Seven years ago, Russ McIntyre set out to build the best Tri-Five Chev he could — here’s the finished product that well and truly lives up to expectations!
It’s hard to find a more iconic American car than a Tri-Five Chev. Not just here in New Zealand but around the globe, the 1955–’57 Chevs have stood the test of time and excelled across almost all automotive disciplines: drag racing, circuit racing, shows — you name it, there’s nothing the Tri-Five Chevs haven’t done. Of course, that means that building one that stands out from the rest is no small task. South Auckland’s Russ McIntyre knew that though when he embarked on building the ultimate 1955 Sports Coupe back in 2016. Russ had owned and built a number of Tri-Fives over the years, and from the outset, he was determined for this one to be the culmination of his years of knowledge, experience, and ideas.
With his previous award-winning 1955 Sports Coupe sold, he began the hunt for a decent shell to start the project with. He didn’t need to look too far, as the now late Steve Foster had just the thing. The body was somewhat tired but rust-free, and all the important bits were there. And whatever wasn’t there, Russ knew he wouldn’t need anyway, as almost every component would be either repaired, replaced, or modified during the six-and-a-half-year build process.
Having owned and operated ACME for many years, Russ had set up the ultimate home workshop, which came in handy when he closed the doors not just to retire, but to focus specifically on this build. Even with the majority of the work being taken care of by Russ at home, he’s still hugely grateful for all those who have helped along the way. That included calling in a lot of favours he was owed for helping out others on their builds over the decades he’s been involved in the game.
From the outset, he knew that rather than modifying the original 1955 chassis, it was a smarter move to simply swap it out for a brand-new replacement Art Morrison item. When placing the order with the legendary chassis manufacturers, he specified that the rear rails needed to be notched to allow for the pro-street style rubber that would later be fitted. He also requested a fully adjustable four-link rear end and a double A-arm–style front suspension assembly. It’s well known that the Morrison front ends take their geometry from late-model Corvettes, which is appropriate given the performance the car now offers. Russ matched the performance geometry with QA1 coilovers and opted for 650lb front springs and 450lb rear springs. An added advantage of the modern chassis was the adjustable sway bars that it came fitted with, and that’s before looking at the fit and finish of the chassis itself, which was supplied almost ready for paint. The ‘almost’ in that statement is due to Russ making some tweaks to the rear end to suit his own taste and adding various mounts and brackets for fuel and brake lines.
While Russ was working away on the chassis, he had Steve Benge work his magic on the engine combo. There was no way the car was ever going to run anything but a big-block Chev. For this, Steve started with a new Dart tall-deck block and undertook the required machine work to allow it to be fitted with an Eagle crank, Eagle H-beam rods, and Carrillo Bullet series pistons. ACL bearings were used to keep it spinning smoothly, while an ATI balancer was added up front. For a mix of performance and reliability, Russ opted for a hydraulic roller cam along with AFR 345cc alloy heads filled with Crower lifters, beehive valve springs, and TD shaft-mounted rockers.
Well aware that with a foundation like this, the rest of the recipe needed to be right to get the desired output, an Edelbrock AirGap manifold was next on the shopping list along with a Holley Sniper fuel injection system. Yes, while at a glance it may look like a carburetor, the Sniper system retains the ease of fitment of a carburetor but with the reliability and performance of an EFI setup. Of course, it did mean that a high-pressure fuel system was required, but to keep this simple and tidy, an Aeromotive Stealth in-tank fuel pump was fitted. The tank itself is a custom-fabricated drop tank that has been held in place with straps polished to a mirror-like finish, along with many other undercarriage components, including the three-inch stainless exhaust and Borla mufflers.
Wanting nothing less than perfection, Russ made sure every nut and bolt used on the undercarriage was either plated, polished, or painted before final installation. Long before completion, however, Russ had to work his magic on the body. This involved resetting the firewall for engine and gearbox clearance, along with tidying up the rest of the engine bay. During this process, the brake master cylinder was relocated under the dash, along with a custom pedal assembly made by Terry Bowden.
While the work in the engine bay is evident, the subtle reshaping of the car’s rear quarters is less obvious but include the rear wheel openings being raised an inch. While the car is covered in what is undoubtedly a high-end paint job, it’s not exactly what you’d think. Russ’s good mates Dean Coley and Red (Darryl Crosby) are both well known painters, who are both off the tools these days, but both performed their fair share of work on the ’55. With Dean working every spare moment, the process was huge. This was further extended by the Spies Hecker Boyd Red paint covering every surface of the body, chassis, most of the engine bay, and even drivetrain components.
Even the roll cage has been painted the same hue, although that’s far from the most impressive work on the interior. Richard Howe at Richard Howe Upholstery was called upon to work his magic. Russ went to Richard with a very clear vision, even providing photos and diagrams, and Richard delivered exactly what he was after. While these cars typically come with bench seats, in this instance, Russ opted for buckets from a ’65 Impala. The remaining interior components read like a shopping list of all the right parts, including a Billet Specialties steering wheel, B&M Quickshifter, and Classic Instruments dash. A closer look reveals deleted heater controls for a cleaner finish, and what appears to be a stock head unit is actually a Retrosound item with Bluetooth connectivity and all the latest features. This head unit works with a high-end audio system featuring Audioson components and high-quality wiring. Like all the fabrication work on the car, Russ even built the frame that holds the subwoofer in place.
