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Building a
"Shoebox" Chevy for the 21st Century Art Morrison Enterprises Updates a Classic Story by Craig Morrison Photos and video courtesy of Art Morrison Enterprises
O ver the past few years, people building hot rods and custom cars have been placing more of an emphasis on the performance handling of their vehicle. With people being used to the modern amenities like good disk brakes, power steering, impressive cornering and a comfortable interior, enthusiasts are looking to incorporate these amenities into their projects. The thought was that if you are building a car, you might as well build it to perform more like a new car and in some instances even like a sports car. This very popular build style of car is generally referred to as either "pro-touring" or "g-Machines."
In order to help promote this trend, Art Morrison Enterprises, Inc. recently designed a high-performance replacement chassis for the ever-popular 1955-1957 Chevrolets. And unlike their line of popular drag racing chassis kits that require some fabrication, this frame is complete with all the appropriate body, bumper, engine, trans and core support mounts enabling the builder to remove his body off of the stock frame and transfer it to the new chassis. With all of the difficult fabrication completed by Art Morrison Enterprises, this chassis enables most competent do-it-yourselfers to build a great classic tri-5 in their own garage. To demonstrate the performance of this new chassis, Art Morrison Enterprises, Inc. built up a 1955 Chevrolet 210 Sedan dubbed the GT55 (Grand Touring ’55). Found in the mountains of southern New Mexico and with only 47,000 miles on the clock the sedan body was in near pristine condition with the exception of a few obligatory parking lot battle scars. While 50 years of intense sun and high temperatures faded the paint, the steel was rust free. The 265 V8 would come to life without any trouble and run like a proverbial Swiss watch. Inside, the interior has been well looked after, the seats and headliner all look like they are new, while the package tray and dash are a bit faded from the desert sun. The original rivets still hold the grill in place and the instructions for changing a tire are still mounted in the trunk. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t This classic Chevy was a perfect candidate for a high-performance makeover. Built within the pages of Super Chevy magazine, Art and Craig Morrison showed readers just how to convert a classic Tri-5 Chevy into a modern-day sports car.
When the GT55 project was finished, it was to be given a series of "Road & Track" style tests in Fontana, CA to demonstrate that the performance makeover was a successful one. Working with some of the biggest names in the aftermarket to ensure that the project was successful, a Bill Mitchell 427 Small Block, Keisler Automotive T56, super sticky BFG’s, large diameter Wilwood brakes and Strange adjustable coil-overs were employed to help the GT55 perform more like a modern day sports car. With the new rolling chassis built and fully assembled the swap was ready to take place. Using a two-post lift to raise the body directly up in the air, the 50 year-old chassis was rolled out of the way and the new rolling chassis was set into its place. Using a plum bob, the new chassis was squared up and the body was lowered onto the new frame and bolted it into place. In a matter of weeks, the transformation was complete. The GT55 was the ultimate sleeper car, faded, old paint and a mostly stock interior hiding a new custom chassis and a 530 hp small block.
As part of the Super Chevy Magazine road test, the car was driven from Tacoma, Washington to Fontana, California. Thanks to the 0.5:1 overdrive in the Keisler Automotive T56 six-speed, the potent small block was only running at 1700 rpm while traveling at 70mph. As a result, the GT55 averaged 13.5mpg over the 1100-mile journey! During this 20 hour-journey, the classic Chevy performed flawlessly and was very comfortable to drive. Even during a few triple digit blasts on I-5 the car was very tame. The testing was conducted at the California Speedway and consisted of a 200 Ft skid pad, 420-foot slalom (cones at 70 Ft spacing), quarter mile, 0-60 mph and 60-0 mph braking. Using the same tires that we drove to California on, we went through a quick safety inspection and handed the keys over to Super Chevy Magazine test driver Andrew Schear. Art’s only advice to Andrew was "drive it like you stole it", and he did just that!
The most phenomenal test of the day was the on skid pad. Traveling faster and faster, the GT55 managed a spectacular 0.96G traveling counter-clockwise and averaging .94G traveling in both directions. For a ‘55 Chevy to pull these numbers off was amazing, and as a comparison, a C5 Corvette can negotiate the skid pad at 0.92G. With the 530 horse Bill Mitchell motor, the GT55 ran 12.6 @ 116 mph and had a 0-60 time of 4.20 seconds. Again, fantastic numbers from a classic Chevy. The car definitely had more in it, but because all the testing was conducted on the same radial tires, starting-line launches were at just 2500rpm to prevent excessive wheel spin. The slalom course was completed quicker than any car Super Chevy has tested which again is a testament to the quality of the suspension and the overall engineering of the car. The Wilwood 13" brakes brought the car from 60-0 mph in a mere 132 feet. Again, amazing numbers for non-power assisted, non-ABS brakes. The results of the different tests are as follows: Skid pad (average) - 0.94G, 420’ Slalom (70-foot cone spacing) - 48.37 mph, 0-60 mph - 4.20 seconds, quarter mile 12.60 seconds @ 116 mph, 60-0 mph 132 feet. Not bad for a sports car let alone a 1955 Chevrolet!
While the sports car like performance of the GT55 is a crowing achievement, the greatest part is that a car like this offers enthusiasts the best of both worlds: a great driving car and a classic American style. With cross-country reliability and the pure enjoyment of flying down the highway it can’t be beat! It is also a project that can be tackled by most competent do-it-yourselfers. Since all the mounts and welding on the chassis are done for you, building a car like this is greatly simplified, reducing the amount of time needed for a project like this. Now you can create a classic Chevy that has sports car handling and is as fun to drive as any modern car out on the streets.  |
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© Competitionplus 2005
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