1954 Chevrolet 3100 Panel Delivery

Description

Commercial vehicles don't get much prettier than this 1954 Chevrolet panel delivery truck, and what's better still is that this one retains its period feel with a few well-chosen upgrades. For moving your gear, advertising your business, or just having fun in an old truck, this one is pretty hard to beat.

Quite honestly, there were no panel trucks making deliveries in the mid-1950s that looked this good. Sure, they were designed to be a bit more automobile-like than the heavy-duty haulers, but the gorgeous two-tone paint offers a period-correct combination that looks vastly better than what you could buy from the dealer. The restoration is extremely high quality, with super straight sheetmetal, exceptionally good panel fit, and gaps that strong suggest that this truck has never been wrecked, rusty, or even used particularly hard. Delightful chrome and stainless trim gives it an upscale look and must have cost a small fortune to restore, and gives the truck a fully-dressed look. Note the "speed streaks" on the fenders, the high-mounted taillights, and the familiar grille up front, all beautifully finished and sparkling against the pastel paint.

The interior is basic, no-nonsense commercial vehicle fare, with a pair of comfortable vinyl-covered bucket seats for driver and passenger and a beautifully finished cargo bay behind them. The seats are nicely restored with period-correct materials and the usual tan interior color that was used across the line for easy of assembly. The three-spoke steering wheel should look familiar to legions of Chevy truck fans, framing a pair of big, round dials for all the major instruments plus an accessory clock perched up high. Radios were still optional in trucks (and many cars) in 1954, and there isn't one here, either, but it does have A/C added under the dash using clever eyeball vents that don't draw too much attention to themselves. Simple door panels are basic but that's all part of the charm and the workmanship is beautifully done so it looks far more expensive than it was when it was new. The floor of the cargo area was probably painted or finished in battleship linoleum when it was new, but it now sports gorgeous oak planks refinished better than the stuff in your living room and accented by plain fiber board side panels to give it a finished look.

The 248 cubic inch inline-six retains the old-school feeling of the truck, and if you've driven a reliable "Stovebolt" you know they're smooth and torquey all out of proportion to their specifications. This one is fully rebuilt and sports a period Offenhauser dual carb intake and a set of Fenton exhaust manifolds that surely boost horsepower by a noticeable amount. Finned valve and side covers match the fins on the manifolds and the remainder of the engine bay is expertly detailed and finished. New wiring, careful routing of the A/C system plumbing, and a big radiator mean that someone was building this one to enjoy, not merely for show. It starts easily and cruises easily with modern traffic, thanks to an easy-shifting 4-speed manual transmission and you'll enjoy the burble of the twin glasspack-style mufflers made possible by those Fenton split manifolds. It's extremely clean underneath, showing only a few thousand miles of use since it was restored, and the gleaming 7.00-16 wide whites on color-matched steel wheels offer the perfect finishing touch.

A wonderful hauler that's ripe for advertising your business, this beautiful Chevy has a lot to offer. Call today!