Over 12 years ago, I restored a 1955 Chevy 3100 (1st Series) - it took me 5-years. A year later, it was stolen in front of my home. Four weeks ago, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a new one from a Bring-a-Trailer online auction. It arrived last week from Seattle to my home in Santa Monica, CA. Now that I have it, I am considering options for this project and hope to get feedback from you.
For example, I am considering a complete resto-mod, starting with a bolt-on chassis. I know of Art Morrison and have been in touch with them. Seems pricey to me, and I have met other resto-mod people who advise to find a local fabricator who can develop the same/similar product at a lower cost. So, does anyone have advice or experience with Art Morrison versus going local to achieve the same/similar results? Happy to share my vision for specs (see below). To be clear, my goal is not to build a hotrod or a frankenstein-looking truck. Rather, I want my truck to ride like it was built in 20267 but to look like a 1955 model. Also, I am not interested in speed. This will be an every-day driver with reasonable gas mileage and lower than average maintenance requirements.
NOTE (to any skeptics): I am not planning anything radical until I've had a chance to drive it for at least 4-6 months. When I posted this same content (above) in the Welcome Page, I got a lot of pleas not to molest this truck. However, I have been driving it for a few days, and already I am seeing many of the same issues that I had with my previous build. This is a truck that was handled gently and brought back up to a high standard of restoration before I got it. As suspected, driving a 1955 suspension with a 70+ year old technology is fun.
But, like any vintage vehicle, the quirks are clear. Driving during the day is a bumpy "cruise," sometimes including a few shakes and shimmies that eventually will loosen bolts and challenge my tie-downs (I am going slowly and don't plan to exceed 40mph for a while or at least until I've worked out the kinks). Driving at night is somewhat problematic. The wiring jiggles and cuts in/out when crossing any bumps in the road, including headlight and turn-signal failures. This will be a daily driver for me, because I adore it. And, just as with my last truck, the compliments (as I drive around Santa Monica) are constant. People have cheered me by the side of the road and chased me down the street to offer praise. I am very happy with the initial experience. However, my inclination remains. I do believe that a real daily driver (or day/night driver) requires reliability, stability, and performance (more than the truck currently offers). So, I am still thinking of swapping basic elements to ensure what I need. In that vein, I welcome your input related to the option for swapping a chassis as the starting point. This decision will be tightly connected to a new engine and transmission, of course. So, I understand if your initial advice covers that topic too. On that matter, I repeat - I'm not looking for speed and value gas efficiency and drive-ability over other performance factors.
