Traditional Mild CustomSo many Tri-five owners talk about wanting a car that's "just like the one I had" or "just like the one I wanted" in the '50s, which makes us wonder why we don't see more done like Gordon Dudley's '55. We're calling it a mild custom, but it's more like a period street machine-a car you would've found in any high school parking lot in the late '50s. The recipe is simple, too. Gordon's is nosed and decked, has a cool stance (McGaughy spindles and discs up front and 2-inch blocks in back), and wears a tube grille and Lee-style taillights. The Cashmere Blue and India Ivory paint are appropriate, easy, and economical (Gordon and a buddy did the bodywork; Big Al's Body Shop sprayed the color) and look great with traditional-style pinstripes.
The wide whitewalls and Corvette hubcaps are what really define this double-nickel Chevy. Gordon actually used to run Fiestas, but the Vette pieces lend just a little more performance flavor, especially when Gordon rows through the Muncie four-speed that backs up his 327. White tuck 'n' roll-with a Lucite teardrop shift handle and dash knobs-completes the period-perfect theme.
Gordon and his wife Suzanne have owned the '55 for 25 years; it's looked like this for about eight. He says it's just different enough from typical Tri-fives to garner plenty of attention. Better yet, it's driven a lot because it's comfortable and Gordon doesn't have a fortune invested in it. What more could you want?
Retro RacerJim and Celia Christenson's '57 sedan not only looks like a race car, it used to be one-a lakes racer, at that. Jim can tell tales of carving decades-old salt off the underside (and subsequently replacing the floors) shortly after inheriting the car when a friend passed away. Until recently it ran the same 2.72:1 rear gear that at one time helped propel the brick-like Chevy to about 148 mph across a lakebed.
Though it sees only street duty these days, the '57 maintains the competition vibe with an understated combination of Moon discs, blackwall tires, and a black primer finish-PCL Polyprime that's smoothed down with scuff pads and rubbed to a semi-gloss sheen with gelcoat polish. There's a healthy 327 under the hood, backed by a TH350. Everything else about this '57 is so basic-the plain black vinyl seat, the white-face dash with accessory tach on top-that it just screams, "Go ahead, try me!"
Just like Gordon's '55, Jim's '57 was assembled on a budget and is driven all over the place. It also gets noticed. Japan's Daytona magazine ran a feature on it, and now we've turned our cameras toward it, too. We'd love to see more Tri-fives and other '50s cars done with a vintage racing theme-how about circle-track style or Black Widow clone?
Traditional Radical CustomWhere is it written that '55-57 Chevy sheetmetal is too sacred to cut? You'd think it was etched in steel somewhere, considering how many people are afraid of even minor mods like shaving door handles or whacking the emblems off the hoods of these cars. Granted, Tri-fives were pretty good looking right from the factory, then again, so were '50 Mercs-and that hasn't stopped anyone from cutting them up.
Believe it or not, we've actually come across two traditional full- or radical-custom Tri-fives in the not-too-distant past. We featured Todd Hayes' chopped (3 inches) and sectioned (4 inches) '55 210 back in the April '03 issue and still think it's a cool example of a radical Tri-five. A pancaked hood and '59 Cadillac grille bar complete its custom makeover, while a fairly standard small-block/four-speed combo powers it. It's a pretty safe bet that Todd never sees another Chevy like his at any show he attends.