Vehicle Description
SUMMARY
The beneficiary of a 9-year nut-and-bolt restoration that was
completed in January of 2012
Winner of multiple national awards / Awarded many features
502 cubic inch GM Performance Parts V8 / 502 horsepower
Phoenix-built 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission / 2,500 RPM
stall
Custom leather and alligator interior / Vintage Air
conditioning
Substantially customized all-steel body / Custom PPG paint / Custom
pin stripes
Custom Fatman Fabrication chassis / Custom suspension / Ridetech
ShockWave air ride
Power rack-and-pinion steering / Wilwood 4-wheel power disc brakes
/ 17 and 18-inch Billet Specialties Riviera wheels
Currie 9-inch rear axle / Traction-Lok differential / Strange 3.73
gears
Sale includes: Restoration photos / Restoration receipts / A copy
of the truck's Custom Classic Trucks cover feature
Let's talk numbers for a minute. We'll begin with the number 1. As
in: this 1954 Chevrolet 3100 is quite possibly the nicest, or '1
of' the nicest, pickups on the planet. Of course, a number that
substantial has to have quite a few more numbers to back it up. So,
how about 9? As in: 9 years' worth of restoration and
customization. Next comes 6. As in: 6 figures worth of parts and
materials for that restoration and customization. And last but
certainly not least: 12. As in: the number of major features and
accolades the truck has won in the four short years since that
restoration and customization. Looking for a world-class
showstopper that's above and beyond pretty much anything outside of
vendor-sponsored corporate builds? Fix your gaze on this incredible
custom Chevy!
BODYWORK/TRIM
Purchased as a solid driver, then lovingly reimagined by a
knowledgeable PPG employee, this striking pickup was rehabilitated
during a 6-figure, 9-year restoration that included an obsessive
focus on details. In what amounted to a systematic,
no-expense-spared rebuild, its solid body was completely stripped,
hand-altered, layered in custom PPG Liquid Gold base and sealed in
five coats of PPG High Performance Glamour clear. And today, the
truck rolls as a game changing half-ton that's one-part lust and
two parts envy!
If this Chevy is any indication, a concise knowledge of paint
fosters an excellent sense of style. At the front of the truck, a
custom, smoothed valance hangs a tucked, smoothed and fully chromed
bumper beneath a smoothed and fully chromed grille that's flanked
by custom billet parking lamps. Above those one-off LEDs, frenched
halogen headlights lead re-shaped fenders that complement a peaked,
1-piece hood. Behind that hood, a filled and shaved cowl leads the
eye to a smoked greenhouse, which plants 1-piece side glass beneath
shaved drip rails and custom, 1-piece window moldings. At the base
of those moldings, aligned, gapped and shaved doors hang simple
mirrors over smoothed running boards that float on smoothed custom
brackets. Those boards melt in to original fenders that balance a
custom fuel door opposite smoothed and capped bedsides. Between
those panels, gorgeous Oak planks float 12 coats of PPG clear,
sanded and polished top and bottom, amid a bowtie-branded header,
custom-covered skid strips and a smooth Center High Mount Stop
Lamp. That lamp illuminates a smoothed, bowtie-branded tailgate,
which hides hidden latches and custom billet supports above a
customized Brothers Truck roll pan that features a widened tag
pocket and frenched LED taillights. And, in addition to stainless
hardware and high quality glares provided by Nashville, Tennessee's
Advanced Plating, the truck features a full outfit of stylish
pinstripes that were custom-painted by Pennsylvania's Lucky Strike
Designs.
ENGINE
As young car guys, most of us are taught that 8 is definitely
greater than 6. And when it comes to great 8s, it doesn't get much
better than a GM Performance Parts ZZ502 big block. Twisting stout
9.6 to 1 compression into an advertised 502 horsepower, the truck's
show-detailed mill is a logical testament to the old rule: more
cubic inches equals more horsepower. The air/fuel mixture is
supplied by a trio of finned O'Brien Truckers air cleaners and a
trio of chromed and powder-coated Demon 2-barrels, which open
thanks to a quality Lokar linkage. That dynamic duo rides on a
polished Demon Six Shooter intake, which is bolted between polished
aluminum heads. Those heads hang classy PML valve covers and a
matching breather over stamped steel rockers, 2.25-inch intake
valves and 1.88-inch exhaust valves. Those rockers are engaged by a
hydraulic roller cam, which is sequenced to MSD 6AL ignition that's
finished with a color-keyed billet distributor, a Pertronix
Flame-Thrower coil and loomed MSD Street Fire plug wires. Spent
gases roar through custom, 2-inch MotoFab headers that are bathed
in QC Coatings High Gloss High Temp. At the front of those headers,
a familiar Billet Specialties Truetrac system spins a polished
Edelbrock water pump between a polished alternator, a polished AC
compressor and modern power steering. And that water pump feeds a
custom Griffin radiator that's wedged between a custom support, a
custom shroud, a polished expansion tank and a thermostatically
controlled SPAL puller fan. Visually, the fully smoothed block
reflects PPG Liquid Metal skin inside a color-keyed, LED-lit bay
that includes a custom firewall and custom inner fenders. And
details like polished hood supports, Billet Specialties fluid
reservoirs, trick bowtie bolts and a complete Aeromotive fuel
system create an appealing yet purposeful appearance.
DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION
One peek under this sweet Chevrolet reveals some of the best work
money can buy. First and foremost, a custom Fatman Fabrication
chassis wraps smoothed and filled rails in PPG Gray Metallic
Envirobase, sanded and polished clear, and a full roster of
fasteners that are either hand-polished stainless or grade 8
chrome. Behind the 502, a Phoenix 700R4 4-speed, smoothed and
bathed in PPG Liquid Metal, utilizes a 2,500 RPM stall to twist a
custom Dynotech driveshaft. At the end of that driveshaft, a
polished Currie 9-inch spins a proven Traction-Lok differential
around Strange 3.73 gears. That fully dressed drivetrain pushes a
polished 4-bar suspension, which features leveling Ridetech
ShockWaves. Tracking is provided by a fully polished front-half,
which centers power rack-and-pinion steering between two more
Ridetech ShockWaves. Braking is equally class, with Wilwood
4-piston calipers utilizing custom, clearcoated lines to squeeze a
quartet of 11-inch drilled and slotted rotors. The aforementioned
headers dump spent gases in to a custom, 3-inch exhaust system,
which wraps electric cutouts and Flowmaster Super 44 mufflers in a
QC Coatings High Gloss High Temp sheen. There's an 18-gallon No
Limit fuel tank, smoothed and body-matched, that cycles fossils
through a 10 AN mainline and an 8 AN return. Power meets the
pavement through Billet Specialties Rivieras, which twist
225/45ZR17 BF Goodrich Radial T/As in front of 255/45ZR18 BF
Goodrich Radial T/As. And one quick look at our professional
photography reveals the true craftsmanship of this truck's build,
with items like custom wheel tubs, a custom compressor box, a
polished master cylinder and fully hidden air and fluid lines
highlighting incredible attention to detail.
INTERIOR
Zap this pickup's custom bear claw door latches and you'll find a
completely custom interior that was installed at The Trim Shop in
Manitou Beach, Michigan. Front and center, a custom '59 Chevy dash
founds Auto Meter Old Tyme telemetry and a mirrored Boese
instrument panel above pushb...for more information please contact
the seller.
