Ah, the iconic ’47 – ’54 Chevy 3100 half-ton pickup. It was the first all-new pickup to hit the market following World War II and Chevy had a winner on its hands… With smartly proportioned styling that was longer, wider, and featured a roomier cab, it was the most advanced pickup truck in America when it launched on June 28, 1947. Chevy called it their new Advance Design truck series. They also called it the sales champ as their very popular new pickup was number one in sales during its eight-year model cycle. Chevrolet got the 3100 so right that they didn’t need to make major changes from year-to-year, just upgrades. Here’s a 1950 example that’s only had three owners in 72 years and appears to be a straight and solid one. Located in Lake Oswego, Oregon, this Chevy pickup is for sale here on craigslist for $16,500. Thanks again to our Barn Finds buddy, T.J. for sending us this tip to feature.

I wish I could tell you more about this 3100, but the seller is very light in the details department. The seller has owned it for more than 20 years and is only the pickup’s third owner. The remaining information shared in the ad is as follows: “Matching numbers. Runs great, good brakes. Very original w/exception of repaint by 2nd owner. Drives great. Speedometer works, but mileage is not correct.” There are only four photos that accompany the brief description, but based on what I can see, it looks like a straight, solid, rust-free truck. I’m not sure what color that old repaint is, but it’s uneven and thin in several spots, especially on the hood. The firewall shows dark green paint which I believe was called Forester Green. If it were mine, I’d paint it back to its original factory color. There’s a small dent visible on the front fender but there are no photos supplied of the bed or the rear of the truck and tailgate. Overall the chrome, glass, and badging all look good.

The one photo of the interior shows a clean cabin. The door panels have been replaced to coincide with the exterior repaint and the bench seat shows some fabric stretching and a dip on the driver’s side along with what looks like a tear in the material next to the seatbelt.. This 3100 has the floor shifter four-speed manual transmission, and like many pickups of the day, it wasn’t ordered with the optional radio (but you can see on the metal dash where it would’ve gone though). An aftermarket radio has been installed under the dash.

Like 227,158 other 3100 half ton pickups that rolled out of Chevrolet factories in 1950, the power plant is the “Thriftmaster” Stovebolt 216-cubic-inch inline-six that generated 92 horsepower when new. The seller lists the mileage as “99,000” and admits that the mileage is not correct. So what do you think? It looks like a solid, driver-quality old pickup in good shape that can be driven and enjoyed from day one (but on day two, I’d get it repainted back to its original color).