Art Morrison Enterprises is the manufacturer of premium quality frame /chassis and suspension components. He has designed and built custom rolling chassis for the most recognized car builders in the industry including but not limited to Chip Foose, Bobby Alloway, and Troy Trepanier. The single most important component of a car is the frame and yet it is often the most overlooked. It provides three major functions. First, the frame is what provides the structural integrity to the entire vehicle. It is analogous to the foundation of a house or the skeletal structure of your body. Second, it plays a critical role in the handling dynamics of a car; a rigid frame allows for all movement and compliance to be performed and absorbed by the suspension components resulting in optimal and predictable handling (conversely, a flexible frame results in erratic handling due to chassis flex). Third, the frame provides a platform for mounting all of the critical mechanical components to the car.
With rare exception, most cars are mass produced with the frame and chassis components being built to a low price point. Generally speaking, the chassis and suspension met the minimal level of acceptability based on the standards and technology of its date of manufacturer. When a hot rodder installs a 570 horsepower big block engine in his 1955 Chevy (which originally came with a 190 horsepower small block), the car must be re-engineered to cope with the load stresses that tripling the horsepower imposes on every single component of the car. Enter Art Morrison. He fabricates a complete package consisting of a new frame (which is reinforced for additional strength), a new front suspension assembly adapted from a C6 Corvette, rack and pinion steering, a four link / coil over rear suspension assembly, and four wheel disc brakes. Art Morrison refers to this package as the “GT Sport Chassis” and the performance results are astounding. Super Chevy Magazine took a 1955 Chevy with a “GT Sport Chassis” and went around a skid pad at .94G (beating a Ferrari 430 at .90G, an AMG Benz at .90G, a Porsche 911 GT3 at .92G, and a Shelby Mustang GT 500 at .87G). Yeah, a 1955 “Shoe Box” Chevy out cornering some of the finest and most expensive European sports cars.
Art Morrison has a number of packages of available but his most popular applications pertain to the tri-five Chevys (1955-1957), the live axle Corvettes (1953-1962), the early fifties Chevy (1949-1954), the first generation Camaro (1967-1969), and Classic pick-up trucks (fifties Ford and Chevy). However, there is nothing Art Morrison can’t do and as I toured their facility, there were a number of custom applications underway for a Rolls Royce, an Aston Martin and a Cadillac hearse. Art Morrison frames are fabricated on site by skilled craftsmen and his componentry is sourced from top quality American manufacturers. Art Morrison contact information is as follows; 5301 8th Street East, Fife, Washington, 1-800-929-7188, www.artmorrison.com.
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