A lot of people lament that everything that can be done has already been done. But don't tell that to Ben York, Jr., who runs Roseville Rod & Custom in Roseville (just east of Sacramento), California. The 36-year-old owner has been in business since 1991, and has methodically built his business up to not only service and repair hot rods, but to build them from scratch for customers, too.
Not much of a flag-waver, York has been flyin' a little under the radar in terms of national coverage, but he's been gathering a devoted following in Northern California over the past several years. And when it really comes down to it, Ben would rather have the cars he builds do the speaking for him, and that message seems to be that he knows how to build a hot rod.
But having a background in rod building that covers anything from Model Ts all the way up to '50s and '60s cars is one thing, but when a builder goes the extra step to create, design, and build products that helps promote the hobby (as well as his business), then you know he's truly invested in the whole deal, too.
Proving that you can still come up with new and original ideas, York has created a bunch of unique ideas that he has formulated into a scratchbuilt chassis for a '49-51 Mercury, but he isn't limiting the ideas to one specific year or style, as he can build this type of custom chassis for any type of car that comes into the shop.
Street Rodder thought so much of what he's doing with his new chassis, we thought we'd highlight what he'd done and let readers absorb some of his designs and concepts.
This race-based spindle is...
This race-based spindle is unique in that its bearings, which are roughly four times the size of standard hot rod spindle bearings, are fitted inside the spindle rather than exposed. Roseville will machine their own brackets to fit the Wilwood calipers for the 13-inch rotors.
Woodward Precision Power Steering...
Woodward Precision Power Steering racks are another race-based item and can be built to any custom length, which makes them perfect for the custom chassis Roseville fabricates. The curved front crossmember is not only stylish, but beefy enough to get the job done.
The chassis itself is innovative,...
The chassis itself is innovative, but there are a fair amount of trick little parts and pieces that are used on it as well. One of those items is the 12 access panels found throughout the frame. The flush-mount panels come in three sizes (the largest you can fit your entire hand into) and allow easy access to the interior of the frame for running wiring, hoses, or whatnot. In case you need some for your frame, Roseville also sells these plates individually.
Yes, it's a nice looking A-arm...
Yes, it's a nice looking A-arm design, but functional, too, as Roseville's Ben Sr. used a CAD program to develop and design how the suspension will travel in any given circumstance. Then Roseville R&C's Dave Stoltz came in to mill those pieces and do the frame fabrication. The machined lower control arms connect to a QA1 shock-something Roseville uses on nearly all of its chassis builds.
Some more of Roseville's stylish...
Some more of Roseville's stylish front crossmember is shown here, along with how the torsion bars fit into its bearing and bolted in at the base of the crossmember.
You can see where one of the...
You can see where one of the two front torsion bars fit into the center section of the framerail. In there is a bell crank that moves a cam lobe that the torsion bar rides on, which raises and lowers the car as much as any air bag system can.
The lightening holes along...
The lightening holes along the framerails looks cool, but the holes were sleeved, which makes the chassis that much stronger. Just under the large, flat, horizontal plate (forward of the rear wheel) is where the frontend's electric ram system is located.
The billet aluminum rear four-bar...
The billet aluminum rear four-bar set-up was machined at the shop, and features spherical Heim joints to maximize its movement. The forward mount for the lower arm is actually inside the framerail.
Since the body is not on the...
Since the body is not on the chassis, you can only view a portion of the rear suspension design, as the actuating rams will be located in the trunk of the car. But you can still see the twin torsion bars that are mounted transverse just behind the rearend. (You can also see another access panel in the crossmember, just above the pumpkin.)
A Watts linkage was also machined...
A Watts linkage was also machined at the shop, made up to look like the four-bar system, only slightly smaller in size. The arms use urethane bushings.
How's that for a kick? Since...
How's that for a kick? Since each chassis they build is custom made, Roseville can design any amount of kick they want into the design. This one is roughly 8 inches over stock. (The Strange aluminum gear set looks good, too.)
The torsion bars, mounted...
The torsion bars, mounted inside the framerail (lower left), connect to the rearend with another machined aluminum arm and another Heim end.
In the background you can...
In the background you can see the '39 convertible being built that will debut at the Grand National Roadster Show. Roseville added a blower to the 4.6-liter Ford DOHC motor to the 'vert, and it looks great.