CENTRAL KANSAS CORVETTE ASSOCIATION
• CORVETTE OF THE MONTH: July 1976 •
Clarence "Clay" Bontrager – 1969 LS-6 Coupe, aka "StingRat"
• CORVETTE OF THE MONTH: July 1976 •
Clarence "Clay" Bontrager – 1969 LS-6 Coupe, aka "StingRat"
This month's car is probably the best known car in the CKCA. It is the most consistent winner in speed events and has represented our club well in NCCC events. The man who owns it is undoubtedly proud of it and would probably not part with it for anything. If you haven't already guessed by now, I'm talking about Clarence Bontrager and his Sting Rat. This beautiful piece of glass work started life as a 1969 Corvette T-Top with a 430 hp, 427 CID, L-88 motor. Originally Corvette Burgundy with Black interior, it sported few options with the exception of power steering. Clarence is second owner of the car. He purchased it in 1971 in Arizona from the first owner who lived in California. It still only has 16,000 miles on the car and is now inly driven on weekends; autocross weekends. About two years ago, under a full moon, the car began to transform into its present state. Is is now Maroon with a metal flake Silver accent stripe up the hood and over the top to the rear deck. Twenty coats of hand rubbed clear top off the super smooth, fantastic looking paint job. Dean Bontrager from U-Tune-It did the honors on the paint as well as much of the engine and rear-end work on the car. The stock L-88 motor was dumped in favor of an LS-6, 454 CID Chevrolet engine. The L-88 now sets in a White and Gold seventeen foot Kachina brand racing boat hull which is owned jointly by Jim Shafer and Clarence Bontrager. The boat for some strange reason seems to run as strong on the waters of Kanopolis, as the Sting Rat does on dry land. Could there be some strange magic to the Bontrager touch in the "strong running" department? The 454 Rat motor has been bored .060 over making the total displacement roughly 466 cubic inches. A Chet Wilson special grind cam and Harland Sharp's roller rockers take care of most of the work in the valve train. 12.7 to 1 pistons set beneath the CC'd General Motos open chambered heads which have had all the "goodies" done to 'em. The stock 850 CFM Holley sets atop the stock G.M. intake delivering the fuel to the burners.
Torque is transmitted to the wheels through the stock GM 4-speed and stockshifter, through the 456 Positraction rear-end and finally through the wheels and tires. Four raggedly old Goodyear racing tires are mounted on the Anson slotted mags. The fronts are 10 inches wide, 23 inches tall and are on 8 1/2: Anson mags. The rears measure 11 inches wide by 23 inches tall and are on 10" slotted Anson 15" wheels. Factory stock L-88 suspension rounds out the undercarriage. If you've looked at the pictures, you've probably noticed the fenders aren't quite stock. What are those monsters, you say! They're G.M. factory L-88 flares. These were molded in by Dean Bontrager who did a superb job of body work. They certainly add excitement to the cars low racey appearance. Enough about the car, what about Clarence? I would tell his age, but he seems to be ageless (stays at 27 each succeeding birth-day). He owns two semi-tractors which he tries to keep on the road for Bruenger Trucking out of Wichita. The 1973 Kenworth is operated by a driver hired by him, while he pushes around his 1976 Peterbilt with a Caterpiller Diesel engine. Quite a difference from a Vette!!! In 1965 he drove approximately 160,000 miles on the road between here and California with an occasional trip back East. He is also engaged in farming when he isn't driving. Rumor has it he drives like a farmer and farms like a driver. His hobbies include girls, flying, girls, boating, girls, and Corvettes. When not racing in some type of Corvette sponsored event, he occasionally takes to the SCCA track. Being a trucker, he is of course a CB'er. He does by the handle of Sundance Kid and has had the name for 5 1/2 years. He runs mostly on Channel 19 and is licensed by the FCC as Station KBE0491. Clarence is a long time Corvette lover, having owned 7 Vettes in his time. The list of Vettes includes two 1963 Coupes, one with fuel injection; one 1965 fuel injected Coupe; two 1966 Vettes, one a coupe and the other a roadster; and two 69's, one a Zebra striped roadster, the other the present T-Top STING RAT. Clarence hauls the RAT around with a trailer pulled by his White/Maroon 1973 El Camino which is powered by a (you guessed it) Corvette engine from a wrecked 1975. This 4 barrelled mouse motor (350 CID) does a fine job of hauling the load. I could go on and on about the Sting Rat and fill up several newsletters. I think we can all agree this is a super Corvette that many people, by now, are talking about. We're proud of you, Clarence, and wish you continued success with this car of the month, "THE STING RAT".
Torque is transmitted to the wheels through the stock GM 4-speed and stockshifter, through the 456 Positraction rear-end and finally through the wheels and tires. Four raggedly old Goodyear racing tires are mounted on the Anson slotted mags. The fronts are 10 inches wide, 23 inches tall and are on 8 1/2: Anson mags. The rears measure 11 inches wide by 23 inches tall and are on 10" slotted Anson 15" wheels. Factory stock L-88 suspension rounds out the undercarriage. If you've looked at the pictures, you've probably noticed the fenders aren't quite stock. What are those monsters, you say! They're G.M. factory L-88 flares. These were molded in by Dean Bontrager who did a superb job of body work. They certainly add excitement to the cars low racey appearance. Enough about the car, what about Clarence? I would tell his age, but he seems to be ageless (stays at 27 each succeeding birth-day). He owns two semi-tractors which he tries to keep on the road for Bruenger Trucking out of Wichita. The 1973 Kenworth is operated by a driver hired by him, while he pushes around his 1976 Peterbilt with a Caterpiller Diesel engine. Quite a difference from a Vette!!! In 1965 he drove approximately 160,000 miles on the road between here and California with an occasional trip back East. He is also engaged in farming when he isn't driving. Rumor has it he drives like a farmer and farms like a driver. His hobbies include girls, flying, girls, boating, girls, and Corvettes. When not racing in some type of Corvette sponsored event, he occasionally takes to the SCCA track. Being a trucker, he is of course a CB'er. He does by the handle of Sundance Kid and has had the name for 5 1/2 years. He runs mostly on Channel 19 and is licensed by the FCC as Station KBE0491. Clarence is a long time Corvette lover, having owned 7 Vettes in his time. The list of Vettes includes two 1963 Coupes, one with fuel injection; one 1965 fuel injected Coupe; two 1966 Vettes, one a coupe and the other a roadster; and two 69's, one a Zebra striped roadster, the other the present T-Top STING RAT. Clarence hauls the RAT around with a trailer pulled by his White/Maroon 1973 El Camino which is powered by a (you guessed it) Corvette engine from a wrecked 1975. This 4 barrelled mouse motor (350 CID) does a fine job of hauling the load. I could go on and on about the Sting Rat and fill up several newsletters. I think we can all agree this is a super Corvette that many people, by now, are talking about. We're proud of you, Clarence, and wish you continued success with this car of the month, "THE STING RAT".
• CORVETTE OF THE MONTH: July 1976 •
Clarence "Clay" Bontrager – 1969 LS-6 Coupe, aka "StingRat"
Clarence "Clay" Bontrager – 1969 LS-6 Coupe, aka "StingRat"
Page last updated: 08/20/2024
© Central Kansas Corvette Association
Hutchinson, KS
© Central Kansas Corvette Association
Hutchinson, KS
