Vehicle Description
Presenting a truly unique combination of performance and style,
Zoom Classic Cars offers this magnificent 1955 Chevy Bel Air known
on the show circuit as "Pro-Fusion". Crowned at the highest level
by the Editors of Hot Rod Magazine, it appeared as an extensive
feature article in their April 2018 issue. The car was also awarded
the prestigious Street Shaker Award and following feature by the
Editors of Street Rodder Magazine in their November 2016 issue.
Pro-Fusion also was awarded as one of their Top Ten Street Shakers
by Hotrod Magazine in May 2020. The fusion of Pro-Street meets
Pro-Mod is apparent from the design levels incorporated throughout
the build making it an extremely unique, one-off creation with an
endless number of breathtaking elements showcased in the
accompanying images and text description.From the moment the car
graced the show floor of the World renowned Detroit Autorama as a
Ridler Contender in 2017. It has earned multiple 1st place award
wins wherever it has shown. This would also include the prestigious
Piston-Power Autorama in Cleveland, World of Wheels in Boston and
Toronto Motorama where the car received a stream of awards
including the Meguiar's Award for Outstanding Paint. "Pro-Fusion"
always gathers a crowd as well as admiration of judging staff.
Let's take a look into the fabrication and completion of the car
and just what makes it a standout wherever it has been seen.Getting
started, an original 1955 Chevy Bel Air was stripped bare with the
body being transported to Tube Chassis Designz (TCD) to have John
Sandahl evaluate the build. Sandahl first fabricated a custom 4130
chromoly double-rail Pro-Mod chassis certified to 6.50, meeting SFI
25.1E specifications. He continued on out back anchoring a Strange
Engineering 9-inch HD steel housing in place packed with their
9-inch Pro Iron center with spool spinning 4.30 gears linked to
matching 40-spline gun-drilled axles. It's suspended by a
custom-fabbed TCD 4-link, sway bar and Panhard bar deftly matched
to a pair of Strange Engineering Ultra-Series Drag Race
double-adjustable coilover shocks. It's all business up front with
Santhuff's tube chassis double-adjustable coilover struts with
4.5-inch travel matched to TCD-fabbed chromoly lower control arms
steering through Strange Engineering manual rack-and-pinion unit.
When it gets serious and you need to stop, a Strange Engineering
dual master pushes fluid through stainless lines to 11 3/4 inch
front vented and 11 3/8 inch drilled rear discs from Aerospace
Components with matching 4-piston calipers anchored at each corner.
The TDC team then focused on the body, removing the floors and all
related interior sheetmetal to integrate the shell to the new
chassis. "Swedged" floors, firewall and rear wheel tubs were then
fabricated from sheetmetal and welded in place. The complete
chassis and related sheet metal were then powder coated in gloss
silver by D&T Powder coating. It all rolls on Radir Tri-Rib
15x4-inch wheels up front with Centerline Competition Series
Vintage 15x15-inch rears all wrapped in Mickey Thompson Sportsman
S/R radials.To dial in a well-balanced combination of streetable
power that could also hold its own on the track, Camco Racing
Engines was contacted to assemble a mighty big-block V-8. Starting
fresh, a new block was bored and stroked to 540ci and filled with
plenty of go-fast goods. It starts with a Crower Magnum 1/2 inch
crank linked to matching Ultra I-beam rods wearing JE 11.5:1 dome
pistons with a custom ground COMP Cams setting a heavy beat. Up
top, Camco warmed over a set of Brodix Big Brodie 3 heads making
plenty of seamless power fed by the crowning touch from Kinsler
Fuel Injection. The team at Kinsler engineered a custom induction
system starting with a Dart dual-quad tunnel ram which they
converted to EFI while incorporating an Enderle Bug Catcher hat
flowing air specifically through only the center of the three
butterflies. It's fed by an Enderle mechanical cam driven fuel pump
for a nostalgic look with an electric Weldon pump at the tank. Turn
a key and it all sparks to life through an MSD crank trigger
ignition linked to an MSD 7AL-2 box. Spent gasses rip through a set
of one-off headers from Tubular Automotive then onto a
custom-fabbed 4-inch exhaust by TDC to Flowmaster mufflers. Tuned
by Jim Reid Jr of Reid's Automotive; the engine dynoed at 725hp @
6,500 rpm. Power moves rearward though a TH400 trans massaged
complete with an ATI 10-inch Treemaster converter all linked to a
custom TDC driveshaft.As a loaded roller with its suspension dialed
in the car had already achieved a nasty stance with plenty of
attitude. It was now time to focus on breathing life back into the
shell. Perfection Auto in Quincy Ma got started by first replacing
the rear quarters, rockers and doors as well as tending to any
other initial sheetmetal fabrication needs. Wanting the car to have
a signature look to separate it from the pack, a design
consultation was set up with Paul Gamache of Gamache Rod & Custom
in Freetown. Well-known for his custom fabrication, Gamache
outlined details to bring newfound life to the front of the Bel Air
with a number of flowing design changes. He crafted the signature
hood scoop to embrace the Enderle butterfly's as well as infuse the
floating Corvette grille, new inner fenders and radiator filler
panel. Once back at Perfection, the team metal finished the body,
set all the gaps and blended a custom House of Kolor Brandywine
Kandy gloss to bring it all to life. Inside you immediately see the
custom sheetmetal dash by Gamache packed with Auto Meter Ultra-Lite
carbon fiber dials uniquely set into individual gauge pods by TCD
to monitor all the vitals. A custom steering column by TDC has a
Grant steering wheel to set course while gears click through a
Hurst Pistol-Grip Quarter Stick. A Painless Performance ceiling
mounted switch panel handles all requests in unison with a matching
harness. To add just the right hint of nostalgia to the cockpit
Carello Upholstery upholstered a pair of Kirkey Racing seats and
all surrounding panels with a classic black vinyl diamond pattern
complimented by black loop carpeting. Final assembly and shakedown
was done by Hotrod services. The finished car showcases plenty of
innovation combined with personal style making itself known
wherever it goes. Call Jeff for more details. Price Improved. CAR
STORED IN MASSACHUSETTS with Clean Title
Media:https://www.hotrod.com/articles/pro-street-far-dead-55-bel-air/https://www.hotrod.com/articles/pro-mod-styled-1955-chevy-bel-air-packs-a-punch/https://www.hotrod.com/articles/top-10-wicked-cool-street-shakers/
Dyno Link on Youtube: https://youtu.be/8lbxGwLqN0Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQZ-7t6o2Mk
