1950 Chevrolet 1/2-Ton 3100

"Old Blue" Owned by Dave Sanders "DMSanders" Bolter # 14256 Charlotte, NC Comments in the HiPo Forum

More photos on Dave's personal site

From Dave :

When I started out to "overhaul" my 1950 3100, I really didn't have a HIPO setup in mind. I did want a bit more power than the stock 6 cylinder provided. One thing led to another (as they tend to do in these things) and I have ended up with a 550 HP 560 pounds of torque street machine [ engine image ] .

I pulled a 350 out of a junked Chevy van, had it bored and fluxed, put flat top pistons, a Crane 3/4 cam and Vortec heads on it. Added to that is a Weiand 142 blower and 750 Edelbrock street performer carb pushing exhaust out of Hooker headers. For mufflers, I chose Flowmaster 50 series with Delta Flow technology to make riding in the truck on long trips a pleasure.

I wanted some tunes so I mounted 10" subs behind the seats with 6" speakers under the seats. The system includes a DVD player, XM radio as well as a GPS system. Powering the sound is an 1100 watt Alpine unit under the passenger seat. Everything is stealthed so you have no idea when you get in that it has such a powerful stereo so I really surprise some people.

Protecting the truck is a Viper security system with remote. Any shaking of the truck, opening of doors or hood sets off the system. So far, the only miscreant I have apprehended is myself though.

The stock gas tank was replaced with an under bed unit from an early Chevy car and works fine.

This gradual upgrade and continuing mod road has led to some interesting changes to accommodate the extra power and enhance the handling of the truck.

The front end needed a good bit of help so I went to Fat Man Fabrications in Fort Mill, just outside of Charlotte where I live. Fat Man's is not a really famous rod builder (although they are known) but I can tell you that what they do there is nothing short of miraculous. They have a great four link front end kit that bolts up extremely well. I also added the power rack and pinion steering option they offer. The result is truly amazing. The truck handles GREAT. The coil over shocks in the kit are adjustable and I was able to lower the truck down to the white walls which gives it a great street look.

Working with Fat Man, I added a rear sway bar (the front sway bar was part of the Fat Man's kit) and had them relocate the shocks from the stock set up (mounted to the leaf springs) to a great setup using fabricated mounts to set the shock at exactly the right angle and lift locations (the way they should have been originally), mounted to the axle. I went with air shocks to allow me to adjust ride height and quality easily. This truck is actually a daily driver and I use it for the usual stuff you would associate with using a truck and that includes hauling loads occasionally (VERY carefully).

I changed the 2:73 gears in the rear (an old '72 Camaro Z28) to 3:23 and the truck really came to life. While power off the line is great, I'm not beaten up on the road with high revs at 70 (I'm turning 2700 at 70) so the 3:23's were perfect for my application.

I found and installed a solid T350 with a shift kit incorporated (3 speed). When I decide to break the rear wheels loose, it burns the tires through first and second with AUTHORITY.

I tapped in to the NASCAR network for a fantastic cooling system. One of the guys who builds racing radiators took my old stock radiator and built me an exact duplicate in aluminum incorporating two high output cooling fans. As a result, on the hottest day with AC on, I can idle for extended periods without crossing the 190 degree barrier.

Some detailed work on the interior by a Mexican friend of mine, who has been doing custom rod interiors for about 20 years, resulted in a clean and well appointed gray leather interior including padded dash and custom panels for the doors, kick panels and headliner.

For tires and wheels, I chose a simple approach with chrome smoothies, baby moon hubcaps and wide whitewalls from Diamond Back tires in South Carolina.

The end result is a street cruiser with all of the panache of the old school exterior with up to date modern performance equal to the latest muscle cars.

It’s really fun to have some guy in a Honda (with the usual hipo stuff -- i.e. coffee can exhaust, spoiler that is out of place, poorly installed body kit etc.) pull up beside me at a light and try to leave me. In every case, the old Stovebolt has blown their doors off handily and taught them a bit of respect for their elders.

A word of advice to anyone who is contemplating (or now into) going down this road .... If you are going to get help on your truck, get PROFESSIONALS like Fat Man Fabrications. They do awesome work and they do it with surprisingly less cost than many others I have encountered during this "odyssey."

I made the mistake of hiring a guy who said he was an expert and in fact had a 1952 he had done that was decent. HOWEVER … he took more than a year to work on mine, charged me a fortune and I had to spend nearly $10,000 to correct his mistakes. I found out that Fat Man Fabrications could have done all the work in about six weeks instead of a year and would have charged me about half as much as he did.

Honestly, Fat Man’s does the same kind of work and with the same level of quality that you see on that Hot Rod show with Boyd Coddington and they can do it for either a Hot Rod or an original restoration. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants a quality job on their truck.

After more than three years of enormous expense, a LOT of wasted time and tremendous work (I have actually done a lot of stuff on the truck myself), FINALLY, I have a vehicle I am proud of, starts up when I want it to and I can drive it literally anywhere without worrying if I’ll get home or not. Without Fat Man, I would still be trying to get the truck running.

