Tri-Five Chevy
Paint it Black
Tri-Five Chevy’s, one of the icons of the hot rod world. So much in fact, they have their own dedicated show 2 times a year, the Tri-Five Nationals in Bowling Green, Kentucky and the Western Invasion in Bakersfield, California. Pick any show across the country, big or small, you’ll find a 55-56-57 there. You might find hundreds of them. Some might even say “you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”, but have you really?
Jon Mannila, the owner of MetalWorks Speed Shop in Eugene, Oregon got a call from a client awhile back with a simple request, "I want a 55 Chevy, and I want it painted black." Jon provided an artist’s rendering to the client with his vision and got the green light to make it happen. Jon found a 55 roller, tore it down and had it acid dipped. “They all look different with their clothes off”, he tells me -- pretty sure we were still talking about cars at this point, and his background in acid dipping.
66 years of wear and tear is hard on anything, but in this day and age; with a plethora of parts for 55 Chevys and a crew of skilled craftsman in his shop; Jon had no problem obliging his client’s request. Oh, there was one other small request in this venture…1,000 hp too, please. Nothing a Wegner Motorsports built 427 LS with a Whipple Supercharger can’t handle.
Whether it’s ice cream with the grandkids, or across the country to a car show, this 55 will do it fast, comfortably, and in style. Plenty of power, Art Morrison chassis, Vintage Air A/C, Dakota Digital RTX gauges, and it’s painted black.
Photos courtesy of MetalWorks Classics & Speed Shop, Eugene OR