The Complete Chevrolet 3100 Evolution: 1947–1959
The 3100 is the half-ton Chevrolet pickup, and the number is just the model code: 3100 is the half-ton, 3600 the three-quarter, 3800 the one-ton. For a stretch of postwar America the 3100 was the truck you saw on every farm and job site, and it has aged into one of the most wanted classic pickups there is. Two distinct designs wear the 3100 badge, the rounded Advance Design that launched in 1947 and the squarer Task Force that replaced it in 1955, and they drive and value differently. The rounded ones have the nostalgia, the Task Force trucks brought the V8. Here is how it ran, and what to look at before you buy one.
Chevrolet 3100 — Generation by Generation
Key Changes
- → First all-new postwar Chevrolet truck
- → Taller cab with more glass and room
- → Optional five-window cab
- → 216 then 235 Stovebolt inline-six
- → 1954 one-piece windshield and new grille
Specs
| Engines | 216/235 Stovebolt inline-six |
| Cab | Three- or five-window |
| Transmission | 3- and 4-speed manual |
| Most wanted | Short-bed five-window half-ton |
Dealer
United States
1951 Chevrolet 3100
Dealer
United States
1953 Chevrolet 3100
Dealer
United States
1953 Chevrolet 3100
Key Changes
- → Squarer styling and wraparound windshield
- → First small-block V8 (265) in a Chevy truck
- → Cameo Carrier with fiberglass bedsides
- → Fleetside option from 1958
- → Quad headlights and new grille for 1958
Specs
| Engines | 235 I6, 265/283 V8 |
| Bed styles | Stepside, Cameo, Fleetside |
| Glass | Wraparound windshield |
| Standout | Cameo Carrier |
Dealer
United States
1956 Chevrolet 3100
Dealer
United States
1957 Chevrolet 3100
Dealer
United States
1959 Chevrolet 3100
Legacy & Impact
The Advance Design trucks are the ones most people picture, and a clean five-window from the early Fifties brings strong money, especially short-bed half-tons. The Task Force trucks are the ones to buy if you want the small-block V8 and a slightly more modern truck, and the Cameo is the blue-chip of the bunch. Whatever you chase, these trucks rust in the cab corners, the floors, the rockers, and the bed wood area, and the frames on anything that actually worked will show it. Get under it with a light. A solid cab and frame are worth more than fresh paint every time.
Frequently Asked Questions