Pastel Patina Pickup: 1957 Chevrolet 3100
Barn Finds is famous for showing vehicles that were found in barns, garages, sheds, under tarps, in pole buildings, etc., and/or otherwise have been in storage for decades. Sometimes a vehicle looks like it was found in a barn but it’s been mechanically-updated, like this 1957 Chevrolet 3100 pickup. This pastel patina pickup is listed on eBay with a current bid price of just over $10,000 and there is no reserve. It’s located in beautiful Sacramento, California.
This truck has such a cool look to it, at least in my opinion it does. I’m not sure if the patina (i.e., faded paint) seen here is real or if it was created in a lab of scientists.. or a little of both, but it sure looks good to me. A nice, shiny, light teal blue ’57 pickup would also be hard to beat. Maybe just get one of each, it’s only money. (crickets)
The seller, Johnny’s Garage, says that this is a “stock pickup truck body” with “real old patina paint” so that answers the is-it-real question. It does have new parts like a new wood bed, new windshield gasket, new master cylinder, etc., and the chassis has been modified to lower it a bit. At this price it could be a fun driver without having to worry too much about it getting it dusty or having a runaway shopping cart roll into it. No, you never want that, ever. Speaking of that, here is Scotty G’s pro parking tip: always park in the first spot on the downward side of a cart corral in a parking lot to keep runaway carts from rolling into your ride.
After the good exterior photos I’m a bit surprised to see such dark interior photos. I would loved to have seen a similar color to the exterior on the inside, it’s a bit dark in there. But it has the essentials, or essential, which is a Hurst floor shift 4-speed manual transmission. There is almost no information given at all as to how this truck functions other than “vehicle is sold as a running and driving project”, but they do say that it’s “fun to drive” and that’s pretty important.
Here’s where a lot of the fun part comes in, this “strong running 327 ci Chevy V8”. I think it could use some color in there, too, but that’s just me. Obviously I’m not tuned into the appropriate car culture in 2018 that would have a black engine compartment and interior on such an otherwise cool and colorful truck. This one has an “Edelbrock torker aluminum intake manifold and Edelbrock four barrel carb”. I think that this would be a fun truck to own and drive on the weekends. What would you change on this pickup if anything?
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Comments
I think the “patina” has been enhanced, it just doesn’t seem natural.
If the bids don’t get out of hand this truck might still be a reasonable deal, if the mechanicals weren’t jury rigged.
I bet this thing winds up overseas, I have a couple of friends in the general area that have had mid-50’s trucks which sold to people in Europe.
Steve R
I agree on the enhancement. I’m not sure 57s were available in this color.
I hope the buyer doesn’t touch a thing. Beautiful driver.
I think the dash should be body color, so one of them has been painted. And if that’s the stock 4-speed first gear is good for pulling stumps and 5 mph tops. It’s effectively a 3-speed.
Craig, that isn’t the stock 4spd, as that shifter won’t fit. The whole truck is nice, but phony.
The main thing I would do is to paint the tow hitch ball faded blue to match the truck. The bright white is just way too garish and ruins the overall patinated look.
All the white parts have been painted a garish shade of primer white, looks super cheap. They should have gone with a more ivory tone. Easy enough to fix but I wouldn’t want to pay a premium for it.
It will bring more money. 90 photos hard to access but the guess is it
was a 3-on-the-tree, then converted to a Muncie 4-speed on the floor. The 3-speed’s had higher rear-end gear ratios, than those that came with the truck 4-speed and “Granny Low”. Shame about the “lowering” as it looks like flat, worn, leaf springs. The interior could use some work but some detail work and readily available parts will clean it up. Black dash top and silver dash bottom were standard.
Nice old truck for being 61 years old. Wow!
Couldn’t agree more about the lowering of the truck.
As the newspaper classified ads used to say back when I was a vatito in SoCal, “Needs paint.”
Steve R is right by the level of overseas interest in mid-1950s American pick ups.
i love it !! ,the owner or previous owner entered into a deal with me to swap for my 66 shovelhead chopper on 53 frame with a 47 extended springer with only the cost of me shipping my bike to him on my dime and him sending the truck to me (in Hawaii )on his dime, he chickened out and didn’t want to spend the money on the freight , he wouldn’t even check i told him the average cost would be about 800 it would have cost me 1200 to get to him in Cali where he was from somewhere in the same area where this truck appears to be still
i was wrong its a different truck but really close
As the old adds say,as pointed out above ( needs paint ) right now it’s a shabby looking truck with the potential to look like a jewel.
A bit pricey, imo. I’m always a bit concerned when underside pics are not available. If it were mine, I would do body work and repaint. I love the 327. Fantastic engine.
I had a pickup almost exactly like this, a ’55 with a drop front axle, fender well exit headers, a 327, and a Muncie close ratio 4 speed, which, I’m sure this has. ( not the granny low) It was a miserable truck to drive, and didn’t keep it long. It’s a cool looking truck, and apparently, that’s what sells in California. Paint it, and 10g’s, no problem. Sorry, coming from “Rustland”, rusty ( looking) vehicles do nothing for me.
A few decades ago a co-worker in Provo, Utah had a nice 57 3100 with 327 and automatic with the big back window. It wasn’t a really fast truck but it ran well and the bright shiny bronze paint really got peoples attention. God bless you Todd wherever you are.
Heights Super Ride frt suspension[rack & pinion-mustang], then u ready 2 go. Works great on mine
I will catch some heat about this but the word patina in regards to vehicles is about the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. To me it stands for to cheap to get a really good and sometimes very expensive paint job. That truck would look incredible restored to original color. Looking like a rustbucket is hardly anyway to drive it around. Redo the interior to original with engine work.
I am so sick of ‘Patina’ Paint the friggin thing. .
Agree! This whole “survivor” (when hardly any of them ever are) vs. restored thing is a fad. Hipsters who want to look “vintage” will go the way of parachute pants and shoulder pads from the 80’s/90s.
Who ever buys it, paint it!
Yes the patina has been enhanced, the tailgate though is pretty true, these guys did not do a bad job however, so many people way over do it with the patina enhancement if you will. Scratching and sanding some of it is ridiculous. I work in a shop where we do customizing the methods that they used are similar to what I use. At least the effect is similar, I don’t know that I would have gone as far I mean with the whole hood. Whether it’s a fad that stays or goes, those of you that want the truck painted I can’t disagree with you, but I do like how it looks. But I can tell you the customers that come into our shop the patina is what is 90% are looking for
This a truck. If it’s a 3100, it weighs well over 2 tons. I think the 3100 designation makes it a 1ton chassis. It may have been a flatbed, now with a pickup bed from somewhere. If it’s been lowered, it probably rides and steers like a horse drawn wagon. 10mpg, or less. Cool to look at, or park in front of a business.
Wrong, it’s half ton.
Johnmloghry You’re right about the 3100. The rest of remarks should still stand.
Manufacturer Chevrolet (General Motors)
Also called
Chevrolet 3100 (½-ton)
Chevrolet 3600 (¾-ton)
Chevrolet 3800 (1-ton)
Chevrolet Loadmaster
Chevrolet Thriftmaster
Production 1947–1955
The above is for Advanced Design. Task Force carried the same scheme.