"Axle tramp is a common attribute in powerful, rear-drive vehicles with leaf springs. The unpleasant sensation-also known as wheel hop-causes a loss of traction and an alarmingly bumpy ride under hard acceleration." This definition of wheel hop is from the Ford Motor Company of Australia's website, and it applies to cars. In the case of Tri-Five pickups, where there is much less weight on the rear wheels, all it takes is a six-banger to break 'em loose.
What this translates to for the most commonly utilized powerplant in today's Tri-Fives, the powerful 350-inch small-block Chevy, is a truck that can't leave the line without spinning in its tracks in a fog of burning rubber.
Straight-line acceleration is just the start of things (no pun intended). Now let's talk about the Tri-Five's stock leaf-spring suspension when it comes to brisk highway driving characteristics. The leaf springs' unpredictable behavior while cornering near its limit is caused by the rear of the truck steering itself without any input from the driver. Rear-end or rear bumpsteer, as it is known, is caused by the sideways movement of the differential.
Boy, it's almost enough bad news to make one afraid to drive their stock rear-suspended Tri-Five anywhere, but have no fear, because we have the cure. And not only do we have a solution to this pesky problem, but it's one you guys can handle at home just by following these photos and text.
 The rear view of our '57's...  The rear view of our '57's completed TCI four-link suspension kit-the suspension and differential setup looks as good as it works. |  With the '57 safely lifted...  With the '57 safely lifted into the air, George placed a floor jack under the center of the differential to release spring and shock absorber tension to ease its removal. |  After the rear axle (differential)...  After the rear axle (differential) was removed, the leaf springs were removed by unbolting them at the spring perch (front) and removing the rear shackles. |
 The stock leaf spring perches...  The stock leaf spring perches (front and rear) needed to be removed before proceeding with our install. |  George removed the stock spring...  George removed the stock spring perches with a combination of methods. Here he is using a 4-inch abrasive wheel mounted on an air-powered die-grinder to cut off the rivet heads attaching the right-side rear perch. |  Here are three different views...  Here are three different views of George using a 3-pound ball-peen hammer to drive a sharp,... |