From Restored to Restified – Roseville Rod & Custom Builds a Tri-Five Chevy Built for the Road
If you’ve ever driven a fully restored Tri-Five Chevy, especially on original-style bias ply tires, the ride and handling leave much to be desired. The 70-year-old suspension technology might have been fine in its day but has not held up as well as the timeless design of these cars. Shortly after Charlie and Allana Butts bought a restored ’57 Chevy convertible, they realized that they wanted the car to perform much better than the stock version. To answer their needs, they turned to the team at Roseville Rod & Custom to recreate their iconic ragtop as a modern road warrior.
The result is a stunning example of a reimagined classic: great look inside and out, modern underpinnings, and plenty of power.
The project started with an Art Morrison tri-five Chevy chassis equipped with power rack-and-pinion steering, modern independent front suspension components, and a four-link rear suspension that includes 3.78 gears in a 9-inch rearend. Fourteen-inch Wilwood disc brakes sit on all four corners, along with Budnik 16- and 20-inch wheels.
Under the hood, a fresh GM LT4 V8 provides the power. Exhaust gases exit through Ultimate Headers and a custom-built exhaust system by Roseville Rod & Custom that features Borla mufflers. Valve covers are custom pieces machined by EVOD, while Drive Junky provided the accessory drive system. The stock firewall was smoothed and recessed to accommodate the modern V8, and the Roseville team also formed custom inner fenders. A 4l80E transmission is controlled by a Lokar shifter to keep the cruising rpm comfortable.
The Roseville crew also worked its magic on the exterior, straightening the body sheet metal to perfection, refining the gaps, and restoring all the chrome and gold trim. They then applied the Space Red Candy paint.
The stylish interior recreation was handled in-house at Roseville Rod & Custom, too, from the design concept to CNC-created interior trim pieces. Relicate leather covers the front buckets (sourced from a Cadillac), console, and door panels. The stock dash was modified to allow dual A/C vents to sit above the console. That meant relocating the glove box several inches to the right, a sublte change most tri-five Chevy fans would miss.
The custom console includes a digital screen, cup holders, and various control switches. In addition to the custom trim pieces and one-of-a-kind sill plates, the rear armrests were modified to include cup holders. A stock steering wheel sits on an aftermarket tilt column while Dakota Digital gauges are housed in the stock cluster.
Charlie and Allana’s version of the classic ’57 Bel Air convertible (barely three percent of the 1.55 million 1957 models produced that year) is ready for them to enjoy seeing the USA in their Chevrolet.
Photos by Steven Bunker
