Tri-Five Chevy Straight Axle Tech :101,make your car look RIDICULOUS (in a good way!)

Hey Fellas, The straight axle craze has really taken off! We get alot of emails and calls at the shop asking for tips on doing an axle, We have personally done axles on Falcons,Corvettes,Mopars, etc...

But lets start off with some tech tips on doing an axle on a 55-57 chevy and keeping the stock rails,
this setup is the easiest, looks cool and for some stupid reason you might want to change back you still can by not chopping the rails.

Heres a very ruff crash course in straight axle tech.

#1 Call up tinny's hot rod shop in PA, They do zero drop straight axles in chromoly, super strong. (the mas axles Bend under a tri five! yikes, mas will not make any thicker axles.)

#2 get the car on a lift pull the original front end junk out.

#3. Keep the stock steering box.

#4. the springs,perches,hangers from speedway seem to be a good setup,
(the shakles are too short and need to be made longer depending on how high you wanna go, The Springs from speedway need to be re-arched to go higher, these springs workd great.

#5.steering can be done a few different ways, again the best bet is to use the stock box and location. (this is for a small block btw, Big blocks are a whole can-o-worms. Keep the upper drag link and idler arm in place.

#6. you will ne a 3rd steering arm on top of one of the spindles either left or right and an extra link from the upper drag link over to the new 3rd steering arm that you will mount on top of the spindle.

#7 get the front end buttoned up, take it to a GOOD alignment shop who will be willing to work with ya a little bit, somone who has worked on heavy straight axle trucks should have the expertise to "set you straight", hah..
since somtime the axle will need some tweaking to get good camber angles.

Any other questions, PM us!.
Thanks, and Fellow Hambers have a ridiculous (in a good way) holiday!
Jason
www.Radirwheels.com


(transverse here, but totally cool!)

(this '55 is currently period correct, a few inches lower in the rear with 10.00-15" slicks.)

 

1,2,4,6 and 7 look like 4x4's instead of Gassers.

 

what kind of wheels are those?

 

Hah!, They are all Dead Mans Curve Custom machines club cars.

 

bah!!,,, you Guys on the left coast.. heheh

 

the vettes look good, the last 55 is perfect and the wagon just makes me smile, but the other 55's don't do it for me.

 

The Green 55' was built in 1976, its alot lower now with 10.00's out back, it looks a shitload better now!, the black flamed one was a friend of the owner of the green car,he always loved the green car and built his own. Hence the similarities.

The Same guy who owns the wagon owns the black 55', the wagon if you see it in person is AMAZING!! its also got a blown 392 hemi in it

 

Everytime I see these, I start smiling. Can't help it.
Maybe it's the quality of the cars mixed with the wild proportions. Like something on a CarToons mag cover back in the day.
The Blue one is sweet.
Hell, they are all sweet in a Roger Rabbit kinda way.
Great work and to each his own...

 

The wagon is the best, I love the headers. Are any of these cars street legal?

 

as soon as I get my blower motor built im going for it!

Some tri-ribs would look great on my car too

 

Both Vette's are killer!!!!
I love it when vette's get hot rodded.. ESPECIALLY when they look as good as those!
I saw the green 55 in Rhinebeck a few years back when it looked like it does in the pic, super nice car but wayyyy to high in my oppinion. I'd love to see it now with the lower stance, it's got to be unreal!!
The blue 55...spot on all the way!

but honestly, the're all cool.

Thanks for posting the info and pics.

 

Here's the REAL DEAL from back in the day...1967 to be exact!

Jacked up, built 327", BW 2:20 low 4-speed, Hurst Comp. Plus shifter, Ansen scattershield, Hooker Headers, 4:56 rear gears (posi of course), roll bar, metal tilt front end...and damned quik!!!

The name on the side? "Image-Maker"...no one messed with it on the streets of Denver!!!

Had to get rid of that one when my son came along...of course, he's almost been more trouble than that car was...what WAS I thinking?

R-

 

Now that's HOT!!!!

 

ALL cars are DRIVEN!, no Lawn chair transporters here. They were all built to look like cartoon-Ed Roth type drawings...

 

I want that 1st 55.....Hell, i just want another 55 for this reason...Great post and Thanks for the tips!

 

Beautiful...

 

ya the first few have a 70's street machine look and not so much a gasser look but overall nice rides.

Tony I am with you, I did the vettes..

 

I prefer Street Machine....and yes they look ridiculous....and I love 'em!!!!!!

 

My collection of ridiculously sexy beasts!!!

 

And a 56 Chevy gasser coming soon.....did I mention I just finished a 58 Ford Fairlane gasser and a 63 Nova SS we're building for my son Steven....pictures coming soon!!

 

Drop the Vettes a few inches in the front and they'd look like gassers. The rest of them are pure '70s high school.

 

Didn't they call those lifted all the way around cars highrollers? One magazine had highroller of the month.My favorite two pages of the magazine.The long shackle days. -Strat.

 

Maybe I just dont get it, but no thanks man! Just aint my style.

 

Rod & Custom used to have a Highroller or Highboy Of The Month feature in the early 70's. One of my favorites too!

 

Love these cars, especially the first white '55 and the last blue '55 and the wagon, cool ass cars, all of them!!

 

Great pics RWG! Straight axled cars are what I grew up on here in Chicago. It's actually what 'traditional" is to me.

Nice work, man!


Here's the "mother" of all axled rides, circa 1976!



Joel

 

Oh I gotta post this 57 pic from the Keystone Bison drags site!

 

Motown / mid-60's... this car belonged to Ambman's uncle..

CC

 

Sorry to hijack...

Just saw these pics and got to thinkin'. Didn't I read that someone was tryin' to locate it. Been a few years, but I thought there was a wanted ad listed in a major publication. Maybe even Old Car Trader.

Would be cool to know more.

 

yah, on the gassser madness site , I think they found out it was destroyed