Once A Knight - Foose Customizes Titus' 1956 Chevrolet Convertible

This Chip Foose illustration...        read full caption This Chip Foose illustration shows a two-tone ’56 Chevy convertible that’s very low due to a mild 2-inch channel over the framerails. Other custom details include a laid-back windshield with custom mirrors, slightly modified taillamps and side trim, plus a custom floating grille. Large-diameter wheels fill the recontoured wheelwells.

The ’55-’57 Chevy...        read full caption The ’55-’57 Chevy framerails are identical, with only a minor change in bumper bolt holes for the ’57. All the stock body-mounts will be retained, but a custom radiator is planned for the Titus project. The other minor change in this chassis is at the rearmost section of the frame, which is slightly more narrow than stock. A custom gas tank will be fabricated and mounted behind the rear seat.

A GM Performance Parts Ram...        read full caption A GM Performance Parts Ram Jet 350 will provide plenty of scoot and the appearance of period-perfect design continuity under the hood. It’s relocated 21/2 inches rearward from the original V-8 engine’s position.

A cast aluminum–bodied...        read full caption A cast aluminum–bodied Tremec T-56 six-speed trans nests behind the small-block Chevy. Additional tubular driveshaft tunneling will be added for even greater chassis strength.

What you see here is a late-model,...        read full caption What you see here is a late-model, forged-aluminum Corvette C5 IFS mated to narrowed and raised framerails from a ’56 Chevy convertible. The plan is to allow the use of very large-diameter (20- or 22-inch) contemporary wheels and low-profile tires. The black Aldan high-performance coilover shocks are by Jim Andrews of J. F. Andrews Enterprises in Gresham, Oregon.

The steering design employs...        read full caption The steering design employs a Corvette C4 front-mounted rack and pinion. Note the custom mount for the radiator.

New bracketry is welded to...        read full caption New bracketry is welded to the narrowed framerails. The outside brackets are for the upper control arms, while the center bracket is for the black Aldan coilovers. Notice how tubular reinforcements have been added to the framerails, which are also designed to accommodate the lower control arm mount.

Chassis designer Darryl Schroeder...        read full caption Chassis designer Darryl Schroeder assembles the rear spindle carrier and hub assembly.

Notice the custom lower shock...        read full caption Notice the custom lower shock mount. This shot shows the top of the rear suspension travel.

And here’s the bottom...        read full caption And here’s the bottom of the rear suspension. With approximately 5 inches of vertical travel, the IRS has a good range of movement for comfortable operation and ride-height adjustment.

Currently a dummy third member...        read full caption Currently a dummy third member is mounted in place. Eventually, a built 9-inch rearend will be mated to the Corvette IRS half-shafts. There are several manufacturers that can supply this type of bulletproof setup.

Hobby insiders have been read-ing “Spinnin’ & Grinnin’ with Christopher Titus” in the pages of Goodguy’s Gazette for many years—so it’s gratifying to see one of our own succeed on television. When Tim Allen’s show Home Improvement closed production in the late ’90s, viewers that weren’t already Fox Network regulars quickly shifted their attention to Titus, another situation comedy that includes hot rods and customs as part of the show’s script.

It was especially intriguing to those of us who noticed the unusual automotive props on the set—some of which looked very much like real development sketches and scale models of advanced hot rod and custom concepts. The reason the props look authentic is because they are—they’re created by talented SoCal designer Chip Foose, who has opened his own Huntington Beach design office.

We spotted the chassis on these pages under construction at Foose Design and couldn’t resist asking the typical who, what, and why questions. It seems the project started with Titus wanting to freshen up the interior of his ’56 Chevy convertible. After several conversations with Chip and Sam Foose (their fertile imaginations fanning the flames), Chris’ enthusiasm was soon running full-throttle for a very trick ’56 ragtop. Shortly thereafter, talent was lined up to make the radical ragtop a reality.

At this point in the project, the custom-designed chassis is well under way at Foose Design and the body is also in-progress at Foose’s Fords in Solvang, California. Sharp observers might notice that the custom chassis found under Real Mad and NewMad from Steve’s Auto Restoration in Portland, Oregon, are quite similar to this one—because Darryl Schroeder was involved with the design and construction of those two vehicles as well. Darryl hints that a production chassis is being planned in the future for any tri-year Chevy enthusiasts who might want one.

The details for a production chassis will likely vary in minor ways to make them more universal. For example, the production chassis will not be designed for a 2-inch body channel. Nor will the centersection be produced with original rails. The rear portion of the frame-rails will be designed to return to the same width as the centersection of the rails to allow for the mounting of a gas tank between the rails. This will allow the stock body to bolt to the chassis without cutting the bottom of the firewall or the inner panels that form the rear seat braces.

This exciting contemporary custom will very likely see some airtime (if it hasn’t already by the time you’re reading this) and will keep viewers on the edge of their living-room seats waiting for the next installment. It might even provoke a few viewers to want a similar custom for their very own. If everything works as planned, Foose Design will soon offer a comparable chassis to the owners of tri-year Chevys.

Stay tuned!