1955 3100...Is it worth it?

[Piomarine]

While out on a solo dove hunt last month at my wife's families farm, i stumbled into the scrap pile. Included in this pile of scrap was, to my surprise a 1955 Chevy 3100. it's been sitting out there for the better part of about 10 years and been hit by a couple pretty big hail storms, but the engine turns, and the carb has been kept in the garage ever since. The interior was stripped out of it about 5 years ago. It has A LOT of rust but as far as I can tell it doesn't seem to have eaten much metal. I have already talked to the owner and he is willing to part with it, but my question to the board is simply this...based on the couple pictures I've included, is this truck even worth the effort

[mongocanfly]

That's a bunch of rust...but I've seen worse turned into some very nice rides..depends a lot on how much work/time/money your willing to invest...show truck..rat rod..rustomod..whatever you want..gonna be a lot of work

[lynx5653]

go for it if the price is right

[71swb4x4]

You are a true buyer seeing that rust. Now if you were a seller, all you would see is patina.

[nail pounder]

Looks like a 3/4ton long bed to me, just looking at lug nuts and the center stake pocket of the bed. One heck of a project but as they say, if the price is right...

[Zoomin]

I'm working on my first rust bucket project now. There's a certain freedom that comes with working on a POS, but there's also a ton of work involved in just getting the damn thing apart.

It all depends on what you want to wind up with that determines if this is a good start or not.

[Az. Hank]

Check this one out....

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=447680

That "Patina" would be a great start.

[Piomarine]

The only thing that makes me nervous about taking on a project like this is the bondo...there is quite a bit of body filler on it particularly on the driver door. The rust doesn't scare me as much as I know there are dozens of products on the market that will make short work of that rust and several of those that are even environmentally friendly. The unknown condition of the bed sides is also of concern. The bed has been sitting on the ground for a long time and I tend to fear the worst. What would all of you consider to be a fair price, and is this something that I should even be considering?

I know that there are better candidates out there for restoration, this one presented itself to me which is the only reason I am asking. My eventual goal would be a solid driver that looks good to boot. I'm not concerned with show quality, just something that will cause people to stop and say nice truck!

Also consider that when the truck was parked 10 years ago, it was running and the motor did spin freehand after some coercion.

I'm OK with work so the ultimate question...YES or NO?

[Az. Hank]

I would say yes but start with a low offer, you can always go up. These trucks are getting harder to find and you can always use the parts for another one if it doesn't work out.
Also take a 2x4 or something with you and use it as a lever and lift the bed up off the ground and check the bottom of the fenders and running boards don't be shy about getting a little dirty or offending the owner. They will let you know if you cross the line.
Just my two cents...

[Piomarine]

Thanks everyone for the replies and opinions. Nail Pounder, I was digging through some pictures I didn't post and one of them has one I can only guess is the original hood badge and at-least one fender badge laying upside-down in the bed and, based on what I can see of that badge, the truck is most likely a '55 3600 but not a long-bed.

So after talking to my wife's family about the truck, it seems that there may be an ownership dispute. One guy claims to own it, and the family claims that the truck has been out in that field for the better part of two decades. In an effort to clear the ownership dispute up I want to try to run the last known registered owner but I need to know from the group...where would I find any identifying numbers? I know VIN numbers were not mandatory until the 80s. There aren't any plates so how would I find something to identify the truck to run through the state database?

[Az. Hank]

The data plate with the vin.# is on the front post of the drivers door. (On the cab not the door). And the vin.# will also be stamped on the frame right around the steering box.

[nail pounder]

Originally Posted by Piomarine

Thanks everyone for the replies and opinions. Nail Pounder, I was digging through some pictures I didn't post and one of them has one I can only guess is the original hood badge and at-least one fender badge laying upside-down in the bed and, based on what I can see of that badge, the truck is most likely a '55 3600 but not a long-bed.

So after talking to my wife's family about the truck, it seems that there may be an ownership dispute. One guy claims to own it, and the family claims that the truck has been out in that field for the better part of two decades. In an effort to clear the ownership dispute up I want to try to run the last known registered owner but I need to know from the group...where would I find any identifying numbers? I know VIN numbers were not mandatory until the 80s. There aren't any plates so how would I find something to identify the truck to run through the state database?

I wasn't knocking the truck, just giving info based on the pics. At least you'll know what you're looking at. I don't know if you been shopping for a while, but you could probably pick up a running 3600 pretty cheap. I myself like long beds & own 2. I have a 58 Apache 32 & a 66 C20. A 3600 has a long wheelbase, I think they have a 90" bed. Sounds like you got title issues to resolve though.

[Piomarine]

In one picture I actually found the mfg badge and it was clear enough that I was able to read it and decipher the serial number. It is a first series 1955 3600 Commercial 3/4 ton manufactured in Janesville, WI and has a wheel base of 125.25"...cause I guess the serial number tells me that...

Next question is this...I have searched high and low trying to find a way to determine who the owner is with the VIN/serial number and I can't find any record by the normal means. I'm gonna try contacting the tax office in the county it's in but if that doesn't work does anyone have any other means for trying to find a previous/current owner with a 10 digit VIN and without any old paperwork, license plate or anything?

[chev3600]

Definitely a second series 55. The early one shared the same rounded body as the 47-54 trucks.
Looks like a reasonable start if you can get it at the right price. Can any disputed owner produce paperwork of any kind? I would think the tax office could help you with the history but they may have to search paper records by family name. (Time consuming)