Let’s talk numbers for a minute. We’ll begin with the number 1. As in this 1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod 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. Moreover, 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 significant features and awards the truck has won in four years.
BODYWORK/TRIM
Purchased as a solid driver, then lovingly reimagined by a knowledgeable PPG employee. This 1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod had a 6-figure, 9-year restoration. Moreover, it included an obsessive focus on details.
Its solid body was hand-altered, painted PPG Liquid Gold, and clear-coated PPG High-Performance Glamour. However, 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, concise knowledge of paint fosters an excellent sense of style. However, a custom, smoothed valance hangs a tucked, smoothed, and fully chromed bumper beneath. Moreover, this lies under a fully chromed grille flanked by custom billet parking lamps.
Above those one-off LEDs, frenched halogen headlights lead to re-shaped fenders that complement a peaked, 1-piece hood. Moreover, behind that hood, a filled and shaved cowl leads the eye to a smoked greenhouse. In addition, this plants 1-piece side glass beneath shaved drip rails and custom, 1-piece window moldings.
Aligned, gapped, and shaved doors hang simple mirrors above smoothed running boards on homemade brackets. Moreover, those boards melt into original fenders that balance a custom fuel door opposite smoothed and capped bedsides. In addition, oak boards float in 12 coats of PPG clear, sanded, and polished top and bottom, between a bowtie-branded header, custom-covered skid strips, and a smooth Center High Mount Stop Lamp.
This lamp spotlights a bowtie-branded tailgate with hidden latches and bespoke billet supports over a Brothers Truck roll pan with an enlarged tag pocket and frenched LED taillights. In addition, to stainless hardware and high-quality glares from Nashville, Tennessee’s Advanced Plating, Lucky Strike Designs custom-painted the truck’s pinstripes.
1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod – ENGINE
As young car guys, most of us are taught that 8’s 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. However, the 1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod’s show-detailed engine is a testament to the old rule. Which is, that more cubic inches equal more horsepower. Air/fuel mixture is supplied by three finned O’Brien Truckers air cleaners. In addition, there are three chromed and powder-coated Demon 2-barrels.
That dynamic duo rides on a polished Demon Six Shooter intake. Moreover, the intake’s 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. Hydraulic roller cam sequenced to MSD 6AL ignition engages these rockers. A color-keyed billet distributor, Pertronix Flame-Thrower coil, and woven MSD Street Fire plug wires complete the engine.
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 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.
1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod – DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION
One peek under this sweet 1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod 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. Moreover, it’s sanded and polished clear and has 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, clear coated lines to squeeze a quartet of 11-inch drilled and slotted rotors. The aforementioned headers dump spent gases into 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. However, 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.
Moreover, 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.
1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod – INTERIOR
The Trim Shop in Manitou Beach, Michigan, installed this 1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod’s bespoke interior. Front and center, a custom ’59 Chevy dash found Auto Meter Old Tyme telemetry and a mirrored Boese instrument panel above pushbutton ignition, controls for the truck’s Ride Tech bags, and controls for a Vintage Air climate system. Opposite that dash, a Glide Engineering seat stretches
Light Almond leather under stylish alligator inserts and 3-point Juliano belts. Beneath that seat, quality Eastwood insulation anchors premium cut-pile carpet under Lokar pedals. Moreover, there’s a Lokar parking brake and a custom console that’s centered on a tall Lokar shifter.
At the edges of that carpet, tailored door panels front 1-piece power windows. However, at the top of those windows, a taut headliner backs a billet mirror and a second small console. Moreover, the driver stays connected to the road through a tilting Ididit column and Lecarra Mark 10 steering wheel.
1954 Chevrolet 3100 Restomod – AWARDS/FEATURES
According to this Chevy’s builder and current owner, the truck has amassed quite a collection of prestigious accolades.
- Best Truck in Show at the 2016 Cleveland Autorama in Cleveland, Ohio
- First Place Full Custom Pick Up at the 2016 Cleveland Autorama in Cleveland, Ohio
- Billet Specialties Pick at the 2013 Goodguys PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio
- Chevy Truck Pick at the 2013 Goodguys WIX Filters Speedway Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Best Truck in Show at the 2012 Detroit Autorama in Detroit, Michigan
- First Place Full Custom Pick Up at the 2012 Detroit Autorama in Detroit, Michigan
- Builders Choice at the 2012 Goodguys WIX Filters Speedway Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Goodguys Truck of the Year Finalist for 2012
- Featured on PPG Vibrance’s 2014 metal sign
- Featured on the cover of the March 2013 edition of Custom Classic Trucks Magazine
- Featured in the May-June, 2013 Summit Racing Catalog
- Merchandise Feature Vehicle at the Goodguys WIX Filters Speedway Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana
Related Questions:
A 3100 is a half-ton while a 3600 is a 3/4 ton with 8 lug wheels. However, the wheelbase is a big difference but some half tons also have a long wheelbase.
The 1948-1953 Chevrolet Series 3100 half-ton pickups benefited from a redesign that took Chevy trucks into a new era of comfort, convenience, and style. Moreover, Chevy’s restyled “Advance-Design” trucks were introduced in 1947, well ahead of its first new postwar cars, and little changed in appearance through 1953.
1955-1960
