Tri-Five Chevys have achieved legendary status in the vintage car hobby, particularly the two-door hardtop and convertible models.
Most of our readers already know Tri-Five Chevy models were built between 1955 and 1957, thus the Tri-Five handle for the three consecutive model years.
Jim Sutherland
Jim Krumm is a Tri-Five Chevy fan who owned a ’57 Chevy 2-door hardtop during his high school years. Jim told MyStarCollectorCar “I bought it (the ’57 Chevy) for $200 and sold it for $300 in 1971 after high school-just enough money to pay for my first year of tuition”, in his words.
The experience made Jim a loyal fan of 1957 Chevys, although his next ’57 Chevy had two extra doors. Here is Jim’s answer: “There were a lot of years when I would never have bought the car (his 4-door hardtop ’57 Chevy)” but 21 years had passed since his first 1957 Chevy 2-door hardtop and Jim’s perspective about 4-door models had changed over the decades.
Jim spotted his 1957 Chevy Bel Air more-door at a car show in his city. It had a ‘For Sale’ sign and was stored inside a shed for many years, so it was spared from the elements during that time frame. The undercarriage of the car was very clean, according to one of his car buddies, and the car was locked in a typical car guy scenario where it was a long way from completion-but not torn apart enough to seriously complicate completion.
The former owner had likely concluded the ’57 Chevy was not going to be completed under his watch, so he sold it to Jim.
Jim bought the car and kept it on the backburner while he mapped out his game plan for his ’57 Chevy. A health challenge cropped up in Jim’s life and he required a kidney transplant in 2018. The experience, along with his daughter’s advice to finish the ’57 Chevy project, was enough for Jim to undertake a major resto mod transformation for his Tri-Five that year.
Jim completed the project in only two years–a very short time frame, given the high level of quality in his ’57 Chevy resto mod build.
The 1957 Chevy now sports a 21st century Chevy LS3 engine coupled to a modern GM 4-speed overdrive automatic transmission, a powertrain combination that is very popular with resto mod builders because of their efficiency.
Jim’s vintage Chevy also has a modern 4-wheel disc package, along with power steering, power windows, tilt steering, and even an aftermarket air conditioning package that replaced the car’s factory AC. The upgrades extend into the Chevy’s interior because it was done in leather and is perfect down to every stitch.
His 1957 Chevy Bel Air is an award winner because it also has a perfect paint job with laser-straight bodylines that are better than factory.
Jim describes his resto mod as “basically a ’57 Chevy sitting on a Corvette-style custom frame”. It may be a trophy winner, but Jim loves to drive it and has logged many miles on the road in his Chevy, including a trip through the Canadian Rockies when it averaged 24 mpg.
Jim’s resto mod Tri-Five Chevy is an excellent example of what happens when Fifties cool meets 21st century automotive technology.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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