1954 Chevy 3100 Pickup Truck
FIRST year for the famous 235 engine and the engine is ORIGINAL to the truck. Only the last 2 years of this body style had this engine which was a dramatic improvement over the 216 found in the 1947 to 1953 models.
READ below concerning the ‘BIG advantages’ of the 1954 over all earlier years of this body style AND about the interesting original owner provenance which is documented.
Frame off ROTISSERIE restoration showing little to no wear.
Mariner Blue (RPO 234G)
SHOW QUALITY Mariner Blue paint (factory color) and show quality correct interior.
This was NOT a budget build of an old beat up truck. Virtually every nut and bolt and component of this truck got breathed on. The body was removed from the frame and both restored separately. In many ways the truck is now better than when new.
RADIAL Whitewalls (NOT bias ply) that look much like the tires from the period. The 16 inch Excelsior Roadster RADIALS’s are the BEST tires money can buy for this era of vehicle. They are much more expensive however they ride and drive far better than the reproduction Bias-Ply tires.
Wheels were Powder Coated in this beautiful Red and NEW hub caps and trim rings were installed. The Coker radial tires and wheel treatment alone on this vehicle cost $4,000 …. This was NOT a budget build.
Beautiful new wood bed and wood rails. The Oak wood ‘bed rails’ are easily removed by simply lifting from the bed pockets … AND, the Mobilgas signs are also easily removed from the rails as are the flags should you choose to.
Original Owner Provenance
Purchased ‘new’ by E.L. Halford from Valley Chevrolet in Yazoo Mississippi. Mr Halford worked as a production foreman for Hassie HUNT OIL in the Tinsley Oil Field boom of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Hassie Hunt was the eldest son of the famous H.L Hunt oil tycoon. Mr Halford’s oil production ‘LOG BOOK’ is still in the glove box with readings up through 1958. ALSO still with the truck is the original Dealer invoice and Lender/loan paper work documenting Mr. Halford as the original owner along with other original factory documents including the original owners manual.
BIG Advantages’ the 1954 model over earlier years.
In addition to the dramatically improved NEW engine, the ‘54 was the FIRST to have a VIN PLATE affixed to the body …. Both of these updates are significant.
In 1954 Vehicle Vin Identification number was actually ON the truck itself as opposed to only on the engine which often got changed over the years causing the vehicle to be withOUT a vin#. This makes for a NIGHTMARE when buying and selling the 1947 to 1953 models if the engine was ever changed in which case you now have a TITLE to a truck with NO matching vin#. This can be a major problem.
The 235 engine was first available in this body style in 1954. Unlike the earlier 216 “splash-oiler” engines, the 235 had full-pressure lubrication, making it significantly more durable and it’s more powerful making it capable of higher speeds. The old timers know that a 235 -vs- a 216 is a VERY BIG DEAL. Simply put, the 235 powered trucks are much more usable than the 216 powered trucks.
Much harder to find in this ‘final most refined version’ which was only built for 1.5 years versus the long 7 year run of the earlier 216 powered versions. Only 17 out of a 100 of these ‘Advance Design’ trucks came from the factory with the dramatically improved 235 engine. Chevrolet would go on to install the famous 235 for another 8 years in countless vehicles before finally retiring it in 1962 for the American market while continuing to build versions of it in Brazil all the way to 1979 (that’s a 26 year proven run for the famous 235 straight 6 engine).
Please note the ADDITIONAL comments embedded within some of the photos.
