For your consideration, here's my prized 5 window 1953 Chevy 3100 pickup aka The Flyin' Jalape~no. I purchased this pickup with the optional 4-on-the-floor transmission in 2012 from a local deputy in Idaho who had recently bought it from the original owner. Amazingly, it spent nearly 59 years on the family farm in Idaho. When I first inspected the truck, I was surprised how straight and rust-free it was considering its former life down on the farm. Plus, the stock 216 Thriftmaster still ran strong. The original owner had put his own stamp on the 3100 including 1) the very cool and original 1953-54 Nash hood ornament signed by (George) PETTY (a perfect fit.... see pics), 2) the front Chevy emblem off a mid-50's model, which he mounted under the tailgate and 3) the handmade double hooks for securing a load mounted under the bed lip (4 per side)..... practical & old school. Although I was shooting for a stock restoration, I retained his personal touches and added a few of my own such as 1941-48 original hubcaps (not repros) which I prefer to the '47-53 versions, a new oak bed rather than the standard pine bed and fabricated steel bed rails painted black instead of wooden ones which don't last long in the Arizona heat...... note: the rear bed rail is removable (just lift and remove) for access to the bed plus both side rails can be easily removed (four screws per side).
So, here's the low down regarding the 2012-13 restoration..... the following items were purchased from Classic Parts of America or LMC Truck and installed by Milex Auto Service Centers in Tucson (all are new items except the overhauled carburetor)........ 1) Classic wiring update kit (12V rewire of entire vehicle), 2) oak bed kit, 3) starter, 4) alternator, 5) rear main seal, 6) rear wheel cylinder, 7) exhaust system & muffler, 8) 12V fuel gauge, 9) brake shoes & drums, 10) king pins & bushings, 11) halogen headlights, 12) mirrors (sides and rearview), 13) wiper motor, 14) brake cable seal set, 15) rear brake cable, 16) spare tire bracket, 17) tail lights, 18) park lamps (converted to amber turn signals), 19) turn signal switch, 20) zinc tailgate chains & covers, 21) ignition switch (converted from foot starter to key.... can be switched back, if desired), 22) door seals, 23) window channels, 24) Custom Autosound USA-630 AM/FM Radio which fits in the original dash cutout, 25) speaker assembly which fits in the original dash cavity, 26) cab windlace, 27) interior cab lights, 28) hood to cowl seal, 29) 12V battery, 30) push rod cover & gasket, 31) distributor & rotor, 32) valve cover gasket, 33) voltage gauge, 34) overhauled carburetor..... also, a thorough safety check, tune up, oil change and miscellaneous other stuff. Most work was done when the truck odometer had 41,734 miles on it as the included receipts will confirm, thus there's approximately 200 miles on most labor & new parts with only 72 miles on the rear main seal and 32 miles on the new oak bed.
Affordable Auto Painting (Tucson's best kept secret) did the beauteous two-toned paint job in November. At the time, the pickup had minor dings, several holes from added aftermarket turn signals (removed) and very little rust, but their prep work was very thorough (no shortcuts....... saw it just before they applied the primer). I told them not to worry about the smaller dimples in the bed, tailgate and top of cab, so they just prepped and painted over them..... not very noticeable (check out the pics) and adds to the truck's character, imo...... kinda like crows feet on an old timer. They also installed a new headliner, a driver's side visor, glove box liner and door panel accents. Yesterday, I waxed the pickup for the first time (wanted the new paint to cure properly). It's smooth as glass...... most posted pictures were taken prior to waxing, so the truck looks even better than displayed.
As for my contribution (other than the approx. $18,000 invested..... receipts included), I installed new seat covers and seat padding, new seat belts, new locking toolbox in bed, new repro floormat & juke pad, new steel bed rails (custom fabricated by a welder buddy), new floor shift boot, new starter pedal pad & bellows, new locking gas cap, new steering wheel cover, new gear shift knob, original 1941-48 Chevy hubcaps, finished the oak bed boards with 2 coats of Cabot Semi-Gloss Spar Varnish and had the local Jack Furrier install 4 new Hankook Optimo H724 tires (175 miles on them). That said, all the money and hard work resulted in a very reliable, 12V updated, sweet ride..... it's a bona fide head turner! And did I mention this 3100 is equipped with the original spotlights?...... fully adjustable within the cab with what appears to be bakelite handles, possibly heavy plastic. Both spotlights are stamped UNITY MFG CO MODEL F CHICAGO USA. The 6V spotlights are presently non-working but can possibly be converted to 12V (wires still present). The odometer reading is 41,933, although it's more likely that the actual mileage is 141,933..... can't say for sure but being the truck is 60 years old, it's probably a safe bet.
