The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1954 Chevy 3100 1/2 Ton P/U Truck - NEW UPDATE

Hey all, I am 17 years old and I just acquired my first classic truck. I plan on keeping this car for the rest of my life. I want to be one of those guys that says, "this was my high school car" It is a 1954 Chevrolet 3100. It has a 4-Speed on the floor. I do not know how to drive stick nor do I have my driver's license yet. Hopefully this truck motivates me to learn standard shift and get my license. I live in Arizona and this truck is rust-free for the most part as it's been in the southwest all of it's life. It has a 235 Straight Six with the original 6V System.

Here are the two ads that were posted about it when I was looking for a truck:
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img401/3280/screenshot20120912at124.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img109/773/screenshot20120915at952.jpg[/IMG]




I paid my friend for gas to drive me to Wittmann, AZ from Peoria, AZ and we went and checked it out. Usually the pictures look better than the vehicle actually is, in this case, the pictures didn't lie. In fact, it might've been a tad bit better than I expected. The owner was kind enough to take a deposit and wait two weeks for me to get another paycheck to come up with the rest. He even had another serious buyer on the line with cash in hand waiting to come get it. I called first and he said he would hold it for me and let me look at it first before anyone else. He held true to his word.

Here are more up close pictures from the ads:
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img717/3150/20120920screenshot20120.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img545/2044/screenshot20120916at557.png[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img594/6014/screenshot20120916at556.png[/IMG]

[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img145/2044/screenshot20120916at557.png[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img838/2044/screenshot20120916at557.png[/IMG]

[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img12/2044/screenshot20120916at557.png[/IMG]


After going back and forth about how/when I should get it home (it runs and drives), we finally settled on having the previous owner tow it to me because I had no way of getting out there as my uncle died 3 days before I got the truck and my family was busy because of that. He towed it to me while I was actually at work and my dad handled the transaction after I gave it to him. I couldn't wait to get home from work that day.


Two weeks later I got paid and on September 27, 2012. This truck became mine. Here it is when it got to it's new home:

[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img708/1133/img2213oz.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img145/4299/img9885fd.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img197/8458/img8522q.jpg[/IMG]

A couple of days later when I wasn't busy I put it in neutral, took off the E-Brake and rolled it down the driveway a little bit to take some better pictures.


[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img39/2426/20120929img4693.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img834/9467/20120929img4724.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img89/9815/20120929img4713c.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img233/9329/20120929img4711.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img849/6268/20120929img4702.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img402/2354/20120929img4704.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img710/8821/20120929img4701.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img829/3046/20120929img4700.jpg[/IMG]

Here are more pictures of the truck, shows some of the good & ugly of the truck:
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img43/6770/img4717sr.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img39/2771/img4716rzz.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img171/7457/img4722lp.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img62/9326/img4714bi.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img442/8626/img4709n.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img809/8270/img4710qz.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img545/1851/img4721l.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img708/5784/img4719iq.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img692/2976/img4703df.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img689/1534/img4718v.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img692/2976/img4703df.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img9/8933/img4708l.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img513/9503/img4707i.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img339/1182/img4706v.jpg[/IMG]

Congratulations. Looks fine to me. Sounds like you had a sincere seller which is good. I looked at all the photos and did not see anything "ugly". You have a fine truck and you will keep it a long time I am certain.
If you want some advice I would suggest you get it in top mechanical shape first. Then worry about the body although I personally like it as it sits.
You will enjoy the truck more if you can just drive it and not worry about it. I had a 1953 which took me 8 years to restore and it was so nice and took me so long that I was not always comfortable driving it. A paint chip kept me awake. At the same time I had (still have) my 49 which is a 25 foot truck that looks good in pictures but has its warts, chips, scratches and blushing. But frankly I enjoy it much more than I did my 53. I use it as a truck and people respect that more than if was merely garage art. One morning sitting in the coffee shop with the 49 outside some fellow comes running in telling me its starting to rain on my truck. He was quite concerned. I wasn't but if it had been my 53 I may have been.
Sorry for the sermon. Enjoy the truck and you will never regret owing it. And if you have not seen it there is a good series on Youtube about a girl rebuilding a 54 as a shop truck. Sorry i cannot recall the title but you can find it.

