Vehicle Description
Arguably the best-looking truck of the period, this 1955 Chevrolet
3100 was lovingly restored to its former glory, then pampered in a
heated garage until now. It looks like it just rolled off the
assembly line, but it does have an unusual period correct accessory
on the dash. You may know what it is, or you may have to call a
salesperson to find out (like I did).
Classy would be an odd description for a utilitarian vehicle, but,
this truck looks dressed up and ready to hit the town in shiny
ivory, with splashes of red accenting the cab, step-side, and
tailgate. The fit and finish of the outfit is outstanding. Body
panels match up nicely and the paint quality is excellent. Even the
shoes match with body color wheels, wide white wall tires, and
shiny little hubcaps that have body colored centers with Chevy
bowties. The chrome and polished brightwork is like really nice
jewelry. Up front, the hood ornament grabs your attention first.
Then your eyes move down to the nose emblem and headlight trim
rings. You get a double dose of chrome with the egg-crate grill and
bumper. Badging on the front fenders identifies the truck as a
3100, and also as a V-8. Even the window and windshield brightwork
is something to brag about. The bumper and trim for the round
tail-lights tastefully finish off the look at the rear.
The interior received lots of love in the restoration too. The
simple layout looks so neat and clean. All metal, it's the perfect
combination of red on the dash top and ivory for the dash panel.
The red steering wheel is a work of art, sculpted so that your
fingers will find a comfortable place to rest no matter how you
like to grab the wheel. Basic gauges are all housed in the top of
the arc in the speedometer. Like the shiny brightwork on the
outside, everything metal is nicely polished on the inside too.
Control knobs surround the AM only radio with the ventilation
controls just to the right. Door panels and arm-rests continue the
two-tone theme, and even the headliner has a red center with ivory
surround. The wooden beds in these old trucks is part of their
appeal, and of course it is refinished like fine furniture with
nicely polished rub strips on this ride.
Pop the hood and you will find an engine bay nicely redone with
attention paid to the details in order to keep the look original. A
265 cubic inch V-8 engine is wearing all the right accessories. The
block is a correct 1955 piece that very well could be the original
motor to the truck. An oil bath air cleaner sits on top of a
Rochester 2-jet, 2-barrel carb. The valve covers are embossed and
highlighted with Chevrolet in script. There is a glass washer fluid
tank and even a cool, original style, auxiliary brake booster. The
motor runs great and feeds the power back to a four-speed automatic
transmission. An interesting note is that these were the first
trucks with open, modern, driveshafts in place of the old torque
tubes. Solid axles on leaf springs front and rear keep things
simple, and it's nice to see that even the drivetrain mechanicals
received the attention to detail that the rest of the truck
did.
These trucks are more popular than ever, and this one is sweet.
Come on down, check it out. Take it home, and then out on the
town.