Super Chevy – September 2019

here in the U.S., we use a precision
assembly fixture and industrial spot
welders in much the same way GM
assembled these cars in the ’50s.”
By going this route we would have
a clean platform to get ready for our
transformation. Of course, stitching
together a complete car is no easy task.
As Joe explained, “The build time for
a complete body at RDS is six to seven
days. We build anything from just the
body skeleton or a race car body with
no floors, firewall, or trunk floor all
the way up to a complete body with
all the sheetmetal, including the front
end. We take extra time to eliminate
the infamous Tri-Five quarter-panel
‘bulge’ and we’re very fussy about door
and trunk gaps, as well as glass fitment.
Every car, even after fixture assembly,
receives the test-fit of a windshield
and back glass to verify accuracy. In
addition to the hardtop, sedan, and
convertible Tri-Five bodies, RDS also
assembles 1967-’69 Camaro coupes
and 1966-’67 Chevy II Nova bodies.
All are officially licensed by GM.” Of
course, we don’t have a donor car, but
Joe explained that registration isn’t an
issue. “We don’t provide a serial num-
ber or VIN, but titling and registering
in all states is relatively easy given the
actions of the SEMA Action Network
(SAN) to allow registration of these
new bodies as the actual year they rep-
resent. So you can register a new RDS
’55 Chevy as a ’55 Chevy!” relayed Joe.
Of course, RDS had us covered
on the skilled labor side of the ledger,
but to make this happen they needed
excellent sheetmetal. Enter Golden
Star Classic Auto Parts. Golden Star
turns out very accurate parts, which
is a good thing because original parts
are either impossible to find or will
cost one or two internal organs to
purchase. And besides, we’ve seen some
iffy “original” panels made on worn-out
tooling. Golden Star uses a compli-
cated process to make new molds and
tooling so that we end up with parts
that are oftentimes better than what
the factory was churning out over
a half century ago, with crisper lines
and smoother curves.
Yeah, we can hear you now, “Hey,
if it takes a week to just build this
body how can this be a Week To
Wicked project?” Well, here’s the deal.

Complete 4-Bar with Anti-Sway Bar

Complete 9”with 3.70 Gears

ExclusiveGTech X Member Design

All Body Mounts In Place

Front Anti-Sway Bar

Power

Rack &Pinion

Steering

Inch

Drop!

Chevy Engine Mounts

4 Wheel Disc Brakes

(Options Shown)

FatMan

5-Stroke Rear

Coil Overs

Deliver Better

Handling

RideTech

Coilovers

Complete Tri-Five Chevy Chassis Package

After overthirty-threeyears of street rod and race car chassis experience we are proud to produce the

strongest, most well thought out Tri-Five chassis ever offered. Starting with strong fixture-welded 3”x 4” x

.188” wall material, we then add our unique “X” member featuring a fully encapsulated center section. The

“X” member has built-in exhaust loops for up to 3” systems. In the rear we use our heavy duty triangulated

4-Bar coil-over rear suspension system which includes an adjustable NASCAR style anti-sway bar. In front

our proven Nickle plated A-arm suspension can be configured with RideTech coilovers or Airride and fea-

tures power rack & pinion steering, forged spindles and iron disc brakes. Includes all necessary body and

sheet metal mount points for an easy “drop-on” installation.

$16,450

Unbeatable Value From

Weld-In Front Sub-Frame Available Too!

Call For Information Or See Options Online

ForgedGM

Spindles

’67-’69 Camaro Tubular GM A-Arms

’64-’72 Chevelle

’68-’74 Nova

’70-’81 Camaro

Stock Geometry

$ 299

$ 359

P r.

P r.

■One Piece Forged SAE 4130 Steel

■Revised Steering Arm Position

■Optimized Geometry

■Taller Ball Joint Height

■Better Camber Control

■Accepts Any Disc Brakes

Complete Disc Brake Kits

Make Your Classic Chevy Handle!

2

EngineeredForThe Fast Lane!

Proven33 YEARS

Performance!

“...Excellent Balance Of

Grip, Ride and Comfort.”

The Fact That It Went

Through The Slalom

Cones faster Than A

New Camaro SS Speaks

Volumes...”Jim CampisanoSuper Chevy Magazine

Unique Design Allows Easy Swap To Coilover

Or RideTech. Use Stock Or Dropped Spindles.

Stock Track Or Narrowed For Wider Wheels.

Tig welded SAE 1010 thick wall 3/16” tubing.TRW and MOOG

bushings and ball joints included.‘67-69 & ‘70-81 Camaro,‘64-

’77 Malibu/Monte Carlo, ‘78-’87 Malibu/Monte Carlo

$ 980

Set of 4

Shown With

Optional

Vacuum Metalized

Finish

$ 275

Kits From

Made

In The

USA

http://www.fatmanfab.com

Nickle Plated

Big-Tube Steel

Control Arms

Standard

704 - 545 - 0369

7am-5:30 pm ESTMon-Thurs

Fri 7 am-12 noon

Get

More

Info

Online!

Check Out Our YouTube Video -“FatMan Fabrications TriFive Chevy Custom Chassis”

Solid Engineering Trumps Marketing Hype!