Thanks for all the sound advice. Yes I have seen it. I think its called like V8 TV

Very nice truck

looks to be in very good shape for 3500.


Learning to drive in that truck will be a great experience.
When I was a Kid I learned to drive in my 1950 3100 and a 1966 ford falcon.

"Hamb-Worthly" and "build thread" makes it sound like you have grand plans for the truck, sounds cool.

I agree with what was stated above. Just drive and enjoy the truck for a while.

Good Luck

Chaduro good choice and a good buy...

My 54 was the first truck and automobile I learned to drive...

We can see that you are already got the truck fever...

Like others have said, get it mechanically save and drive it!!!

Chaduro! Don't let anyone talk you out of
that rare rear bumper. It is almost impossible
to fine in origional condition. Great
truck, get started slowly........

A few beer-bruises but in otherwise great shape. Take all advice for what it's worth, mine included.

Great find! Looks like someone got a start on cleaning it up before you got to it. Getting it on the road and enjoying it is sound advice. Mine's in way worse shape body-wise than yours and it barely ran when I first got it. I got the motor sorted out now and am able to assess the other issues and come up with a plan of attack for the bigger things while enjoying the heck outta it and more importantly, without losing interest in the project.

btw, I didn't see "Hamb-Worthly" in your post but I noticed DADS50's mention of it. Take what those cats think with a grain or two of salt, as a pickup truck, it'll never be a traditional hotrod in most their eyes. ...That said, look me up over there. Same screen name. There's an Advanced Design sub group and a couple other pickup sub groups you might be interested in.

Hey all, new update today.

My grandpa stores his trailer in our back yard behind the fence and in order to get it out my truck has to be moved. My grandpa comes over as I just got this truck and I hand him the keys, he starts it up, gets a huge grin as he backs it up. He loved it! Heres some pictures of him and the truck:

[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img404/6178/img20121003123240.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img40/260/img20121003123246.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img84/2426/img20121003123252.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img339/8029/img20121003123501.jpg[/IMG]

He kept saying how jealous he was. He backed up his 2006 Toyota Tacoma and backs it it up, pulls out the trailer and instead of making him get out of his car walk over to my truck, touch the hot steering wheel and drive it back up, I say my friend who knows how to drive standard and I will take care of it. After he leaves my friend says do you want to drive it up? (I don't know how to drive standard yet) I figured sure, I'll just be in 1st or 2nd gear. We feel like it'll be too tight of a turn to get up the driveway so I take it around the block, I cruise around the whole way in 2nd gear. I was honking at neighbors who were waving and giving thumbs up having a ball in my very own classic truck that I saved up and paid for in cash. We get back and my friend says you need to gas it to get up the incline of the driveway into the flat parking spot. I give it the gas it needs and when I get up the incline I hit the brake. It doesn't stop. My friend is repeatedly yelling at me to hit the clutch which I either ignored or didn't comprehend, I don't know, but when we are a foot away from the brick wall I finally hit the clutch after letting go of the brake. BOOM! I hit the driver's side of the truck into the brick wall at about 5MPH.

I get outside and am thinking of a few choice words and wanting to blame everyone besides me. The radiator is spewing out and the front fender is smashed and the front bumper bowed a little bit. I think upon impact the fan hit the radiator and cut a hole in it or something. Not sure if that can be repaired. Here's the damage:


[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img641/6031/img20121003125844.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img4/4310/img20121003125851.jpg[/IMG]

I pulled off the fender:
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img267/9804/img20121003140715.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img23/6927/img20121003140720.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img844/125/img20121003140727.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img222/1681/img20121003140733.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img89/1885/img20121003140739.jpg[/IMG]

These two pictures bother me the most because I'm not sure how fixable this is:
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img23/6927/img20121003140720.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img4/4310/img20121003125851.jpg[/IMG]

And here's the fender off the truck:
[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img197/9158/img20121003140707.jpg[/IMG]


