3. Art Morrison Enterprises, Inc.
Founded in 1971, Art Morrison Enterprises, Inc. (800/929-7188, www.artmorrison.com) got its start as a full-service drag race chassis-building shop. As turnkey race car construction continued, the company began its mail order business in 1983. With mail order sales outpacing race car construction, the decision to halt race car fabrication was made in 1989 so the company could focus on product design and manufactu ing. Today, Art Morrison Enterprises, Inc., located in Fife, Washington, and housed in an 18,000-square-foot facility, is continuing its focus on highperformance replacement chassis and suspensions forclassic vehicles from the '40s to the '70s. Utilizing the latest CAD (computer aided drawing) and suspension analysis technology, Art Morrison Enterprises, Inc.'s chassis and suspension designs enable enthusiasts around the world to have a classic vehicle with modern performance handling.
Frame Info: Art Morrison Enterprises, Inc. utilizes mandrel-bent 2x4 box tubing in both .120-inch wall and .188-inch wall tubing thickness. Based on the size, wheelbase, and weight of the vehicle, they will also use 4x4-inch and 2x6-inch tubing that is then grafted into the 2x4- inch sections.
Applications: Because of the custom nature of their chassis, they can custommake frames for virtually any truck.
Options: Power steering, C6 Corvette IFS, Pro-Street back half, custom-set ride height, air-ride.
4. Fatman Fabrications
Fatman Fabrications (704/545-0369, www.fatmanfab.com) began in 1985 as a one-man shop, with Brent VanDervort doing the complete buildup of hot rods for customers. Now Fatman has 43 employees who occupy an 18,000-square-foot industrial complex. Fatman saw the tremendous interest in classic pickups way back in the '80s, and have always made them a focus of efforts to develop new products. IFS suspension kits were first, with rear four-bar kits soon after, and eventually things lead to a full direct replacement chassis. Fatman chassis offer superb ride and handling because of a design that combines good fabrication practices with the proper geometry. The final result is a chassis many times stronger than stock with handling on par with new factory-built sport trucks.
Frame Info: Fatman uses 3/16-inch wall rectangular 1020 SAE steel tubing, generally in a 2x5 size for strength. Mandrel-bent sections join to the main 'rails with internally doubled joints to provide very nice kickups over the rear axles. Fatman frames feature stainless IFS standard on all chassis, along with 9-inch rears mounted on coilovers and rear fourbars, engine and trans mounts, and floor-mounted pedal assemblies. All body, bed, bumper, and sheetmetal mounts are provided for an easy fit to the truck body.
Applications: '37-59 GM and '32-66 Fords.
Options: QA-1 or Pro coilovers, Air-Ride from Air Ride Technologies, Wilwood, Baer, or ECI brakes.