The person who buys this 1956 Chevrolet 3100 Short Bed Pickup will have some decisions to make, and there will be no right or wrong answers when it comes to the question of their approach. The owner has wandered down the path of a restomod/rat rod build with this one, and the buyer will need to choose how they complete this process. If you look at this one and find it too tempting to resist, you will find the 3100 located in Lake Park, Minnesota, and listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has reached $9,100, and when you look at what is on offer with this classic, I’m not surprised that this falls short of the reserve.
The first thing that’s worth noting with this old classic is just how solid it is. The usually rust-prone areas like the lower cab corners, floors, and the cowl all appear structurally sound. There is surface corrosion present in a few locations, but nothing visible would require the buyer’s immediate attention. The red paint isn’t original, and there’s some evidence that it may have received a couple of color changes since it rolled off the line wearing its original shade of Sand Beige. The panels sport a few minor dings and marks, but when you consider the type of life these Pickups typically live, its general lack of physical damage is astonishing. All of the trim is present, and the owner has replaced all of the glass.
There is a single nod to a cosmetic refresh that the owner has undertaken with this Pickup, and this is it. He has installed some beautiful oak in the bed with fresh stainless steel strips. The fact that he has performed this work without restoring the surrounding steel and paint suggests that he may have been heading down the path of a rat rod build with this classic. As we will see, it certainly has all of the right components to achieve that aim.
I could be wrong on this, but I don’t think this 3100 is a numbers-matching classic. I was just kidding because I know that these didn’t roll off the line equipped with a 355ci V8 and a 700R4 automatic transmission. That should make this Chevy get up and move when the driver buries the right foot, and we know that it is in good health. It isn’t clear what the specifications of this small-block are, but we can see that it sports a set of headers, along with an aluminum Edelbrock intake and a shiny new matching carburetor. The V8 has only accumulated 4,000 miles since the owner treated it to a rebuild. He also refreshed the brakes and fitted new tires, meaning that this old Pickup is ready to be driven and enjoyed by its lucky new owner.
The interior of the Chevy is a work in progress, and this is where the buyer will also have the chance to place their mark on the vehicle. The owner has reupholstered the seat in red cloth, and it looks pretty luxurious. The radio blanking plate is missing from the dash, but the interior appears to be essentially complete. The original shifter has made way for a Lokar unit for the upgraded transmission. With some fresh paint on the dash and either carpet or a mat on the floor, this interior could look pretty stunning. There is, however, part of the listing that is open to interpretation. The owner indicates that he has ordered new gauges and a wiring harness and then mentions a figure of $1,200. I’m not sure whether that is what they cost him or what it will cost potential buyers to have them included in the sale. The owner has also ordered a new wheel and a tilt column, but it isn’t clear whether they are included once again. I suspect that potential buyers might be wise to contact the seller before submitting a bid.
If potential buyers wanted to slip behind the wheel of this 1956 Chevrolet 3100 Short Box Pickup for a spot of instant gratification, I can’t see why they couldn’t do that. It seems to have no immediate needs, and there appear to be no rust problems for the buyer to tackle. It would be a stunning looking classic with the interior completed and a fresh coat of paint gracing its panels. The buyer could also choose to treat the surface corrosion, apply a coat of satin clear, and hit the road in a cool rat rod. For the new owner, the world will be their oyster. How would you tackle it?
I think maybe the rear wheels and tires aren’t up to all the power up front. Hammer this one down and the neighborhood is going to look like a NASCAR race winner burnout. Nice build. Needs paint.
It is a one tire fryer.
“This listing was ended by the seller because the item was lost or broken.”
Short hand fir, he accepted an offer outside of eBay.
Steve R
I had a truck like this for a brief period. Not sure why I bought it.It was ’56 stepside, with a 327, 4 barrel, car 4 speed, fender well exit headers, lifted straight front axle, it was almost a gasser. Had plenty of zip, but was a total unsafe POS, more for the dragstrip, and I sold it. This is a nice find, naturally, I think the motor is a bit much, it will certainly give the new owner some thrills, and maybe some unexpected thrills around 100mph. Straight front axles and king pins just weren’t meant for high speed travel,, past 1/4 mile, that is. Great find. Personally, I’d ditch the motor, install a nice inline 6, maybe 2:75 rears, and putt putt along, as it was intended to be.
It’s a real nice one. Enjoy.
Is it the pic or does the rear-end look like is pushed forward toward the front of fender? Nice truck ought to scream down the highway at 2200 rpms with that 700 r.
That was my thought too. It also looks to me like the front tires are a little to far toward the back of the fender opening. At first, I was thinking maybe it had a frame swap (maybe S-10?) but there’s no power brake booster. I don’t know why anyone would do that and not keep the power brakes.
I’m diggin’ the “raintina”
Had one of these in 1968, pulled the inline 6 and installed a 348 4 barrel, never had a problem with handling at any speed. Had to grind a corner on the steering gear and exhaust manifold to make it fit and not hit when going through the gears. Lot of fun back in the day.
I thought the opening bid was bout right and 500 shoulda knocked it in the head Im with Jms Martin something goofy looking with that rear end .I am well aware Im out of touch but I cant say I have heard of a 355 engine ,Im just prejudiced I suppose .but I have never cared as much for the task force trucks as I have the A/D The wider car is nice I suppose I have had a good few of them and seems most everyone of em had a story to go with it ,Traded for one and the guy didnt warn me of an exciting little detail first time I took off in it the shifter on the 4 speed came right out in my hand as I went into 3rd gear ..that can be a tricky bit of manuvering getting that crammed back in whilst driving down a rough road ,We have a big back glass GMC that I recently ran into a guy couple of hundred miles from here was telling me about riding with a guy named Dudley down a middle of no where road in Oklahoma and the truck quit here in a while came a man who owned a wrecking yard in the area pulled to a stop got out from his wrecker ,reached around for a couple of wrenches walks over opens the hood and pulls the head off of it ,throws it on his truck and leaves em there still in the middle of no where miles from town .Seems ol Dudley didnt pay folks in Oklahoma any better than he did me I told the guy sounds about right I have had that truck nearly 40 years and was told just needed to prime the carb and it will start right up ….40 years and I still have never gotten it to start and I think I have been waiting over 25 years for him to pay me for the last thing he got from me on the credit A sour taste can be hard to get out of your mind I guess I have had close to fifty of those task force trucks over time and no fault to General Motors but I cant say hardly a one of em was worth a dern Perhaps they were so good and enjoyable they just wore em smooth out before I bought em
A 355 is simply a 350 that’s been bored .030 over. I replied to the other persons comment agreeing that something looks funny about the wheelbase. It also looks to me like the front tires are too far back in the opening. That made me think that it maybe had an S-10 frame swap but there’s no power brake booster that I can see. I can’t imagine anyone doing a frame swap and not keeping the power brakes. Maybe it is just a trick of the camera but it’s something that makes me say hmmmm.
Punctuation is so over rated. I still don’t follow the part about pulling the cylinder head…