All in all, I'm pretty distraught. I've owned this truck for 6 days and something like this happens. At first I was cursing old cars thinking who in the right mind would buy one and then I was considering selling it. I calmed down a bit and just thought of all the compliments I've received in 6 days alone. From what I can see I need a new fender with all the headlight stuff and either the radiator repaired or a replacement. I just feel sick when I think that this could have prevented if I woulda just let my grandpa put it back instead of trying something new. I have been told since the incident today that if I slammed on the brakes the truck should have stalled and died. It didn't happen so my conclusion is the brake system wasn't in good enough shape to do that to the truck. I'm not sure if that makes sense. I feel really really bad writing this and just thinking of everything that happened. Not sure what I'm gonna do now. Consoling thoughts would be helpful. How bad is the damage and what do you think It'll cost me to get it back to the way it was 10 hours ago? Thanks and have a better day than I did today -Chad

Keep Your chin up.
thankfully no one got hurt.

The truck can be fixed, the most changeling repair will be the drivers cowl.

original fenders are not to difficult to come by especially in your neck of the woods.

Chalk this one up as a lasting memory and move forward.

Well,

Never be afraid to learn something new, although some lessons are painful. You might take this opportunity to get some dollies and a body hammer or two and try your hand at straightening out that fender. It may never be showroom quality, and ultimately you might trash it for a better one, but I guarantee that you will get respect for trying.

I have soldered up many radiators, and you might try your hand at that too. Again, it might not be pretty, but you gain a skill and can get 'er back on the road.

The cowl damage may require professional help.

Still a great truck, and now that you have dinged it,it really is your own. Don't even think about getting rid of it. The bolters here will lend a hand.

Kurt

Chad,

Sorry about your misfortune.

How much damage was done to the grill and the front bumper?

Hang in there man! I'm restoring a farm truck for my girlfriend that she drove into a tree at your age.

1. We all smack up our first car at some point. My first was declared totaled ...twice, and it still survived being my sister's first car and continued to serve our family well past 350,000mi.

2. New and used fenders for these trucks are a dime a dozen. The cowl might take some work but worst case, patch panels are also available from all the online vendors. IMO, a good body shop should be able to work it back out.

FWIW, your driver side cowl is still in better condition than mine.

Used 1954 truck fenders are often a little more expensive than the 47-53 fenders.

That is not a negative statement, just reality. Nonetheless, used 1954 fenders show up pretty regularly on eBay and in the Swap Meet. Finding good, used, inexpensive 54/55 grill parts is a worse challenge. Once again, this is not a negative, just reality.

This situation is reality smacking you in the face. Grit your teeth, and approach this situation one step at a time.

The good advice you needed and didn't get was, "loading a vehicle on a trailer is not the place to practice driving." I'm sorry for this "bump in the road", but you'll benefit from this experience, if only in a better understanding of what your truck is made of and perhaps some body work experience to boot. Keep sending us those pics; we want to watch your progress.

Chad,
I agree with Kurt. Make lemons into lemonade. You have a great fender to practice hammer and dolly techniques. The odds are that you won't get it 100%, especially near the headlight. But why not try?

Here's a good place to start:
http://www.eastwood.com/key-to-metal-bumping-book.html . This is a good guide on how to analyze the damage so that it can be fixed with a minimum of work.

Also a lot of good metalworking info here:
http://www.metalmeet.com/

Dave Evans
52_3100

You've got me jealous simply because you got to take it around the block!!

Now that you know what NOT to do, lesson learned.

As I have no brakes in mine at the moment, I cringe when spring hits and my mother has to roll it out of the garage in order to get into her storm shelter. I don't know what's worse, her rolling it out with no brakes, the tornado itself, or her trying to get it back in the garage....

I shudder to think about it. So until next spring, I don't think about it much

Even with all that said, here's your chance to shine. Fix it up and have a good story to tell. Use all of the original parts you can. Even if it's not perfect. Trucks used to be respected more when they had 'battle scars'. Nowadays, it's how pretty it is. I hated seeing a 3/4 to 1 ton dually that I saw driving in downtown Houston trying to park in a garage. Never got a good answer about why people were driving them there other than looks or intimidation on the highway.

Chad,Look at the bright side-- no one got hurt! Think about all the extra body work practice you'll get! Now you can reach the inner fender to fix the rust, etc., etc.
Seriously, I'm sorry it happened and understand how unhappy you are. Please take the warning and have your Grandpa teach you to drive it-- there are many different responses that you need to learn for stick shifts and he will enjoy the opportunity to spend the time teaching you-- Us old timers need to feel needed and this is a chance for him to feel important.

