Our Nicest Painted Truck build to date, 1950 Chevy 3100 short bed Aptly named “The Green Mile”.
The Green Mile came from a gentleman in Arkansas. The truck was covered in surface rust but had a nearly perfect body for being 70 years old. We removed the surface rust in hopes of finding some good paint/patina underneath but to no avail, just bare metal. Since the body was nearly perfect and there was no patina, we made the executive decision to paint the truck. When we make the decision to paint something we try and be creative and do something different when it comes to the color. I had seen this color on a fiat and thought for the longest time it would work well on one of these old trucks. So, we went out on a limb and went for it and I am so glad we did.
We found the donor S-10 truck, stripped it down, painted the chassis with POR 15 and then proceeded to replace every component on the chassis with new parts. The suspension received a mild static drop with springs, rear blocks, and larger Belltech front sway bar. The Heart of the Green mile is a 5.3 LS motor and 4L60 Auto transmission from a 2002 Tahoe. It has all new gaskets, alternator, starter, AC system, plugs, wires, pulleys, headers with dual exhaust, BP performance LS wiring harness and new GM computer, cold air intake, new aluminum radiator with electric fan, custom valve and intake covers, finished off with a shaved firewall and new master cylinder and brake booster. The truck has a brand-new wiring harness from front to rear. The truck also has a new gas tank, fuel pump, pickup and lines.
Cosmetically we installed new bumpers, new grill, new mirrors, new emblems, new moldings, new headlights, taillights, Green tinted glass, new bed wood and bed wood strips. We did a couple subtle things like a roll pan, shaved the cowl vent, installed hidden tailgate latches, and a few others. What sets the truck apart from the rest is the Green paint job combined with the Grey accents all tied together with the new 18/20 American racing VN rodder wheels with polished lips.
Not ones to leave well enough alone, we took the green theme a bit further and set our sights next on the interior and went out on another limb… The green material used in the seats, on the tiny swatch it looked odd, but against the green exterior it just worked. So, we went for it and have to say it’s the nicest interior we had put together thus far. It all works perfectly, the seat, the door panels, the Bel air steering wheel, the Lokar shifter, the Vintage Air surefit ac, the Dolphin gauges, the blue tooth retro radio, the power windows, it’s like it rolled off the assembly line in 1950 albeit a tiny bit cooler.
I enjoyed getting my hands dirty on this one and it’s a rewarding feeling coming up with a concept, building it, and seeing it come to life even better than imagined. The new owner better be prepared for lots of thumbs up, honks, and 20-minute trips to the gas station (on average two people strike up conversations while filling up).
Body | 47-54 |
Make | Chevy |
Engine | 5.3 |
Year | 1950 |
Transmission | Auto |
Drive | RWD |
Exterior Color | Green |
Interior Color | Green |
Suspension | Static Drop |