Also included is a bound copy of the 1953 Chevy 3100 Owner's Manual, the USA-630 Radio Manual, two sets of keys (ignition, doors, gas cap), green touch-up paint and an extra metal bed strip with bolts (pictured). The top cowl vent adjusts fine (all 3 settings), all instruments work as designed except the Battery gauge due to the 12V conversion (a working voltage gauge has been installed under the dash to the right of the steering wheel). The 3100 starts right up, horn works, all lights and turn signals work, choke works, radio works, cigarette lighter works, wing windows work, windows roll freely, wipers work, locks work (inside and out), solid rust-free floors, rocker panels, running boards.... it's all good. No shock, just stock (muscle-car engines, mag wheels, lift/lowering kits, dual exhausts, etc. were banned from the premises).
Note: The original Chevrolet 6V non-working AM radio and speaker assembly (replaced by the pictured 12V Chevy repro) is available in another eBay auction.
The Fine Print: This auction is for the continental U.S. only...... no international bidders please. Only bid when and if you have your finances in order. If you're thinking of getting a loan to purchase the 3100, please refrain from bidding until you have the funds in hand. A $500 deposit is to be Paypaled within 24 hours of auction's end with the balance to be received within 7 days of the auction close via bank-issued cashier's check or bank wire. No release of vehicle will be made until the funds have been certified and cleared. A clear title is in hand, will be signed over and ready to transfer into your name. Insurance coverage and shipping arrangements and costs are the responsibility of the buyer. Vehicle must be picked up within 15 days of purchase date unless other arrangements are made. Mileage listed is the current odometer reading and may not be accurate due to the 60 year age of the truck. If you wish to inspect the truck, you're welcome to do so but must complete the inspection before the auction has ended. This 1953 Chevy 3100 Pickup is sold as is with no warranty of any kind. Regarding selling vehicles on eBay, this ain't my first rodeo.... check out my Feedback as a seller page for the past sale of my '95 Jeep Wrangler YJ (Jul-20-12) & '65 Mercedes Benz 220SE (Feb-07-10). Please ask all questions prior to bidding...... email or give me a buzz (520-395-0565) with any queries. Good luck!
Chevrolet Other Pickups for Sale
1985 chevrolet box van.(US $1,600.00)
1987 chevy pick up, no reserve
Supercharged 1959 chevy truck, long bed, step side
69 suburban, california rust free, 350, a/t, hard to find, 68, 69, 70, 71 style(US $6,500.00)
1955 chevy pickup truck,gasser hotrod,streetrod,project cars,barn find,(US $13,000.00)
1978 chevy c30 1ton pickup with flate bed runs gooseneek
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Auto blog
Fri, 08 Feb 2013
There's only about a week left until we get our first look at the production version of the 2014 Chevrolet SS sedan, but Chevrolet NASCAR teams have been looking at the race version of the car all winter. Autoweek has posted a really neat time-lapse video showing just a portion of what it takes to build one of NASCAR's new Gen6 stock cars.
Though the video is quite brief, it does show almost the entire build process starting with just the car's nose, and it gives us a good look at how integral the template is to the final product. As a bonus, Hendrick Motorsports also provided some videos showing two of its teams performing pit stop tests over the winter. The second video shows some of the more detailed aspects of the racecar's rear end, including the stock-looking trunk cutout and a newly mandated rear bumper extension that will be used on super speedways like Daytona and Talladega.
To see what Team Chevy has been up to all off-season, check out all three videos posted after the jump.
Mon, 14 Jan 2013
We record Autoblog Podcast #316 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #316
2013 Detroit Auto Show
Thu, 12 Jun 2014
Kenneth Feinberg, the man in charge of the General Motors compensation fund dealing with the its widespread ignition switch woes, has issued an informal, two-letter response to the plaintiffs in more than 70 lawsuits seeking redress for lost resale value of their Cobalts: "No." The cases were recently combined into one, but Feinberg told The Detroit News that the fund will deal "only with death and physical injury claims," and that "perceived diminished value" will get no consideration.
ALG, the firm specializing in establishing residual values, determined that Cobalt owners had lost $300 compared to the segment competition and doesn't envision any long-term effects from the recall situation. Feinberg's statement comes in advance of public details on how the compensation fund will work and adheres to GM's long-held position on the matter. The company has already asked a judge to throw out such suits using the pre-bankruptcy defense, even as it stopped using that defense in cases of injury and death.
With plenty of potential gain from the GM suit, however, don't expect the plaintiffs to give up yet. When Toyota was sued for the same reason during the unintended acceleration debacle, it eventually settled the case for between $1 billion and $1.4 billion just to get it over with. Since the 85 law firms involved in the Toyota litigation took home more than $250 million of that total, we shouldn't expect the attorneys to give up on a GM payout, either.
