1949 Chevrolet 3100 5 Window Restomod

Description

Regular readers of the Streetside Classics website already know that a lot of handsome Advance Design pickups run through our showroom, but very, very few of them are as nice as this 1949 Chevrolet 3100 5-Window Restomod. With incredible Candy Apple Red Metallic paint, a freshly built 5.7L LT1 V8 motor, and a lot of tricks up its sleeve, this might just the one you've been waiting to own.

We've said it many times before: if you're going to paint a classic vehicle a modern, vivid color, you need to invest the extra time to make the bodywork as nice as possible, because you're going to get A LOT of attention and scrutiny on your rig. Well, the guys who built this truck did exactly that, spending countless hours in the body shop sanding and smoothing the sheetmetal until it was laser straight and ready for paint. Then they sprayed several coats of the most brilliant Candy Apple Red Metallic paint you've ever seen, and spent another few late nights wet sanding and buffing it to bring up a brilliant shine. And my goodness is it nice. The other thing it is, is incredibly slick. No graphics, no flames, no distractions from the clean 3100 5-Window shape that looks flat-out awesome. All of the trim was restored or replaced as well (including the iconic horizontal grille and the 1-piece bumpers fore and aft), and the final result is a bright, dynamic contrast to the dark red paint that leaves all onlookers highly impressed. This one just looks right. The bed is beautifully restored with light oak wood and stainless slats, along with a cool built-in fuel filler that fits flush so it stays out of the way, relocated out from its dangerous factory location behind the seat. There's just nothing on this truck that wasn't finished to a very high level before being bolted back on a scant 37 miles since the truck was built.

It's also a very comfortable truck to spend some time in, thanks to a luxuriously finished yet elegantly simple interior. A comfortably padded, split-bench seat has been covered with high-end two-tone leather upholstery, and with matching door panels that follow the same pattern, it's easy to forget this is actually a vintage pickup truck. Plush tan carpet ties it together in a rather handsome way, and the brightly polished tilt steering column is fitted with a custom woodgrain banjo-style steering wheel that really punches up the '50s theme. Elegant digital/analog Vintage Classic gauges were installed in the painted dash and look period-perfect despite their modern capabilities, and the long-handled Lokar shifter that manages the 4L60E automatic transmission below has an old-school vibe that works extremely well. Tunes come via a retro-style AM/FM/AUX stereo installed in the center of the painted dash, and the entire cab stays nice and cool thanks to a neatly installed aftermarket A/C system that's blowing ice cold thanks to R134a refrigerant. Bottom line, if you're looking for a long-haul driver, this truck is definitely the right pick.

As you'd expect, this Chevy still carries Chevy power, by way of a freshly installed 5.7L LT1 V8 swapped in from a Corvette that produces an asphalt devouring amount of horsepower and great torque. With just 37 miles on the neatly installed engine, it runs superbly and looks fantastic inside the custom finished engine bay. It's very functional, with modern fuel-injection, HEI distributor and electronic ignition, a performance intake manifold flanked with Corvette valve covers, and a ton of polished and detailed parts to make it glitter inside the engine bay that itself was finished with a smoothed and painted firewall and inner fenders. The independent front suspension has been upgraded with modern components and with power front disc brakes and power steering you get a great ride every time out. A sturdy 4L60E 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive and a 10-bolt rear end filled with 3.55 gears round out the powertrain, leaving you with no worries about reliability and transforming it into an easy high-speed cruiser. And boy is it clean underneath, because when the truck was taken off the frame during the restoration, everything was sandblasted and the powder-coated black, so it can be shown off with pride. The soundtrack is killer too, with a stainless steel duals exhaust running through chambered mufflers that exits well before the rear axle. Finally, polished American Racing Torque Thrust wheels put a modern spin on an old favorite and wear staggered 235/60/15 front and 275/60/15 rear Cooper Cobra white-letter radials.

So yes, we sell a lot of these 3100s, but not many of them measure up to the standard set by this absolute gem. So, if you've been looking for a great vintage truck, your search is finally over. Call now!