When the gasser craze hit the U.S. in the 1960s, enthusiasts began prepping and racing production cars you wouldn't normally see at the drag strip. 1955 to 1957 Tri-Five Chevys were among them. Stripped off of unnecessary equipment and fitted with big engines and meaty rear tires, these drag-prepped Bel Airs, 150s, and 210s smoked drag strips for decades.
Some got wrecked and some were lost on the way, being left to rot in back yards, but some Tri-Five gassers survived to this day to tell their story. This black-painted 1955 example is one of the lucky ones. It was actually raced until in 2010 when it was parked in a barn for an engine rebuild. Unfortunately, the owner passed away before he got to drop a new V8 under the hood.
Come 2021 and this gasser is about to get a second chance. It's been dragged out of storage after more than a decade to get that engine transplant. It also got its first wash in a very long time, which revealed an impressively clean and straight body, to go with a rust-free chassis.
A full-blown gasser, which based on the decals and stickers on the body, was raced at the drag strip as early as the 1960s, sports a race-ready interior with a roll cage, a bucket driver's seat, and a rear-seat delete. This cabin is stuffed with spare parts, but this thing is ready to hit the drag strip as soon as it gets a new heart under the hood.
Speaking of which, the badges suggest that this Tri-Five once had a 327-cubic-inch (5.4-liter) V8 under the hood. The mill is long gone, but the car changed hands with a couple of engines and a variety of transmissions according to the new owner. So this 1955 Chevy should be back on the road in no time.
But it seems it won't return to the drag strip. The owner wants to turn it into a streetable Tri-Five, so he will remove the meaty rear tires to make way for street-spec rubber. It's safe to say that it will also get a passenger seat and maybe a more comfortable driver seat.
It's a bit disappointing that this Tri-Five Chevy won't see drag strip action again, but at least it's getting a second life as a hot rod. Until it hits public roads again, let's see it getting its first wash in more than a decade.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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