Looking for 1960's built tri-5 chevy's!!!!!!!

Thanks Ed what do thies East coast guys know

 

this is my impression of how they looked, but I was not driving yet, so perhaps my memory is not so good.

 

Like was mentioned earlier, there was quite a difference from early and late 60s trends. As I remember early 60s, guys were putting those screw-in spring spacers in the front, to get the nose up some. Chrome reverse, chrome slots, or black steelies w/thin whites were common. Baby Moons too. Not a lot of 'mags' yet. 4speed, tach bolted on the dash, reverb unit for the AM radio, dice or shrunkin head hanging from the mirror. Nosed & decked on some, and sans front bumper on a few. Two-fours was really the 'shit', fenderwall headers were hard core. The first time I saw a street '55 with a straight axle, it was obvious things were changin'. (probably around '65-6, I was 11yrs old or so)

Sometime, mid to later, it was ass-high, mags (Cragers, Kstones, Tthrust), tinted windows, 8tracks, hoodless tunnelrams, big & littles, slapper bars, etc.

Keep in mind, Cali was light-years ahead of the rest of us, and the magazines were our portal to what was really happenin' 'out there'. As observed by a motor head kid in a one stop sign, Ohio town. Though a small town with a helluva car culture just the same. Later home to a (new)Z16, a (new)COPO, & various other 'regular' muscle. Those (older) guys really had their shit together.

 

Built this with 1965 in mind.
327, 2x4's, Magnesium Americans, Hurst, Sun, SW, Traction Masters, etc.
Not a Gasser, but a hot street car.

 

ok i wasnt born until 70 but im fairly certain i know what a hot 57 chevy should look like and BOBWOP's is damn close if not spot on

if i had the op's car id raise it till you can see the whole rear rim and drop the front just a tad bolt some chrome reverse on the back , pull the center bar out of the grille spray bomb the grille black and cruise the shit out of it

you say you have 15x4 cragars i think you should get 15x6 reversed for the right look

my uncle told me that here in ohio the cool look was up in the front back in the sixties i never cared for that look unless it had the straight axle to go with it

but waddaino

 

Well it wasn't Southern California, it was west Georgia and it was 1966. The coolest Chevy in the parking lot belonged to Jerry Tate. It was a '56 Bel Aire 2 door hardtop,painted Honduras Maroon with the black interior pulled out of a nearly new SS Chevelle. It had station wagon rear springs and Traction Masters, the biggest "Wide Oval" tires than would fit in the rear and 7.50's on the front mounted on chrome reverse wheels with spider caps. Fender well headers, a 409 with "2 Fours", and a 4 speed. It wasn't mine, but some times I still see it at night when I dream of back then.

 

I still think some of these cars are too low. Beautiful cars but still too low nonetheless.

 

I just finished this 56. Its right out of the 60's. I hope you enjoy. If you have any question let me know.

 

Not from MY sixties ... too low, front tires too tall (dropped spindles?), and issues with the interior ... but a damn pretty car.

 

It does seem like a lot of them had early to mid 60's Impala SS seats, and sometimes consoles in them.

 

I think that is a good example.

 

Thats a pretty car...but I don't know where you guys come up with all this lowered stuff.

I grew up in Washington state, I don't recall seeing ANY lowered hot rods when I was a kid, and there sure as hell were none around when I was in high school in the 70s

Back then things were beefy. jacked up, badass.

Maybe it's a regional thing, but we didn't have any of that lowridin stuff around where I grew up.

 

Chrome rims baby moons raise the rear 3", chrome dual tips, dual antennas ,fuzzy dice & 4 on the floor. Forgot 8 track with revvverb!!!

 

This is from the mid '70's. My daily driver when gas was $.65, she had 4:56's and I had a 25 mile commute.

 

^^^^^ In my opinion the above car is really more of a very mild custom cruiser than a hot rod, the yellow 56 you posted from Watson looks more like the style of 60s hot rod he is asking about.

 

Here's mine, since this picture was taken, I've added lakes pipes.

 

All those low rider tri fives were in my neighborhhod, East L.A. and I worked at a gas station in South Central. Low riding was a big deal. There was one hot rod '55 at my high school, competition orange and radius rear wheelwells. There was a black '55 that came into the gas station owned by a gypsy, black with radius wheelwells, 4 speed and a 327. My friend worked at a gas station in Firestone. It had a straight axle, tilt frontend and the motor was set back. Other than those three, it was mostly low riders.

 

Ed that woulda been considered a custom or cruiser back then ...certainly no hot rod. Spots, front bumper wraps, side exhaust, wide whites, non-black upholstry ... custom.

 

My sentiments exactly, seeing a lot of "cruizers" or semi-customs not hotrods in these photo's. Here's a couple of pics of my current project 60's style '55, L-79 327, muncie 4 speed, olds rearend with 4.88's and mid 60's gm bucket seats! Its got raised spindles on it to get the look that "I" like, beauty is in the eye of the beerholder!

 

"No muff too tuff" LOL

Sounds like a motto for a cosmetic gynecologist

 

Here is a 55 that was on a post a while back. This is an old photograph as you can see.

 

The guy I got my '55 from in 1970 had started on the car in '65. At the time I got the car,it sat at stock height, 327/4 speed, bucket seats, traction bars, Keystones with black walls that were all the same size ,shaved hood and trunk, no bumpers. This was the way he raced the car at the strip and drove it on the street.

 

Ed c'mon ... we is talking hot rods here. Your cars are beauties but not hot rods ... as far as sleepers, I had a beautiful two-tone 55 HT with all the grandma bells and whisles except skirts, with a 327 four speed ... but even with the hood closed my "sleeper" was still a hotrod due to the T-thrusts and stance .... damn scanner is defunct .

EDIT: Cell phone pic of a pic .... my "sleeper". ... Still had plastic on the seats!!

 

There you go!


Here is my highschool car 1968, The paint job was always the last thing .... but it is all about the stance ... in this case shackles and front spring adjusters. Note the redlines on the front .. also a 60's thing

 

Two great rides Sam! That's what I'm talkin' about!

 

Ok...Setting myself up, here. This 57 was put together in 1968 by a local kid and his punk buddies. Then parked in 1976, till last year(2010 actually), when I found it. In a dirt floor shed, as is, for about 35yrs. I have cosmetically left it the way it was. Rust and all. But rebuilt all the running gear. Nosed & decked, 327(now 301), Hurst 4-sp. 12-Bolt, 14"Cragars, Sun tach on dash, Black three spoke Mr gasket wheel, Black cheap Tijuana interior, white painted Hookers w/thrush mufflers. screw in knuckles in the front coils for lift. Belair spears(everybody wanted a Belair then. Not so much now). Low dollar build by kids that wanted to be cool, IN THE SIXTIES! I think it just depended on where You were in the Country at the time. Cars looked different in different areas in the sixties, as now. Ok....Kill me now.

 

Thats a nice looking 57. And yes, true to late sixties ... the rears could be alittle bigger but chrome cragers with Met Blue on a 57 was always bitchen in my part of town ... and the orange parking light lenses were from the time also
Where is the car from?

 

Thanks. Factory Built in Van Nuys. Built by the kid on Bainbridge Island, WA. Looking for a deep reverse 14" for the back and tunnelram carbs.