Looking at the current U.S. market for new pickup trucks, it’s evident that the three companies that were formerly referred to as the Detroit Big Three are dominating the market: Ford leads the sales charts with its F-Series, GM’s Chevrolet with its Silverado, and Chrysler (sorry, Stellantis) with its Ram. Thanks to the models they issue today, all three truck manufacturers are the biggest names in the business, but it just takes a glance at the aftermarket and custom industries to see that the three have long been favorites among Americans.
How else can you explain the constant flood of old (and very old) American-made pickup trucks we’re subjected to as these machines keep changing hands over and over again, increasing in value the older they get?
Let’s take Chevrolet, for instance. The bowtie carmaker is today mother and father to the Silverado, of which no less than 513,000 examples were delivered in 2022. From that, it gains money directly.
However, it used to be the C/K’s mother and father as well as the Advance-Design and Task Force. Even though these vehicles are no longer produced on assembly lines, restorers and bespoke businesses manage to keep them in the news. Chevy continues to earn prominence as a result.
And it does so despite the fact that the pickup that makes headlines once more appears to be as run-down as this 3100 does.
Among the most beloved vintage Chevy trucks is the 3100. Originally created as a component of the Advance-Design series, which ran from 1947 to 1955, it continues to garner attention due to its frequent updates by skilled retailers around the nation.
Most of the time we get to see 3100s brought to incredible levels of sophistication and shine, as most of the shops mentioned above seek to dazzle the audience and get to their money. The unknown crew behind this build is doing the same, only it does it by going for the opposite effect: repulsion.
Their 3100 was put together as a rat rod, that kind of custom build that bets of rust, old age, and the appearance of uselessness to get to the hearts and pockets and buyers. This pickup is trying to do that at the beginning of next month, when it goes under the Mecum hammer in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The truck was originally assembled in 1947, making it an example of Advance-Design from the family’s very first year on the market. It looks nothing like it used to, as it now sports one of the most deceiving exteriors we’ve ever come across.
If there ever was a king of NASCAR-bred sleepers, then it’s this pickup truck here. Nicknamed Chelet (a moniker it proudly wears on the rust-filled, modified Chevrolet grille), the thing is a monster of a machine, both visually and mechanically. As far as the eyes can see, the truck is in horrible condition. A brown patina drowns all of the body panels, while the front shows enough exposed metal elements to make the rust stains come out and give us a big, wide smile.
Up above the truck’s windshield a big hunk of dented metal hangs around, trying to play the role of sun visor. Further down, on either side of the truck, long pipes with welding points exposed rush to the rear from openings in the sides of the engine bay. They are the truck’s exhaust pipes, proudly worn on the outside.
The truck ends with an exposed chassis and suspension, visible thanks to the removal of the bed and tailgate. Speaking of suspension, we’re dealing with fully adjustable 4-link gear with Pro Shocks and Eibach springs out back, and coilovers made by Pro Shocks at the front.
The cabin of the 3100 is spartan to say the least. Almost all the interior surfaces come in naked aluminum with exposed rivets. Even the seats are the same, only they feature cushions for the driver’s and passenger’s behind.
The truck’s extremely long bonnet conceals an engine type that is rarely shown. Its displacement isn’t all that remarkable, considering it only measures 358ci. However, the item was modified for use in NASCAR: the subject is a Richard Childress NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevrolet SB2.
The engine produces an incredible 820 horsepower and 770 lb-ft of torque, and it is mated to a 4-speed manual transmission certified by NASCAR. Fuel for the engine comes from a 32-gallon (121-liter) racing-spec tank. With Mickey Thompson tires on all four of the wheels—a 15-inch front and a 20-inch rear—all that power is transferred to the ground. For stopping power, disc brakes are positioned behind each of them.
Despite its incredible menacing looks, the Chelet is perhaps the lightest truck of its kind you’ll set eyes on all year. Whereas the original 3100 tipped the scales at around 2,900 pounds (1,300 kg), this one does the same a lot sooner, at just 1,800 pounds (816 kg).
The build is not new to this world (we know of it being featured back in 2014 in Hot Rod magazine), and it doesn’t even try to look like it. Mecum is selling it with an apparent and undisclosed reserve, and no ment