Super Chevy Magazine Homepage Super Chevy
Facebook Click here to find out more!

Tri-Five Chassis - Framing A Classic, Part 5

Our Chassis Gets Up And Rolling With Wheels, Tires And Brake Lines

  • 1955 Chevy Brake Line
    We routed it down and across the crossmember, using a couple of clamps to hold it in place.
    1955 Chevy Brake Line
    We routed it down and across the crossmember, using a couple of clamps to hold it in place
  • 1955 Chevy Rear Drum Brakes
    In addition to routing brake lines, we rebuilt the rear drum brakes on the 10-bolt using a kit from Performance Suspension Technology.
    1955 Chevy Rear Drum Brakes
    In addition to routing brake lines, we rebuilt the rear drum brakes on the 10-bolt using a
  • 1955 Chevy Rear Drum Brakes
    The complete rebuild kit included everything from wheel cylinders to Metalli-Grip metallic linings.
    1955 Chevy Rear Drum Brakes
    The complete rebuild kit included everything from wheel cylinders to Metalli-Grip metallic
  • 1955 Chevy Wheels And Tires
    When everything else was in order, we lifted the wheels and tires in place and screwed on the lug nuts.
    1955 Chevy Wheels And Tires
    When everything else was in order, we lifted the wheels and tires in place and screwed on
  • 1955 Chevy Wheels And Tires
    After popping on the new hubcaps, we took a step back to admire the finished product. The Coker radials and Wheel Vintiques wheels definitely add a distinctive touch, finishing off our rolling chassis in fine style.
    1955 Chevy Wheels And Tires
    After popping on the new hubcaps, we took a step back to admire the finished product. The

Bending Lines
Bending and routing hard brake lines may seem like an easy task, but making it all look nice and tidy is an acquired skill that takes plenty of patience. The job is certainly easier when you don't have obstacles like an engine, transmission, or body panels to work around, which is one of the reasons we chose to do it now. (Of course, without the engine or body in place, it can be difficult to know if you're going to run into clearance problems later on.) Armed with a simple Snap-On tubing bender, a flaring tool, and our bare hands, we were able to get the job done and route the lines in a reasonably attractive fashion, but it did take more time than we anticipated. The following is a brief synopsis of the tools and techniques we used to form and flare the tubing.

  • 1955 Chevy Tubing Bender
    This Snap-On tubing bender allowed us to make uniform, kink-free bends. But for many of the simpler bends, we found it just as easy to carefully shape the stainless lines with our fingers.
    1955 Chevy Tubing Bender
    This Snap-On tubing bender allowed us to make uniform, kink-free bends. But for many of th
  • 1955 Chevy Brake Tubing
    We ordered the tubing long, so once we shaped it we had to cut it to length and flare the ends. A tubing cutter will work, but we found that a simple cut-off wheel left us with a nice, flat end to work with.
    1955 Chevy Brake Tubing
    We ordered the tubing long, so once we shaped it we had to cut it to length and flare the
  • 1955 Chevy Tube Deburring
    After cutting a tube, it's important to debur the metal (both inside and out) with a file. We also made sure to blow compressed air through the tubing to clear out any leftover shavings.
    1955 Chevy Tube Deburring
    After cutting a tube, it's important to debur the metal (both inside and out) with a file.
  • 1955 Chevy Flaring Tool
    Brake lines require a double 45-degree flare, which we made with this flaring tool (we just had to remember to slip the fitting in place before creating the flare). Stainless steel can be tough to flare, and we had a little trouble with the tubing wanting to slip through the flare bar. It helps if you can clamp the bar in a narrow vise.
    1955 Chevy Flaring Tool
    Brake lines require a double 45-degree flare, which we made with this flaring tool (we jus
  • 1955 Chevy Brake Line Flare
    The finished flares looked something like this, and the lines were ready for installation.
SOURCES
Classic Tube
80 Rotech Drive
Lancaster
NY  14086
800-882-3711
www.classictube.com
Danchuk Manufacturing
3201 S. Standard Ave.
Santa Ana
CA  92705
Kugel Komponents
www.kugelkomponents.com
Williams Classic Chassis Works
La Verne
CA  91750
Coker Tire
8-00/-251-6336
coker.com
Performance Suspension Technology
8-00/-247-2288
p-s-t.com
Classic Performance Products
175 East Freedom Avenue
Anaheim
CA  92801
800-522-5004
www.classicperform.com
Wheel Vintiques
5-59/-251-6957
wheelvintiques.com
Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!

*Please enter your username

*Please enter your password

*Please enter your comments
Comments:
Not Registered?Signup Here
(1024 character limit)
Super Chevy