Not to worry, you live and learn. I tell my kids life is about experiences. Everything is fixable. You still have a great truck and there are plenty of us who would give our eye teeth to have a truck as nice as yours. There is plenty of time to fix it your a lot younger than most of us. Take your time and keep us posted on your progress. We are all in this together and we will be pullin for ya. Best of luck to you.

Congratulations on the "new" truck. Sorry it needs a few band-aids now, but don't dispare. Like many have said already, first vehicles get dings. It happens, get over it and move forward.

My first vehicle was a 1963 Chevy C10 longbed fleetside. Over the years I owned it, it was totalled 4 times. I kept repairing it. Once I had to remove and replace the entire frame.

the skills I learned working with my Father on that old truck have served me well for many years now. My Father is gone now, but I am passing those skills on to my daughter as we restore a 1962 Chevy C10 shortbed stepside. This made my Father very happy when he learned we were working on this project before his death.

Learn everything you can from your Grandfather. He has learned many things over his lifetime and I bet he would be thrilled to pass his knowledge on to you.

You're not the first kid to mess up, nor will you be the last. Years from now you'll be looking back and laughing. Your already getting complements, so down the road when you have more experience and money you'll be getting even more compliments. Also keep with your game plan of keeping it forever and telling everybody it was your first vehical. Good luck to you & your truck in the future.

Keep your chin up Chad, we are all pulling for you.

Don't let the bumps and bruises get you down. We learn from our mistakes so if we don't make any mistakes we will end up pretty dumb in the end.

You still have a much nicer truck than most of us started with.

Ouch! I feel your pain. I have had my '49 since 1973 & in about 1990 I rear ended a Ford Expedition (I can drive a stick), pushing the radiator into the water pump. I was extremly upset to say the least. Fortunatly I have a very loving & understanding wife who went out & found a decent hood, fenders & grill. Now after some work learning how to straighten fenders etc, the truck is again driveable & we both enjoy it.
Good luck learning how to fix your truck & allways enjoy it.

Chad,the truck can be fixed with no problem.I would survey all the damage,make a list of what you need and proceed in fixing it.
You should be able to find rust free sheet metal in your location.The crack in the inner fender well looks like it has been there long before your crash"weld it up".
Place an add in the parts wanted section if you can't find the parts.

I strongly recommend having Grandpa teach you how to drive a stick shift.You're very lucky no one got hurt.I would chalk it up as a lesson learned.Get your drivers license as well.

Keep us posted with your progress.

Tim

What all is it gonna take to fix what's shown in these two pictures, it looks like you cant straighten it out from the backside, it looks like you have to cut it out and weld in a new piece. Am I correct in thinking this? Just looking at my truck as it sits today makes my stomach churn thinking about what could've been. Front bumper is bent and scratched and the chrome and everything was perfect on it before. Just really makes me upset and not want to work on it.

Caduro,

It's an adventure. Just take it one step at a time. I got my '51 'burb when I was 19. Now I am 58. Lots of bumps, scrapes, repairs and a super amount of fun from then 'till now.

If you still have your truck 40 years from now, this will be the begining chapter. How you deal with it will be the story. Hey, if it's perfect then you won't have any fun with it.

It doesn't need to be perfect right now. What's important is to get it back on the road. You could drill some holes in the cowl and use a puller and a slap hammar to get it in shape enough to put the fender back on. Cut it out and replace it when you have more skill. Or, take it to a body shop and let them do it.

I advise focusing on one problem at a time rather than all of it at once. Decide you are going to straighten the bumper, and only think or work on that. Then move on the the radiator. Then the fender. You get the idea. Don't worry about the other tasks.

Kurt

That's right, look at each part that needs to be repaired and work on it, one piece at a time. I would take off all parts that need repair and take each sheetmetal part, one at a time to a body shop (try to find one with an older man there that understands how to straighten heavier sheetmetal. If they say, "it can't be done, buy a new piece", take it somewhere else. You should be able to find an old guy that will take on the job. Remember, one piece at a time, they are more likely to help you if you don't overwhelm them.

