I finally found a Kellison 57' J-4 .. Bit rougher than I would have liked but I couldn't p*** her up.. It's actually not as bad as the photos make her look .. plus the body is loose on the frame... She use to run a Caddie 331 with a Lasalle ... Shortest drive shaft I have ever seen.. damb near a coupler ... The guy I got her from has had her for 30 years and sez the original owner took it to the Bonny .. also said Kellison himself looked at the car and confirmed it was one of his very first bodies ... If nothing else it makes for a good story .... Anybody have an idea on the suspension / frame ? Early Vette ? .. love to know...Thx.
Thats a good find, a lot of work but a good find. Were you actually looking for a Kellison or just stumble across it?
Remember... early 'vette (53-63) is actually stock 49-54 Chevrolet p***enger car. Not near as romantic and studly as early 'vette though. What a great find.
I was looking for J5 as a vintage sports racer 4 or 5 years ago but found a Victress instead .. When this popped up I couldn't let it p***.. probably go into the wings until I get a couple of other projects done and collect some parts for her...
Wow that Robacek is cool..love old road racers... Yeah.. Ol' Vette does sound better than Chevy barge.. but I'm not sure if that's what I'm looking at... Thought when they moved the suspension components to the Corvette they changed to the center point steering and frame construction ??
Do you mean '53-62? Not being a wise ***, just thought the frame changed with the body in 1963 Very cool looking car...
I would think it would be easier for Kellison to find normal car ch***is to build on... The frame is Zd up front, that was not original on Vettes Might look at the steering box mount, I think they did something different to make the column sit a lot lower (almost flat) on the vettes, not sure if it was a different box or mount
Think the frame Kellison built was Corvette components and a square tube frame.. This frame fits the body really well.. basically a perimeter job so the formed gl*** seat sit between the rails.. Z'n looks to done to fit the low boy height.. 38" or so to the top of the roof ... I jumped in a J-5 and it was a tight fit.. but this J-4 is like stuffing 10 pounds of **** in a 5 pound sack .. took me about 5 minutes to figure how to get in her.. Sat on the sill and went to slide in and my head hit the roof ..tried a second time folding at the waist and hit the A-Pillar.. finally had to slide but and first and unfold in the seat. Wife's already saying it's her car your too big .. Ha.. I's really designed for somebody smaller than 5'-10" and 150 lb... which I'm not close to on either account ...
im not normally a fan of this kinda car, like vettes and all, but this one is pretty cool. i like it but its probably got a lot to do with the rarity.
Here is my shot at the frame/ch***is. It looks like the early Chevy or Vette that was modified (Z'd and whatever else on the rear). Is the rear axle housing located above the frame or is the rear of the frame Z'd with the axle housing below the frame? I had a "factory" Kellison frame, it was rectangular tubing with a big Z in the front. The rear axle housing was located above the frame rails with parallel leafs, the frame rails were actually below the axle housing. There was a tubing X member that had holes cut in it so the exhaust would p*** through like an early Vette. This frame was not perimeter. It was narrow like an early Ford. The body sat on top of the frame as a highboy, the rails p***ed under the seats. That body uses a Studebaker windshield. They are still available new as well as the gasket.
Nads.. thanks for the info.. hate to admit I've never been under a 53-54' ... Periah Bon3s.. The thing I like with these early "Plastic/Specials" is the Hot rodder race mentality that lead up to Can-Am cars.. Plus some leading edge design that shows up in later Detroit designs...
Great find, I and no doubt a lot of others spent hours looking at the adds for those bodys in the back of Hot Rod and figuring how to build the ultimate go fast car. You can probably find any number of ch***is under those if you got a batch of them together at one time. Back in the late 50's early 60's the 52/54 Ford ch***is seemed to be popular to stick kit car bodys on from what I saw years ago. Just a side note but you could hang a Mustang II kit on that frame and you would have the same setup as 90% of the older Cobra Kit cars that are running around.
I keep getting mixed info on when Kellison started building his frames for for general release.. Not sure if this the right tech drawing from my downloads.. thought it was Sq tube.. would have been nice to have.. sure a lot more boxing ... My buddies LaDawri he races has a 57' Ford sedan ch***is.. guess that was pretty common too.. My Victress is sitting on a Jag XJ150 ...
I think this is a design by Chuck Manning, a racecar ch***is builder who became involved with Jim Kellison. The earliest frames offered used 48 type Ford buggy spring suspension!
Thanks Lunatic.. Blackout that's sharp.. I hate selling stuff.. Thought the Manning was a later design.. not heart broken that this one isn't a buggy spring design... if that seat wasn't between the rails I'd never get in.. Supprised It has a Panhard bar ...
Looks to me the modified Chevy/Vette ch***is is a great start. You are right about the seats and frame rails. To get the car really low, the rails have to be outside the seat area. Setting the body on top of the frame, as was offered, the body was high and awkward looking. The body was built with "rocker panels", yet the frame rails did not p*** through them.
Thats wild.. didn't know the Astra's were underslung... Yeah it would be nice to take advantage of the rockers.. I've considered moving the frame out a few more inches to get a bit more breathing room.. I had heard the Studie windshield .. do you know which model ?
I want to say 51 Starlight coupe. Rear gl*** is a 49 Cad fastback, I think it is called a Series 61. I have wondered if the rear gl*** is the same as the Olds or Pontiac.
The big diff between a 49-54 car and the Vette front suspensions is the car center link pivot is a plain bushing. The Vette uses a bearing there. The geometery is most likely different also.
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