It’s funny how things like old trucks sometimes just fall into our laps. Usually, we are the ones seeking out the next project or something new to work on. In this particular case, it involves 65 years of family history. Originally bought in 1960 by my uncle, Tom Roberts, this 1950 GMC 3100 was one of two that sat in a field next to my parents’ house where I grew up in Michigan. The other truck was a 1951, presumably for parts, that disappeared sometime over the years, but this one remained and became a source of entertainment for all the cousins in the neighborhood.
I grew up in a small town in Michigan on acres of land along the St. Joe River. My grandparents bought the land after WWII, then sectioned off parcels and gave them to their kids, where my cousins and I had an incredible childhood—forts, canoes, woods, the river, go-carts, BMX, and family. My uncle Tom lived with my grandmother next door and would regularly come over to visit my dad. They were known for taking a cruise “around the horn,” west of town, out in the wooded state land—sometimes in this very truck.
Tom loved all of us kids and would regularly bring us small bags of candy when he and my dad would return from the liquor store. I think we all have that guy in our family—the one whose heart is so big that he has a hard time settling down with a woman. He liked to be at home and take care of Mom and Dad—that was Tom. He was a hard worker, because that’s how he was raised, just like all of us cousins. Our grandmother really instilled that work ethic in all of us when she kept an eye on us during the summer when school was out. Tom was also a true hot rodder—always buying, selling, and swapping parts. As a matter of fact, Tom sold this truck at one point but later bought it back.
When I was in high school, Tom was tragically killed in a work accident; he worked for the city of Three Rivers. The truck sat in the field for maybe a year or so, and then one day, someone dragged it out of the weeds, and it was gone. At that time, I was busy with girls and cars, and I barely noticed when the truck disappeared.
Meanwhile, my uncle Matt, who lived next door, was preparing to run for Sheriff. He needed a parade vehicle, and Tom’s old truck was the perfect candidate. A mild restoration was done, and pretty much everything was kept original. Matt and my aunt Linda, Tom’s sister, took very good care of the truck. It was frequently seen at parades around the county for almost two decades. The truck never moved at over 40 mph, and while the brakes technically worked, a prayer always helped. When Matt and Linda retired and downsized, they wanted the truck to stay in the family, so they gifted it to their son, Ezra. He had it for about six months before he called me and asked me to “come get this smelly truck that doesn’t go or stop.” I went and picked it up with my dad and brought it back to Ohio.
At this time, I was just starting to put on events and having some success, but most of my profits were being rolled back into growing the business. After COVID, I realized I needed to turn up the heat on this project. So, now that you know the story, here’s the journey…
First up was getting the cab and bed off the original chassis. Having a 2-post lift made that job much easier. The cab was pretty solid, especially considering it was a Michigan truck. The usual suspects—like the lower front areas of the firewall, where mud and water splash up and stick, and the wheelwell areas—had been addressed at some point, but were poorly patched. We had the cab media blasted and found more pinholes in the floorboards and cab corners. We replaced both floorboards, the wheelwell rot, and the cab corners with replacement metal from Classic Parts of America.
Next up was the firewall. I wanted to streamline it. The guys at LS Fab have a great kit for these trucks, including panels for the upper and lower parts, as well as the upper cowl piece for the top. This truck will have many more parts from LS Fab.
The original doors were very solid but needed a bit of repair along the bottoms. We did that in the shop with more panels from Classic Parts. We also addressed some thin spots in the windshield area that were exposed after the blasting. It’s amazing how good old sheet metal can look before it’s been blasted.
Full transparency: Once this truck was blasted, I had to step away from doing the bodywork. I’m so busy traveling to events around the country, that I often find myself struggling just to catch up on things around the house. I simply don’t have the time to do everything I’d like. I sometimes hear people criticize guys who don’t work on their own trucks. Here’s my take: A fair share of people are constantly on the go and busy. I’m a firm believer in leaving things to the experts. This truck would never be finished if it were all on me, and it certainly wouldn’t look as nice. Knowing when to have a professional step in and help—where you either don’t have the skills or time—can be a smart move. It often results in quicker progress and better outcomes than if you did it yourself. I think of it like hiring a painter to paint the interior of your home or a landscaper to handle the yard. I want to have a hand in building this truck, and I do in many areas, but when it comes to bodywork and parts of the finish, I’m stepping back. A restoration at this level is well beyond my skill set, and I’m happy to admit it.
