1951 Chevrolet 3100 5 Window Pickup
The 1940’s was a very interesting time for vehicle production in the US. Despite hitting close to 4.7 million vehicles produced in 1940 everything would change when WWII came around. By January 1942 all vehicle production ceased and even for those that had already ordered vehicles, delivery would never happen. The government stepped in and due to the need for steel, auto manufacturers were no longer focused on automotive innovation but building tanks and other items to support the war efforts. Luckily in late 1945 auto manufacturers were approved to get back to business. However, they had not been developing new vehicles so there was very little change to cars/trucks prior to the war. That is until 1947 when Chevrolet introduced their first major redesign with their “Advance Design” series. This design continued until 1955 and remained mostly unchanged throughout their run. They have become extremely popular in the classic truck market and have a great look. This 1951 3100 is a very cool truck and is the 5 window option. The 5 window was designed for better visibility and is more sought after. It has been purposely kept with a patina look but don’t let that fool you because the truck has all been gone through and runs great. In regards to rust, the body received all new floors and cab corners. It has nice chrome front/rear fenders and that iconic grill cleanly mounted in place. A very unique feature is the truck wears the deluxe trim on the front and rear fenders. That is something you rarely see and all exterior trim is stock except for 2 of the pieces that needed to be replaced. The glass and rubber is all new and it has the 2 piece front windshield. In the back windshield a 3rd LED brake light has been installed for safety. We would be remiss if we described a classic truck but didn’t discuss the bed. Well to keep with the overall theme this one has been redone with 100 year old barn flooring with aged slats which looks great. The original steel wheels have a matching patina and are fitted with nicely chromed hubcaps and beauty rings. Those are then wrapped with Coker Classic radial tires that have less than 1,000 miles on them.
The powertrain on the truck has all been redone and has around 18,000 total miles on it. It was originally powered by a 216 6 cylinder motor but to pay homage to its heritage while gaining some power that has been changed out with a 261 ci 6 cylinder. These were put in these trucks later in the 50’s but this one isn’t just a rebuilt 1 it is an actual fresh crate motor. It runs great and is fitted with a Vintage Edelbrock intake, 2 - 1 barrel Rochester carburetors, Chevrolet Jobmaster 261 Green valve cover, 140 amp alternator and a Fenton split manifold into stock mufflers. Cooling is provided by a new aluminum radiator and new electric fan that is thermostat controlled. To eliminate any electrical concerns a completely new 12 volt American Auto Wire harness has been installed. Combined with the engine is a Tremec T5 5 speed manual that sends power back to the 8 inch Chevy rear with 3.73 gears. It runs down the road great and at 60 mph is taching around 1800 rpm so that leaves you a lot of room for comfortable highway speeds. The brakes are drum but are all power assist. The suspension now features easy ride springs and 4 new gas shocks that were added less than 1000 miles ago.
The interior has been completely redone and it has a bench seat with Brown upholstery with Black and chrome lap belts. The dash has a great look and is a nice combination of of stock and aftermarket components. The gauges are all new and all work properly. An added underdash AC unit has been added and blows ice cold. It has a NOS heater as well that works properly. In front of the driver sits a 3 spoke steering wheel and a tachometer is in place on the column.
This is a really neat pickup and the overall theme works really well together. The patina look is really popular especially combined with things like a smooth driving drivetrain, comforts like power brakes/AC, and other special touches like the unique trim.
Make it part of your collection for $41,500.00!