Chad, look at it this way now you have a little more knowledge of driving a stick and before your done fixing it you will have gained more knowledge about your truck. doesn't look terrible like posted earlier get a slap hammer, some dollies AND GET THAT TRUCK BACK ON THE ROAD! btw. been working on my 51 for over 3 years and havent even got to fire it up yet. ive bought stuff i didnt need broke stuff i shouldnt have got put in the dog house over it, but with the help of the great people on this site one day in the near future ill have a decent driver.

good luck with the truck, stay tuned to the bolt, and git er done!

John

Cut and weld or pull, honestly I don't see anything a competent body shop couldn't straighten out. And if they can't they'll tell you who can.

A lot of us have had or still have to cut a ton of body rot out and weld in new sheet metal. On my truck, both inner and outter cowls, toe board and front half of the floor along with one support all have to be replaced. That doesn't include removable panels like fenders, splash aprons, running boards, bed walls, etc. I got a buddy with a '60 Impala that has no floor in the back and holes in the trunk the spare tire could fall thru. It's all part of owning an old vehicle.

As others have said, the key word is PATIENCE! You're only 17 and you have the rest of your life to get this done. We've all experienced setbacks, and those of us who have been around for a while know that these things take time. We've all gotten frustrated when things didn't go as planned, or as fast as we wanted.
Don't mean to be preachy, but these things are part of the hobby; and learning to deal with them is part of the growing up process. So hang in there, my man, and you'll get her back together--and probably better than she was before!

All the stuff you do (tuning the motor, fixing worn out parts and body-work)will give you a better knowledge of your truck and what makes her tick.

It's overcoming the problems that make this hobby so much fun. If it were easy it wouldn't be as rewarding.

Just my 2 cents worth......

Like all above have said, "been there done that" Life is full of a bunch of "Firsts"!!! You will be amazed years from now how minor this experience was. Tackle and repair, then apply this experience to what life deals out! It's all a part of the learning curve. You are not the first and you will not be the last to have your pride bruised! Best of luck to you!

Hey Chaduro, any updates?

Thanks for the interest, Bluemeanie. Right now I'm just looking for decent, used, non-repro parts. So far I've located everything I need just some things are not at the right prices for my budget right now or are going to be hard to retrieve.

A member of another forum has graciously offered me his 1954 Driver's side fender free of charge as long as I can find a way to get it home from central Washington state. The cheapest shipping quote I have gotten is $125. Which is pretty good I think. Any ideas on if I can get it shipped cheaper?


Radiator (I've found a pressure tested, no-guarantee one for $150, just considering upgrading to a 4-core desert cooler from Patrick's but it's $500 --OUCH-- Any recommendations about this? Can I get a Desert Cooler 4 Core Radiator anywhere else cheaper? Is there another 4-core radiator that does the same job for cheaper?)

Also, I went to a car show the other day and saw some cool 'bolts with cool rims. I really like the look of these rims, I won't be buying rims for a long while but when I do, what will fit my truck as it is? I'd like to get some bigger rims than currently on the truck or whatever looks best. These are the rims I like, what will fit?

Old School Rims

Also for a later down the line improvement, what are the options for a disc-brake conversion on a bolt? I'd like to do this eventually, what is the best it in your guy's opinions? What's the cheapest way to go? Are there cars that I can take the parts off of to do this at a junkyard? If so, what cars?

Other future plans as of now that I can probably achieve by next summer (Not in any specific order):
Do a tune up on the car
Drain gas tank of old gas
12V Conversion
Go through all the brakes
Redo Weatherstripping

And whatever else comes up along the way


Thanks for all your continued interest and for sustaining mine!

Thanks for the update.

For the parts your looking for try posing an ad in the parts wanted section of the forum
https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=17&page=1

Ive had good success there and fair prices.

Good luck

Also keep an eye on the Freebies forum. A lot of nice stuff shows up there fairly regularly.

Hey Chad,

Since you're in their neck of the woods, why not try Desert Valley Auto Parts

I saw them on Discovery channel and have seen some old trucks in their lot. You may have a gold mine in your own backyard.

Any answers to my questions?