I wanted to keep the upper and side vents functional. I see many trucks of this generation with the vents deleted, but I think they’re cool features, and I want to keep them.
At 6’7”, I don’t fit comfortably in most trucks, so I need all the headroom and legroom I can get. Bench seats in these trucks have a platform, so to speak, that they mount to. It’s about 8” tall and attached to the floor. I cut this off to create more room and plan on installing some cool bucket seats in the cab. Since the truck will remain a manual transmission, I also need the extra knee room to operate the clutch. The gas tank will be relocated under the bed, so the seats can be moved back an additional 4-6” for more legroom.
Next up for the body is assembling the bed. It will have new Classic Parts bedsides and tailgate, and I’ll talk more about that later. This truck was originally a longbed, but will now be a shortbed. I want to replace the wood bed floor with metal and we are currently weighing our options for this decision, but what we have in mind should turn out really cool.
It’s a fact: there are a multitude of chassis options for these trucks. S10 frame swaps are incredibly popular and work well, but I wanted to be able to use this truck for some track time. Not a full race truck, but a very capable street truck—something that’s a really quick driver. There is no shortage of chassis manufacturers for the 1947-54 trucks: Art Morrison, Roadster Shop, No Limit, Scott’s Hot Rods, and others. Total Cost Involved (TCI) and I had been discussing this project before I even had possession of the truck. They are a vendor at my events and an advertiser in the magazine, and they were eager to help.
The chassis was crated beautifully and delivered to my house in a box truck. I don’t have a forklift or loading dock at home, so I had the driver back up to my pickup and loaded it into the bed. I then backed into the barn and got it onto the lift from there. It was tricky, but doable. From there, I started to mock up the components and then disassembled everything. I painted most of the suspension components and had the rear axle housing powder-coated. As a side note, this chassis sat in my barn for months. It’s not 100% sealed, so some surface rust started to form, but I took care of it. I don’t want anyone to think it showed up looking brand new like that.
The chassis was ordered as one of TCI’s H-624 series, designed for a small block with manual transmission mounts. It has an IFS with drop spindles, all the necessary brackets for the cab and bed, and is set up for a bed-mounted gas tank. Their chassis are custom-built to your needs, so you can add or delete options. They work closely with RideTech and Wilwood, so we designed this one around those products to keep the build in line with what they are used to, and I had contacts at those companies who were happy to help.
They asked me lots of questions when we were planning this out. I wanted to be able to drive from Ohio to events like C10 Slo Down or Dino’s and back, but also be able to get out on the autocross track at the C10 Nationals. I have three daughters, and the two younger ones have been around truck autocrosses enough that they now want their own trucks. Now they can have trucks, and Dad can have his. What a great way to bond.
There are lots of opinions and information on different ways of treating a chassis. Blake Evans at Sweet Patina is a huge supporter of my events and is also an advertising partner. I was very curious about the new Sweet Patina chassis coating. This kit includes their rust preventative gloss (or semi gloss) coating, degreaser prep, and cleaner. It protects against corrosive contaminants and chemicals and stops any rust when applied over a properly prepared surface. The durable coating dries to a flexible, rock-hard finish that will not crack, chip, flake or peel.
I cleaned the chassis as directed and then used a brush to do all of the corners and odd areas. Then i used a small roller to do the large flat surfaces. It was really easy to put on then you can run the lift up and then back down, saved my back for sure. I put a tarp down before I started so any drips would not get on the floor. It took about one quart to do the entire chassis. Blake included two quarts just in case, but I’m thinking of using the second one on the cab floor before I install sound dampening and carpet to prevent any possible futer corrosion and deterioration.
Next up is getting the engine and transmission mocked up so we can verify tunnel clearance, and then we’ll be ready to paint. Wrapping up the bed, installing the brakes and then on to steering, wiring, glass and interior.
Sweet Patina
Black Out Rust Preventative Coating – 1 qt
Degreaser – 1 qt
Wax & Grease Remover – 1 qt Spray