The real impressive metalwork is in the structure of the boot itself. Not only did Russ, Red and Dean spend countless hours smoothing and filing the underside of the bootlid, but they then set about doing the same with the side panels. The amount of effort put into this work is immense, yet it’s all been done with the aim of making it appear factory-made, something it’s far from. As the wheel tubs are hidden behind the trim panel, you wouldn’t notice that the tubs themselves have been enlarged to accommodate the car’s 28x12x15 Mickey Thompson Sportsman rear tyres. These tyres are fitted on 15×10 Billet Specialties rims, which are matched with 15x6s of the same model up front. Both sets are paired with Willwood calipers and the largest vented rotors that Russ could fit within the rims.
While the car hasn’t been dyno-tested yet, Russ’s experience with high-powered cars allows him to gauge its performance. He claims that what’s more impressive than the sheer power (which is, by the way, impressive) is just how drivable the car is. It starts readily, idles smoothly in traffic, or can fry the tyres in the blink of an eye. This is partly thanks to the work that’s gone into perfecting the driveline. That included building a GM TH400 transmission with heavy-duty clutches and sprag, a Transgo 400 Pro shift kit, and a Dominator 2500rpm stall converter. Behind this is a Gearvendors overdrive along with a custom driveshaft built by Russell at Driveshaft Specialists that feeds into a 9-inch diff. For peace of mind, Russ filled the diff with 31-spline axles, a Truetrac center, and a 3.9:1 final drive.
Russ’s goal from the outset of the build was to create the ultimate ’55, a car that he could be proud of as the pinnacle of ’55 ownership. With a high-end finish, the right stance, countless custom touches, and immense power, we’d say that’s a job well done.
Vehicle: 1955 Chev Sports Coupe
Engine: 540ci big-block Chev, Dart tall-deck block, Eagle crank, ACL bearings, ATI balancer, Eagle H-beam rods, Carrillo Bullet series pistons, Melling oil pump, hydraulic roller cam, Crower lifters, AFR 345cc alloy heads, beehive valve springs, TD shaft mount rockers, Edelbrock RPM airgap manifold, Holley Sniper injection, Aeromotive Stealth fuel pump, Aeromotive regulator, ICE ignition, Taylor leads, three-inch stainless exhaust, Vibrant Performance clamp system, Borla mufflers, custom crossflow radiator
Driveline: GM TH400 transmission, heavy-duty clutches and sprag, Transgo 400 Pro shift kit, Dominator 2500rpm stall converter, Gearvendors overdrive, Ford nine-inch diff, 31-spline axles, alloy head, 3.9:1 final drive, Trutrac centre, custom driveshaft with heavy-duty yokes
Suspension: Art Morrison double A-arm front end, triangulated four-link rear, QA1 coilovers, 650lb front springs, 450lb rear springs, adjustable swaybars
Brakes: Underdash pedal box, Wilwood six-pot front calipers, Wilwood four-pot rear calipers, Wilwood rotors
Wheels/tyres: 15×6-inch and 15×10-inch Billet Specialties wheels, Hankook 215/65R15 front tyres, 28x12x15 Mickey Thompson Sportsman rear tyres
Exterior: Reshaped doors, reshaped rear guards, hidden fuel filer, recessed license plate, Spies Hecker Boyd Red paint
Chassis: Art Morrison GT Sport Chassis, C-notched rear end, remounted rear shocks
Interior: Modified ’65 Impala bucket seats, Billet Specialties steering wheel, B&M Quickshifter, Classic Instruments dash, Autometer rev counter, custom four-point roll cage, removable inner firewall, electric heater, deleted heater controls, Retrosound head unit, Audioson speakers, Audioson subwoofer, Audioson amplifier
Performance: Untested
Driver: Russ McIntyre
Age: 61
Occupation: Engineer
Previously owned cars: ’55 Chev four-door, ’63 Bel Air, ’68 RS/SS Camaro, ’57 Chev Sports Coupe, ’32 Ford Coupe, ’32 Ford pickup, ’55 Chev Sports Coupe, Ford 100E Anglia
Dream car: ’55 Sports Coupe
Why the ’55?: I like the look
Build time: 6.5 years
Length of ownership: 8 years
Russ thanks: My wife Karen, Scotty, Kris, Darryl, Deano, Red, Chad, Steve, Ross, Hunter, Neil, Luke, Bo, Darryl Bone, Brian Bennett, Clive and Vicky, Al Shadwick, Vaughan Walters, Terry Bowden, Darren Van Ness, Nikki, Terry Sims, Lee, Derek P, Greg and many others, Richard Howe Upholstery, Driveshaft Specialists, Scotts Metal works, R3 Fabrication, Wired Electrical, HPC Coatings, Franklin Bearings, Wallace Heron, Repco Pukekohe, Counties Exhausts, Super Signs, Terry’s Chassis Shoppe, Chucks Restoration Supplies, Advanced Four Wheel Equipment, Al’s Blower Drives, Revolution Dyno Centre, Lasertech, PG Hydraulics
Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Glen McNamara
Featured in Issue No. 224 — Buy Here!