Please see the Gtech/GM tubular control arms for info on our trick tubular arms for 55-64 chevy factory suspention. We offer framestubs and complette 55-57 chevy chassis as a way to take your car to performance and style way beyond the original!

Our Frame stubs offer many of the advantages of a complete new frame by adding modern front suspension engineering to the standard factory chassis. Tire and ground clearance are enhanced, along with improved handling, steering, and style. Big blocks in particular present special problems when attempting to use the stock front frame. The big block’s additional front weight will not help handling, requiring better shocks and sway bar. Maintainence access is tight. Power steering swaps are very difficult, requiring special headers and still putting a lot of heat into a 605 steering box conversion. Power rack and pinion set ups that are properly positioned for good geometry will run into big block oil pan interference.

You will find that all of these difficulties are minimized by using either our frame stub or complete chassis. The front mounted rack really helps with exhaust header clearance, as well as maintenance access. Note that most crate engines, small or big block, come with oil pans that do not work well in these chassis. GM sells a pan made for a smaller rear sump, part #14091490 for early big blocks, #14091356 for early Gen V with split rear seal, and # 12495360 for late Gen V with full circle rear main seal. These big blocks tend to run hot in any older chassis, so if you have that problem, you’ll find that the addition of an engine oil cooler will drop the temperatures up to 30 degrees.

Our trick new 55-57 Chevy passenger car chassis is designed to fit directly to the original body and sheetmetal. There are 5 different bumper mount bolt patterns used on these cars, so we do not drill these, but we do punch reference points.. You can tuck your bumper up to a tighter custom fit and drill the one set of holes that suit your car. The only modification required to the body will be a small revision of the left rear truck floor for proper clearance of the upper Coilover/Shockwave mount.that small modification allows us to get a 5in stroke coilover to fit, allowing extra travel over the more commonly used 4in units.

Expect a 3-5in drop from stock with our standard chassis and standard spindles. Ultra-low, Airride, and 2in dropped spindles are options to put the car radically low. The Ultra-low design will require further revision of the trunk floor for rear axle housing clearance.

For paramount strength and rigidity so necessary for Pro Touring performance, the frame is constructed using 3 × 4 × .188 main rails with a massive X member and driveshaft tunnel. Clearance for 3" exhaust is provided while maintaining full strength and good ground clearance. We designed our central tunnel to include a fully completed circle for stress acceptance without the flex inherent in the open top tunnels seen in competitor's designs. Simply put, a circle is stronger than a U. See our demonstration of this principle in the video below: #

Mounts for Small or Big Block Chevy engines and transmissions are installed. The front steer power rack gets the steering out of the way for best oil pan and exhaust clearances. We can provide assistance with selection of those proper fitting components. There simply is not space for mounting of brake and clutch pedal mounting on the frame without compromising safe ground clearance, so we suggest using either stock components or the under dash aftermarket assemblies from ECI.

Front suspension uses solid polished stainless steel control arms with stainless fasteners, ball joint covers, and urethane bushings. Coilovers with single adjustable shocks are standard, with double adjustable and Airride Shockwaves optional. (the photos show the chassis with solid set up bars we supply to hold your chassis at proper ride height during the build up). Power rack and pinion and a 1in front sway bar complete this exceptional, track tested system Iron 11in rotors and calipers with 4.5in Ford bolt pattern are standard. Upgraded brake options are listed in the pricing section.

Alignment is accomplished with a shim system allowing easy adjustment without disassembly, while maintaining proper axial alignment of the pivot bushings. The shim arrangement allows easy adjustment with minimum chance of any paint damage on a detailed chassis. We chose this system since it keeps the upper shaft and bushings in axial alignments, unlike cam adjustment systems, which tend to wear out upper bushings since the shaft becomes twisted thru those bushings. We see the same problem with upper arms that use threaded adjustor ends, and require disassembly each time the alignment is adjusted. That may need to be done several times during a simple set up alignment! Our system provides the best mechanical situation, the easiest usage, and best protection of expensive chassis paint.

A 9in 28 spline rear axle assembly provides the foundation of the rear suspension. A fresh 3.70 Posi gearset is installed along with 4.5in bolt Ford pattern ECI rear disc brakes featuring a functional emergency brake system. Our own fully adjustable Pro link rear 4 bar, Z bar, rear sway bar and adjustable Coilovers control the motion of this rugged and responsive design. Shockwaves and Airride control systems are among the available options. Rear wheels with the proper spacing, up to 10in wide, will clear the stock wheel tubs. The frame is narrow enough for more tire if the tubs are enlarged, but measure before you buy.

