for an unobstructed -12an feed to the power steering pump via. XRP clamshell hydra-flow (wiggins style) connections with custom machined & fabricated adapter fittings.

 

• The Wegner accessory drive has been counterbored and fully outfitted with ball head machined ARP 12-point stainless hardware. It’s finished in Cerakote c-series black velvet for longevity and UV protection.

 

• The 4” fresh air intake is constructed entirely of CP1 titanium sourced from Vibrant Performance. It showcases slightly over 32’ of back-purged tig welding with completely undressed welds and unmodified temper coloration to demonstrate the technical execution of its fabrication. Inside and out this intake has integral welds in the reactive material retaining it’s top-tier strength to weight ratio at just 1mm thick. The material selection of this component is not just for a cool look either. Titanium’s low thermal conductivity (poor heat transfer) makes it less susceptible to heating up intake air flowing through it from exterior heat transfer than an aluminum counterpart. That advantage is complimented with the filter location which is delicately snaked outside of the hot engine bay and tucked into the front of the driver’s side fender. Fresh air is directed from the front grill opening of the vehicle right to it. The whole assembly is completed by a bolt in aluminum splash shield which keeps road debris and fluids from the inner fender area out of the filter and slows down the air from the front to get sucked into the engine.

Interior

• A European inspired bespoke piece of luggage is integrated into a recessed cavity in the custom rear body floor and houses body wiring and an amplifier for the stereo beneath a false floor.

 

• The glovebox has been repurposed as an electronic access point with a custom steel
  glovebox liner to house the fuel pump pwm controller, engine harness fuse panel and
  diagnostic port, and turbolamik transmission controller. They are disguised behind a
  hinged finish panel which prominently displays the 1966 factory service manual.

 

• The steering column started as a flaming river aftermarket tilt column but has been
  reworked to fit a modern OEM airbag clock spring unit inside while retaining the tilt, turn signal, and horn functions. This allowed us to add paddle shifters to the wheel without the knee slapper cable or an often-faulty bluetooth outfit. The steering wheel adapter was sourced from DSE and has also been heavily modified for the retrofit. (I told multiple column mfg’s this is the future, they would not listen, so I made it work and work well myself.)

 

• The steering wheel is a collaborative effort with Pyramid Optimized Design including a
  one-off multi-component hoop to save weight with 3d printed and laser cut parts and cnc machined custom center with provisions to integrate the paddle shifters directly without any adapter. The horn cap is also custom cnc machined by SendCutSend and topped with an enamel inlay of our interpretation of the originally designed Corvette crossed flags emblem. The whole assembly is wrapped in leather and artfully stitched by BUX Customs Pottstown, PA.

 

• The Dash bezel is another collaborative masterpiece with Pyramid Optimized Design and is a multi-component cnc milled product. It houses the Dakota Digital OEM fit HDX instrumentation while removing the OEM texture, unused openings, and the gauge bezels are massaged for a custom execution. The steering column cutout is also centered on this bezel (yes they are offset to the right in stock form and not driver centric) as well as raised for a tighter column tuck and more leg room. To top it off what were once locations for the ignition switch, wipers, lights, & lighter are now the power windows, electronic parking brake, transmission mode selector, and custom brake bias adjustment knob and a transmission specific LED readout is integrated right between the tach and speedo. This is far from a generic billet replacement bezel.

 

• The original C-channel sheet metal dash support bar has been removed and replaced with a more robust 1.5” DOM tube unit with large tie ins to the steel A-pillar body reinforcements. This gave a better structural base to mount the fully self-contained & CAD designed pedal box decreasing pedal flex and drawing less support from the surrounding fiberglass body panels. The steering column also utilizes this bar as well as the pedal box for mounting with a one-off cnc billet upper column mount and fabricated lower mount. The original section of the stock bar containing the vehicle build info, Vin#, and glovebox mounting points has been grafted into this bar in the stock location. This bar also supports a right-hand drive configured AC/heater unit which bolts to the steel bar instead of the fiberglass firewall.

Weight Distribution and Center of Gravity Considerations

• Powertrain offset to the passenger side 1.75”, moved rearwards 4”, as well as dropped 1.5”
• Front sway bar moved behind crossmember and dropped as low as possible
• Battery relocated behind passenger seat as low as possible.
• Horizontally mounted cooling stack lowering the weight & increased core surface area
•  Fuel tank designed to mount below the frame rails dropping the COG (6lb/gal x 20 lowered 12”)
• Rear mounted engine oil and transmission coolers with auxiliary fans distributing weight to the rear and expanding the fluid capacities.
• 53% rear weight bias with 3/8 tank of fuel and no ballast while maintaining 50/50 left to right distribution wet with 200lb driver. Complimenting the mechanical grip capacity of the respective tire widths

Build Story

The vision for Serious66 began in July 2020 when the owner sought to create a fully modernized C2 Corvette, one that preserved the midyear silhouette while advancing every other aspect to the highest standards of performance and craftsmanship. What started as a discussion quickly grew into a five-year journey and more than 10,000 hours of work, re-imagining the car from the chassis upward. Inspiration drew equally from American muscle and European icons such as the Ferrari 250 GTO, Jaguar E-Type, and Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, reinforced by design ideas sparked during the Guggenheim’s Motion, Autos, Art, Architecture exhibition. The guiding philosophy became refinement without erasure: to honor the C2’s essence while elevating it with uninterrupted surfaces, integrated engineering, and timeless detail.

Over 3,600 hours were dedicated to bodywork alone, with hundreds of one-off, CNC machined & fabricated parts, and vacuum-formed components developed to execute the vision. Everything from the relocated CNC machined fuel filler to the titanium intake and seamless glass channels. The chassis was re-engineered around an Art Morrison platform, the LT4/ZF8HP drivetrain integrated with dry-sump oiling and full CAN-BUS control, and the interior realized by BUX Customs as a completely bespoke environment. Each decision balanced subtle restraint with bold execution, producing a Corvette that feels both instantly familiar and entirely new. 

The name Serious66 reflects the nature of the build: serious thought, serious hardware, and
serious execution. Conceived to merge American heritage with European refinement, it now
stands as a purpose-built Battle of the Builders entry and a culmination of vision, collaboration, and uncompromising craftsmanship.