Recently David Freiburger finished up a trip to Texas to film a video with his friend Mike Finnegan. Once that video project was completed, he found himself at a crossroads: hop on a plane for the return ride or purchase a car and make a video from Dallas to southern California.
While he didn’t purchase the ’57 Chevy you see before your eyes, he did make the drive West in it to deliver it for the owner. Before he embarked on the journey, David took the time to explain the setup to this particular car, which ended up being the ideal recipe for the sub-1,500 mile trip home.
With 580 horsepower on tap out of a Blueprint Engines 383 C.I. small block Chevy, and a Tremec TKX transmission sending power to the rear tires through each of it’s five forward gears, this Tri-Five had a solid drivetrain package capable of the task at hand.
As for David’s preference, he tends to lean toward a smaller wheel diamater on these cars. Sure the aesthetic is nice, but he also enjoys the better ride quality from the extra tire (which also acts as a spring in the car’s suspension). While this car was fitted with 18” rims at all four corners, the advantage was that larger Wilwood brakes had been added, along with Hydraboost, greatly improving the cars ability to stop when needed over the standard equipment that came on these classics.
Lastly, David praised the Ridetech suspension that was installed, for it’s ride quality and confidence inspiring handling. The system is comprised of coil-over suspension at each corner. Out front the suspension is updated with more modern tubular upper and lower control arms which have been designed to provide the vehicle with more modern suspension geometry, greatly transforming the way this big body Tri-Five handles, despite maintaining recirculating ball steering system.
Out back Ridetech’s four-link conversion is integrated, which more solidly locates the rear axle and helps plant the vehicle more than the factory leaf springs could have ever hope to. Each coil-over is 24 position rebound adjustable which allows you to dial in ride comfort to driver preference.
We were glad to hear David reach out to us and let us know we hit the nail on the head. For those looking to build a Tri-Five in the future or update their current Tri-Five’s suspension, we hope you find this video and take David’s word for it.
Go give David’s YouTube channel a follow and make sure you click the bell icon to receive notifications every time he releases content so you don’t miss out. And if you’re in the market for Tri-Five Chevy suspension, scroll down a bit further and learn more at the links below.
That’s all we have for you on this one #ridetechnation. Happy Motoring!
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