Our chassis offers superior value! Any frame designed for these cars will have very similar perimeter frame rails, since the necessary body and bumper mounts have to be accommodated. The real difference between competeing designs is in the X member. Our frame has the strongest X-member design on the market! We use a fully girdered, closed circle design. The factory only used an X member on the convertibles, but we use it on each chassis. Torsional rigidity is critical to the job of getting horsepower to the pavement and the car around corners. Do a little experiment to prove our design to yourself. Take a common shoebox and notice how easy it is to twist with lid removed. That's what happens with inferior X member designs which do not complete the driveshaft area into a fully enclosed structure. Now, put the lid back on the shoe box and try to twist it. You will see instantly how superior our fully closed design truly is! Many designs don't even have a full crossmember in the critical area where the front of the rear 4 bars attach.

Polished stainless steel front control arms are standard, with modular mounts for easy conversion from standard Stage II springs to Stage IV Airride. If you select Stage III Coilovers or Stage V Shockwaves, the mounts allow a bolt on conversion from one style to another. Being Hot Rods, these chassis are often changed over time. Only Fatman has the foresight to make it easy!

Complete brake line plumbing is available, strictly using DOT approved steel hard lines and braided stainless steel hoses. Stainless steel hard lines are based on aircraft use and probably quite safe, but are not DOT approved, and as such cannot be installed on our chassis in our shop. Stainless steel hard lines are based on aircraft use and probably quite safe, but are not DOT approved, and as such cannot be installed on our chassis in our shop. We do include all necessary valving for the system as installed on your chassis.

If you are using a reproduction body, we are able to supply a Manufacturer?s Statement of Origin (MSO) and 17 digit VIN number which will assist you in getting a proper title from your local DMV. We are a legally listed manufacturer with the Federal Government and our MSO is the same paperwork provided with any new car. Many states allow you to title the car as the year it most closely resembles, and inspect it as that year. Some others will require you to title it as the year we built the chassis, and typically then inspect it as to the year of the engine used. Fortunately, the general practice is to use the emission specs for the earliest year that engine type was built, that being 1968 for a new crate 350 Chevy. Since there were no emission specs outside of California in 1968, the engine need not meet any emission limits. There are 50 states with 50 sets of ever changing regulations, so visit your local DMV Enforcement officials to get the local requirements. It is a violation of Federal law for any one other than the original manufacturer to supply a VIN number or to stamp one on a car. Therefore, you must request this service before your chassis leaves our shop. We cannot supply you a number to stamp on it later, and will only supply the paperwork for reproduction bodies. We can provide personal attention to your specific wishes and have an extensive list of options to choose from. We are committed to providing a foundation for your dream car that will perform faithfully, with stance, handling, and safety that will last!

Complete chassis as above $12,200

Options

• Front Shockwaves $600
• Rear Shockwaves $600
• 2" dropped spindles No charge option
• Chevy bolt pattern $150
• 12" Wilwood brakes (requires 17" wheels) - TRICK NEW BLACK FINISH ON WILWOOD ROTORS-no corrosion-no charge! $485
• 12" Wilwood rear disc brakes $649
• Wilwood drilled rotors $110
• Wilwood polished calipers $100
• Baer also available for more performance, drilled rotors and more. Call for pricing
• Stainless steel rear Pro-link bars $270
• 31 spline axles and gearset $395
• Winters Aluminum Center and Quickchange rears also available price on request
• 3 joint steering hookup kit $270
• SS power steering hose kit $145
• SS brake hose, banjo bolt and mount kit (4 wheels) $150
• Epoxy primed, power sanded (lacquer primer coverup standard $1200

1/3 deposit is required to get in our production line up. Personal checks are OK for the deposit, but the balance must be paid in full prior to shipment by Cashiers Check or Certified funds. No credit cards accepted on frame orders. Prices subject to change at time of order.

Once our sales team has worked out a basic plan with you, we will connect you to our frame specialist. He will assist you in verifying and dialing in the final version. After we receive your deposit, you will be sent a written proposal for your final approval. A signed copy MUST be returned before the frame is built, which will assure that both parties clearly understand the specifications to get your chassis built as you want it!

GET YOUR BUILDERS GUIDE HERE