Chevy Tri-Five Frames - How It Works

These days, GM has the unibody thing all ironed out. The result is lightweight chassis that are substantially stiffer and stronger than yesteryear’s full-frame cars, and for resounding evidence, look no further than the fifth-gen Camaro.These days, GM has the unibody thing all ironed out. The result is lightweight chassis that are substantially stiffer and stronger than yesteryear’s full-frame cars, and for resounding evidence, look no further than the fifth-gen Camaro. Not only does it handle the tremendous loads imparted by 426 hp, 4,100 pounds of mass, and over 0.90 g of lateral grip, it does the deed without main ’rails running along its perimeter to help stiffen things up. Unfortunately, even full-frame cars of the ’50s and ’60s aren’t nearly as stiff as modern unibody cars, and twist up like the storyline of Lost once some modern horsepower and tire grip are thrown into the mix. Recognizing this problem long ago, companies have been churning out chassis stiffening components for quite some time. Unlike unibody cars like Camaros and Novas that can be substantially stiffened up with subframe connectors and aftermarket front and rear clips, there is no easy fix with full-frame Tri-Five Chevys. The solution is engineering a completely new frame from the ground up, and innovative aftermarket chassis builders have done just that. To find out what’s involved in pulling off such a conversion, and how much a full-frame swap can improve ride and handling, we sought out the expertise of the top chassis builders in the business. Thanks to Craig Morrison and Matt Jones of Art Morrison Enterprises, and Steve McClenon of Hotrods to Hell, we got thoroughly schooled on the inner workings of an aftermarket full-frame chassis. Here’s the scoop.


Photo Gallery: Chevy Tri-Five Frames - Chevy High Performance Magazine


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