It is a seamless frame, as opposed to the more common frame that looks like two halves welded together.
They also had California bumpers if I'm not mistaken..... also without a seam. My question is: Why? JH
I think those cars came out of the Plant in Cal at the time. They are better looking frames for sure.
You're right, I should have said "built in" and not "shipped to". Thanks California thought the frames were too flexible and required the boxing. The convertible frames already had an X so they didn't get the boxing.
Safety standards called for different strengths in different areas. Crash tests,crumple zones etc. Canada had the one piece front bumpers as well as California.
I've heard that, but also it differed from different manufacturers, I had a St. Louis built 56 with a seamless frame and 3 piece bumpers, all original car. Ya they look nice for the show cars, but I wouldn't go out and find one for my driver.
The rear leaf spring hangers were welded on instead of riveted on california frames too, as well as being one piece rails (no welds). We have the rear half of a 56 california frame. Ratty55
The one piece frames were only one piece in the mid-section. The ends were two piece sections and then stuffed into the one-piece tube and welded on. Looked like ****... I'll see if I can't get a pic for you, my buddy has 4 or 5 of them stacked up. Also... not all aCA cars had them, in fact... most didn't have the "one piece" frames. I've had two '55 Chevies... one made in Oakland, one in LA and both came with the standard frame most cars had and NOT the "one piece". Both cars had one piece bumpers though... not the three piece ones. I think as far as bumpers go, most if not all CA cars had the one piece bumpers. The seam in a '55 or '6 is behind the bumper guard... and hard to see... but the '57 front, the seam is right there out in the open. Sam.
From what I've read it, california bumpers where due to GM using multiple suppliers, some stamped bumpers in three piece, some stamped them as one piece.
I've had five 57's that where built at the norwood Ohio plant that all had the seamless frames. I have Two right now built in St. louise that have the seamless frame, as well as one with the two piece frame.
My driver '57 210 sedan has a one piece frame and was built in Detroit. My two builder 210's were both built in St. Louis and have two-piece frames.
That makes sense... because I was thinking; I've never heard one piece frames called "California frames" only the bumpers have I heard called "California bumpers". Sam.
SamIyam: I brought the 1957 Chevy frame home last night. Straight axle and as we know already installed and rear end is a Spring Over date coded K-22-7 3743833 P stamped posi all of which without question is a California frame!! The center tubes are seamless and as you stated the rear radius arches are seemed and cross welded and stuffed inside the seamless frame segments. I compared the frame which my 57 Bel Air is sitting on and one can clearly see the jagged weld seams both on top and bottom. Please stand by for pics of both California/Seamless and welded/non california frames. Thank you all of you!!!!!!!
GM had 3 different suppliers for the Tri 5 frames.One of my sons friends and his father are heavily into restoring tri 5s and gave me a big ration of **** when I spotted what we out here called a "California "frame. Might as well have said "thats a cute Dune buggy"!he went off on my *** like an atom bomb!then he went in and got 3 different books on tri 5s and they all had similar information on the frames ,This was some 10 years back and I don't remember much other than there were 3 different companies making frames in those years.Please think of this the next time someone screws up trying to talk to you about your cars !Had he of handled this a bit different I'd of sat there and read every one of those articles.The guy really knows his **** about tri5s with a wall of trophies for restorations he did.Had he treated me a little different I would have told him where he could have gotten 3 55-56 convertables for free!My big Faux Pas ?I pointed to the formed tube frame leaning on the side of his shop and told my son"thats what the guys called a California frame when I was racing stock car,They said they were special made for Chevy in California "Some of the racers back then claimed that chevy used them for NASCAR racing and tossed enough into production cars to meet the "Stock"part requirement.As far as I can remember the full length of the side rails were Formed tubing.
My dad has been restoring 55-57's since the seventies and I have heard a lot of stories about the one piece frame. One thing I do know is the old stock car guys around here used them if they could find them. It saved them from welding up the seam on a two piece to make it solid, and they also said they were a little lighter?
Specifically, the regular, "non-one piece" frames look like two pieces of C-channel put together and welded to make a box. One side silightly smaller than the other so it fit "inside" the other piece of C-channel. I think people are calling them "california frames" because the 1-piece bumpers are typically ***ociated with California, and they ***ociate "1-piece" as always being "california," whether it's bumpers or frames. (Kind of like these knuckle heads that call Caddy/Olds air cleaners with the side scoops "Bat Wing" aircleaners, but they're not.) I've seen several '57s ***embled at the Georgia plant that had 1-pc frames. And I've heard the racers liked the 1-pc frames better because they were lighter. I've never had one on a scale though, but I'd like to find out! -Brad
Not sure, but I believe a "California frame" is when someone plants evidence on you, pertaining to a crime that they themselves had, in fact, commited. This would have to take place in California, of course, to considered a "California frame".
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