The truck was manufactured at the Lakewood (Atlanta), Georgia Assembly Plant in the spring of 1953. Retail price (excluding options, accessories, tax, dealer prep, tag and title) was $1,306.96 (roughly $11,667 in 2014 dollars). Out-the-door price, all-inclusive, was $1,368.02 ($12,212 in 2014 dollars; less than half the cost of a current, basic, full-size Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck).
This vehicle endured many years of hard service in the southeast before its retirement. In 1994, a previous owner and fellow member of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America (VCCA), commenced restoration. The truck was completely dis-assembled, and an extensive program of rust repair was undertaken. After 15 long years, the truck was still only at a stage of partial completion; at that time the previous owner relocated to another state. It was bought by another member of the VCCA, and stayed in storage, still incomplete, for several years.
I bought the truck in April, 2014. By the time I got the truck, some of the work on the driveline and undercarriage was complete, the body had been repaired and painted (though some work remained), and substantial work had been done on the interior work as well. The numbers-matching 216 “Stovebolt” inline six-cylinder engine had been rebuilt by a local member of the VCCA, though it had not been installed. I spent the next four months locating remaining parts, and completing assembly of the truck.
I completed work during the summer of 2014. My goal was to make this, as much as possible, a complete and correctly restored example of a 1953 Chevrolet Advance-Design truck.
How the truck looked in 1991:
http://lymanhall.smugmug.com/Trucks/1953-Chevrolet-3100-Truck/i-9JQ2Pk7/0/M/1991rear-M.jpg Work underway in May, 2014:
http://lymanhall.smugmug.com/Trucks/1953-Chevrolet-3100-Truck/i-RvLCbjc/0/M/Truck-M.jpg Engine assembly in June, 2014:
http://lymanhall.smugmug.com/Trucks/1953-Chevrolet-3100-Truck/i-8q5fPN5/0/M/DSC_1374-M.jpg Done at last:
http://lymanhall.smugmug.com/Trucks/1953-Chevrolet-3100-Truck/i-qwZDWHp/0/M/DSC_1455-M.jpg http://lymanhall.smugmug.com/Trucks/1953-Chevrolet-3100-Truck/i-CrDcXBb/0/M/DSC_1458-M.jpg
