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Another recent arrival from sunny Arizona, and this one is a little bit special.<br />
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1951 Chevy 3100 5 window short wheelbase pick up. Believe it or not, this truck has been in the same family since being bought new in Kingman AZ in 1951 and, according to them, has never been outside of Mohave County its entire life. Obviously its been a working truck its whole life, and has the usual odd small ding and scratch to prove it, but its duties were clearly pretty light, and its in truly amazing condition for its age. <br />
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It has the best patina I"ve ever seen, what paint the sun hasn"t baked off appears original, with only a light dusting of surface rust where it has worn through. We"ve been all over this truck looking for rot, and there"s only one small bit in the corner of the footboards (See pic) that would be a simple repair if you wanted to, and there"s no evidence of the truck ever being welded anywhere. All the usual weak spots on this era truck are rock solid, the steps, cab corners, lower fenders, and running boards, nothing needs work, and the chassis is the same. The shine in the pictures is just due to the truck being wet after getting a good wash down, though we will be giving it a light coat of oil to keep the British weather at bay. <br />
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Mechanically its a similar story. The truck starts, runs, steers, and stops, just like you"d expect a 1951 truck to. Before it left Arizona we fitted a new water pump as the old one was leaking, and also fitted new brake flexies, front wheel cylinders, and a good used master cylinder. We also converted the troublesome and expensive original front wheel bearings to taper roller, as the originals were pretty dry. The engine doesn"t smoke, and runs cleanly with no leaks, and the clutch and gearbox work just as they should too. The electrics are still the original six volt and, though everything works, could really do with a rewire as its visually a bit frail. We also fitted new tail lights and brackets, as these were the only things missing from the truck, and they"ll need wiring up. <br />
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The interior will need a tidy up, and the seat needs recovering, but its all original and amazingly complete, it even has the original surrounds for the door cards, something thats normally long gone by now. One gauge glass is broken, though all the dash electrics run through a voltage stepper from the factory, so if you converted to 12v theres no need to change gauges and lights. All the exterior glass is good, and the wood in the bed, though useable, is not original and could do with replacement. <br />
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All in all I"m pretty confident in saying this is probably the best, most original, 3100 on the market at the moment, and with very little work could be back in daily use. Obviously anyone who buys it will have their own ideas, but I personally think it would a shame to modify it too much, just enjoy it for what it is. I really haven"t seen a better example anywhere, and I look at a lot of trucks both here and in the US. All duties are paid, and the truck is on the NOVA scheme, and we will be registering it in the near future, or if you get in quick you can be the first name on the logbook over here. <br />
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Viewing and test drive welcome (On a private road, of course!) in Hockwold, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Contact me on here, or on 07789 378263, or Ivor on 07944 294250, pics below with a link to more (and other vehicles and parts) at the bottom of the post. <br />
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Price is 9250<br />
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Link to more pictures; <br />
s27.photobucket.com/user/RattyUK/library/For%20Sale<br />
Date written: 30-Jan-2016
Price: £9250 As stated
More about this vehicle on carandclassic.co.uk
ID: 1932
