WIDE AS F*CK AND LOUD AS HELL!
They say old Chevy’s never die, but they just get more awesome and it’s definitely true for this monster 1948 Chevrolet 3100 that’s been reborn!
Chevrolet's first major redesign post-World War II, the Advance-Design series of trucks was billed as a bigger, stronger, and sleeker design in comparison to the earlier AK Series. First available on Saturday June 28, 1947, these trucks were sold with various minor changes over the years until March 25, 1955, when the Task Force Series trucks replaced the aging Advance-Design model. From 1947 until 1955, Chevrolet trucks were number one in sales in the United States, with rebranded versions sold at GMC locations.
This epic Chevrolet 3100 that’s been rebuilt from the ground up and customised to perfection is a 1948 model that’s had more than just a little bit of new life put into it. To start off, Fatman Fabrications in the USA was tasked in building a brand new reproduction chassis for this masterpiece you see in front of you. This chassis includes new main frame rails, radiator mount holes, bumper mount holes, bedmount holes, a front dab mount outrigger, rear cab mount holes and running board bracket holes. The new chassis then utilizes Mustang II based front suspension, using polished stainless tubular control arms, QA-1 single adjustable coilovers, 13½” Wilwood disc brakes with drilled rotors and red calipers, right hand drive power rack and pinion and 2” drop spindles, so as you can see, some really serious stuff went into this chassis and then some. There is also a front sway bar installed for improved rigidity.
Chassis mounts were made up to accommodate the big block Chevy motor and 700R4 transmission that would soon find its place in the belly of this beast. Brand new brake lines was also installed and at the back of the chassis you’ll find a 4 link rear suspension with QA-1 single adjustable coilovers supporting a new Ford 9” diff with 31 spline axles, a 3.70 trac loc gearset and 12” Wilwood disc brakes with drilled rotors and red calipers.
While the chassis was being built, on the other side of the world in South Africa, work started on the truck’s body and motor. Carello Auto along with Piazza motorsport took on the monstrous task of completing this vital part of the truck build. The body being almost 70 years old, meant it had definitely seen better days with rust aplenty. The body was expertly stripped down to what bare metal was left, and the restoration process was started which took an ungodly amount of hours to complete. Once the body was all completed and ready for paint, a custom colour was mixed with RM Waterborne paint which is some of the best paint on the market today. This was then meticulously applied by Carello Auto and the finished product came out nothing less than mind-blowing. OEM glass was then used all across the cab.
The inside of the cab is a plush, classic affair with a custom bench that was built for the truck and then it along with the door panels were covered in some luxurious brown leather with a diamond stitch pattern. The steering wheel is a Budnik billet item that suits the look of the truck perfectly. Along with this the gauges in the truck come courtesy of Classic Instruments and they blend perfectly into the rest of the interior. Just for those times when you some good tunes to cruise to, the truck had a small but sufficient sound install done as well. This consists of a Rockford Fosgate 10” subwoofer, along with RF splits and a RF amplifier and then the truck also had some Dynamat applied for greater sound deadening.
Moving back to the gorgeous exterior of the truck, all the chrome items were restored to pristine condition and in the truck bed lays a custom wooden floor with aluminium rails and a Sparco fuel filler cap, which leads into to the custom built 110L aluminium fuel tank which is mounted underneath the bed. Under the wheel arches sits some of the most badass wheels ever built. These custom built wheels were crafted from solid billet aluminium by Budnik wheels and they measure 18” in front with MASSIVE 20” ultra-wide wheels in the back, sitting under the tubbed wheel arches. Covering these rather large wheels are Mickey Thompson tyres coming in at 26x10 in front with 31x18 rears.
That’s a lot of amazing details that’s gone into this monstrous build, but we all know there’s one very vital part still missing and that’s this baby’s steroid filled heart. Tucked away in the engine bay is a Chevy 502 cubic inch big block motor. That’s 8.2 litres of pure American V8 muscle. The motor also had roller cams and roller rockers put into it and it uses a tried and trusted Edelbrock intake pushing tons of air into the Holley Performance carburettor. Sending the enormous amount of power and torque this truck produces to the rear wheels is a Monster Transmission 700R4 automatic box. A MSD ignition system provides perfect spark every time this devil gets started up.
This is without a doubt one of the most complete, detail intense truck builds we’ve come across and there’s no chance in hell anyone will ever confuse this dark blue, chrome laden, ear drum shattering ghoul for a plain ol’ farmtruck!
Car Specs
Model: 1948 Chevrolet 3100
Power: Do you really need to ask?
Engine: Chevy 502 cubic inch big block motor, Roller cams, Roller rockers, Edelbrock intake, Holley Performance carburettor, MSD ignition system
Chassis: Fatman Fabrications reproduction chassis
Suspension: Mustang II based front suspension with polished stainless tubular control arms, 4 link rear suspension, QA-1 single adjustable coilovers
Brakes: 13½” front and 12” rear Wilwood disc brakes with drilled rotors and red calipers
Drivetrain: Monster Transmission 700R4 automatic box, Ford 9” diff with 31 spline axles, 3.70 trac loc gearset
Exterior: Full bodywork restoration, Custom dark blue colour, Restored chrome trim, Custom wooden floor bed with aluminium rails, Sparco fuel filler, Custom 110L aluminium fuel tank
Interior: Custom bench seat, Custom brown leather with diamond stitching, Classic Instruments gauges, Budnik billet steering wheel
Wheels: Budnik billet wheels 18” front and 20” rear, Mickey Thompson tyres 26x10 front and 31x18 rear
Builder: Carello Auto and Piazza Motorsport
CHECK OUT THE PHOTO-SHOOT OF NATASHA WITH THE 1948 CHEVROLET 3100 HERE:
NATASHA MICHELLE BARNARD - 1948 CHEVROLET 3100 - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PICTURES