For example, they came up with a very innovative way to get my steering working using a “double knuckle” design for the steering shaft that I have never seen done on any vehicle before. They also fabricated shock mounts for the rear, welding them on to the frame and the rear axle. They added a rear anti-sway bar and the combination now has the truck handling like a late model Mustang!

Finally, in the process of correcting the guys mistakes, they also (for no charge) re-welded all the front end areas, motor mounts and tightened all of the bolts in my suspension that my “restorer” had failed to do properly.

I just wanted to let someone know that there are pros out there that can do great things for us “Stovebolters” without a lot of cost and time, leaving more opportunity for us to really enjoy these wonderful classic trucks without breaking us or discouraging us from that experience. However, make sure they actually ARE pros before you allow anyone to turn the first wrench.

Any work that I can't do myself, I now automatically take to Fat Man's and they ALWAYS do great work and GUARANTEE it. I have not had a single complaint in any of the work they have done.

Good luck on your project and I hope that you will end up enjoying it as much as I enjoy my 3100.

From Dave :

           I finished the bed on Old blue. Take a look. I went to Home Depot, bought some red oak boards, some construction adhesive and some aluminum strips. I used tung oil on the boards (three coats, letting each dry a week) followed by Behr outside low luster sealer (three coats front and back [sanding between each]) and then glued it all down being careful to seal everything around the edges. I did it this way because I had a ¼ inch steel bed welded in and did not want to go through cutting it out.

           Here is a picture of a Weiand Supercharger bringing the horsepower up to 500+.

           I pics on my personal site as well.

Dave

03 October 2007
# 2074

From Dave :

           The wife and I have always loved the 1947-1952 Chevy 3100 and wanted one but could never find one. On a trip to visit my sister in Tennessee, we saw a blue 1950 off the road next to a trailer. It had a for sale sign on it. Both my wife and I looked at each other and said (at the same time) “Let’s stop and check out that truck!”

           So we did and after my wife negotiating (she is the ultimate coupon queen) to the point that the old guy said, “OK, OK, just pay me and go!” (at a MUCH lower price than he originally asked). My wife even demanded (and got) a cane that a friend of his had carved for him that was in a rifle rack in the back window.

           I felt bad for the guy but we got the truck. We drove it back to Charlotte (it had a previous partial restoration done about 10 years earlier, so it did run). We did a bit of cleanup and started using it.

           We used the truck for about eight years, hauling stuff and carrying my daughter back and forth to college in Virginia. Old Blue was a real workhorse and we enjoyed it even though it had mechanical everything so my wife (much to her disappointment) could not drive it.

           About three years ago, the truck developed some engine and tranny problems, along with front end failure. It sat in the driveway for about eight months. One day, I said to my wife, “I am either going to sell the old truck or fix it up.” She asked me NOT to sell it. So I said, “OK, but it will take a lot of time and money because I intend to do it right and do it so YOU can drive it anywhere.”

           We started on the project and I got a friend (had to pay him ... LOTS) who had some experience in truck restoration. Months passed and SLOWLY we saw the new truck beginning to emerge. Over the next two years, little by little, and with the help of a host of mechanics and technicians (many who cheated me unfortunately), the truck was finally pretty much done.

           It now has a Chevy 350 Vortec engine with Dart Iron Eagle heads, 9.5-1 compression, a TH350 tranny, power disk brakes, power rack and pinion steering, a 4-link coil over stainless steel front suspension (by Fat Man Fabrications) and a gorgeous metallic blue paint job (1978 Cadillac blue) by City Body Shop in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

           It is slightly lowered (result of the IFS) and looks great. The interior was custom done with Jeep Wrangler leather seats, console and stereo with 12” subs, along with a 1200 watt amp system. There is a TV / DVD in the dash along with a Python alarm system. Electric windows and locks round out the package along with a totally chromed engine with a Mr. Gasket street scoop.

           The truck drives and handles like a dream. It gets up to 60 in about 5.5 seconds. I estimate the engine to have between 375 and 400 HP. A 1978 Nova rear end with 3:36 gears makes cruising along at 70 easy with about 18 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway (as long as I keep the horses in the corral ).

           The hood ornament is from a 1950 Ford Custom Deluxe car. It belonged to my Grandfather. He brought me home from the hospital in that old car when I was born (I’m 54 now). It is all I have left of the car and it is original chrome. I thought it would look good on the truck and tie me back to my Grandfather.

           The truck is all steel with original fenders, hood cab and bed. We had to replace the floorboard and kick panels (they had been cut from a Cat dozer and weighed a TON), firewall and cab corners. New steel was welded in all areas where any deterioration was found.

           I did a lot of the work (and am still working on several -- frustrating -- little items) but I had a lot of help too.

           I hope you enjoy the pictures (and here are some more) half as much as I enjoy the truck.

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