While old pickup trucks have become all the rage with collectors, and in general with old car guys and gals, I’ll admit that I’m not that knowledgeable on the topic. Regardless, you can imagine my surprise when I perused Chevrolet’s 1954 truck sales brochure and found that it extended to 40 pages! Yes, truck-wise the Bowtie had it all going on 70 years ago. One of the most popular models was the 3100 half-ton pickup such as this Vernon, New Jersey example. Claimed to be a barn find, it’s available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $10,000, OBO.
The seller tells us that this one is a farm truck and has been on the lam for twenty years. This Chevy’s most notable feature may be its aftermarket shade of blue, obviously a repaint and realistically, a twenty-footer. The finish is chipped and peeling in many places and there is an abundance of surface rust. That said, the body all-in-all shows as being sound but I can’t vouch for the underside and frame – a visual inspection would be necessary. This is a short bed variant (116″ wheelbase vs. 125.2″), which I guess is more popular these days, but I can’t tell you anything about the cargo area – it looks as if it’s wearing a mat or a piece of plywood over what would be the original wooden construction.
Powering this rig is a 105 HP, 235 CI, in-line, six-cylinder engine that is said to run. How well it motivates, with its three-speed manual transmission, is not disclosed but the mileage reading of 88K miles, assuming that it’s correct, shouldn’t be a worry. The under-hood image presents a powerplant that is original and not messed with. Note the “Roadkill” flavored passenger side exterior fuel line – apparently a fuel tank will be needed.
The biggest detraction here is the interior. That’s the bad news, the good news is that these old single-cab trucks possess a small, uncomplicated environment, and performing a redo, or a complete retrofit is not a huge undertaking. As can be seen, there’s only so much one can do with a roll of duct tape. The instrument panel is finished in what was probably this 3100’s original hue and the steering column shows as wearing an add-on turn signal kit – that always seems so strange in today’s world. The headliner is missing as is part of the engine gauge cluster. Of note is the bottom of the interior portion of the driver’s door – it could be a patched over area of rot.
Known as the “Advance Design” trucks, Chevrolet offered this design from 1947 into 1955 when they were replaced by the “Task Force” edition. It was an interesting progression as both the Advanced Design and Task Force models were offered in ’55.
The Chevrolet and GMC “Action Line” trucks (’67-’72) have developed an incredible following – in some cases selling in muscle car territory for fully restored examples. Whether these Advance Design versions will reach that pinnacle is hard to say as many, for some time now, have preached about a coming downfall in the value of collectible vehicles. So far, however, that doesn’t seem to have materialized. The seller claims that he’ll take a trade for a “wood processor” (whatever that is) so if you have one, here’s your chance to work a swap, right?
Perhaps a “wood processor” is merely a word processor with spell check deleted. Or, are we talking “Fargo”?
I’ve got an old (rare, out of print!) dictionary I might offer :^}
I’ve got a tupperware box of termites that feel like a fair trade.
It cuts and splits logs for firewood. You might make out with the trade if you have a used working processor. You’ve already proved you’re not afraid of work, so the truck ought to be a breeze.
I have a 1954 Chevy 3100 ready to go to the paint shop and sanded down. Mine was found in my parent’s barn and yes, I knew where it was all the time. :-). The engine was stuck and required a rebuild but the body panels were not rusted. Each of the fenders though were dinged and dented so much that they were going to be part Corvette filling them in to smooth out and were replaced with reproduction ones from LMC trucks.
I wish the guy good luck on the sale. I personally think 5-6 grand is tops on this vehicle but it’s what the market will bear right?
FYI: For those who have never driven one think of a nice straight axle in the front and your arm jumping up and down on the smallest bump in the road. I drive mine locally to car cruise ins only and just know that the top speed is not much, and the ride is not that good as it was built to be a farm truck.
Enjoy your ’54. Ride quality wasn’t a concern back then.
My dad bought a 54 like this in 58. 235 granny transmission on the floor. It was a cream color. Good farm truck. He kept it until 66 then bought a 61 model.
God Bless America
20 years only takes us back to 2004 but does look like it was restored at some point.