Rust is Only Skin Deep

“WHAT COLOR ARE YOU GOING TO PAINT THAT THING” IS A QUESTION GREGORY HALLIWILL HEARS A LOT WHEN HE’S OUT WITH HIS TRUCK. It’s understandable. After all, people see the clean, polished and brushed Rushforth wheels and figure the rest of the Chevy’s rusty skin is on its way to being refinished. The reality of the situation is that this ’49 3100 pickup is finished (for the most part). Greg has built a variety of different trucks throughout the years, but nothing with so much intentional patina left on the surface. Greg might tell you that his decision to keep things rusty and crusty is his way of leaving people in the dark about what’s lurking underneath the hood. Because once he fires up the truck and blasts off, onlookers and fellow motorists alike are left stunned and baffled.

“I’ve had trucks of all kinds, and the quality of my work has improved with each one,” Greg says. “But it seems like I always come back to my favorite model truck. There’s just something about the look of the big round fenders of ’47-’55 Chevy trucks that appeals the most to me.” And what appeals to Greg even more is seeing one of these vintage Bow Ties slammed on the ground. Finding a project truck in decent condition that hasn’t already been tampered with has proven to be an issue for every vintage truck builder throughout the last few years. Sifting though countrywide Craigslist ads can sometimes seem pointless, and bidding on eBay auctions usually only helps bump the price on a truck worth far less than the closing cost. It’s a bit defeating, really.

IT SEEMS LIKE I ALWAYS COME BACK TO MY FAVORITE MODEL TRUCK. THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE LOOK OF THE BIG ROUND FENDERS OF ’47-’55 CHEVY TRUCKS THAT APPEALS THE MOST TO ME.”

In the case of this particular truck, Greg had noticed it parked in someone’s driveway on one of his regular routes around town. He began paying close attention for signs of it being for sale, but in a month’s time there was no sale sticker placed on it and it hadn’t moved from the spot it had been parked. Passing by everyday became torturous, so Greg just decided to park and knock on the front door during one of his trips past the house. “Right when I pulled into the driveway, one of the neighbors approached me and asked if there was anything he could help me with. When I asked about the status of the truck, he told me that it was indeed for sale.” Greg spoke with the lady of the house and came back the very next day with an enclosed trailer hoping to cut a deal on the truck. “It was super solid and definitely did not appear to be a Michigan truck. I found out that her husband had brought it back from Wyoming.” Needless to say, Greg ended up loading the truck that same day. What he had planned for it was going to be like nothing he’d ever built and represented everything he’d ever wanted out of a project.

The Chevy had sat for a while before Greg got his hands on it, but it was in immaculate condition for what it was. The previous owner hadn’t cut into it or attempted any half-baked modifications. The truck was simply used for its intended pickup abilities, which definitely worked in Greg’s favor. “I lucked out with this thing. I didn’t have to take any steps backward to make progress on it. The chassis has since been completely boxed in and features pretty much everything Fatman Fabrications has to offer: a 4-link setup, rack-and-pinion, and front sway bar and spindles. I also threw in a complete RideTech system with ShockWaves at every corner so I could join in on a few autocross and road course events if I wanted to.”

Propelling the truck through the cones is an LS 427 stroker motor that cranks out 670 hp. This thing is the aforementioned sight underneath the hood that Greg just knew would boggle some minds while on display at shows. This is where the truck is divided from the rest of the rat crowd. The engine bay is sanitary to the point that it doesn’t really match the rest of the truck when examined out of context, but that was the plan from the jump. Greg put together a true sleeper that gives off the appearance of being “low and slow” but, in fact, defies what has become expected of the typical ’bagged truck. It has all the styling cues of a salvaged barn find with the handling and performance prowess of a legitimate street machine. Whatever anyone has to say about this truck usually changes instantly after taking a peek at the mill that is now powering this old Chevy.

Looks can be deceiving, especially when details are kept disclosed. True intentions are often glanced over without getting to the heart of the situation. As it applies to the matter of Greg’s classic Chevy truck, complete appreciation is impossible without seeing it at rest as well as in action. What may first appear to be decayed and disabled quickly comes to life with the simple turn of a key. Even though some might mistake the rough exterior of this ’49 for cut corners, it may be a good idea for onlookers to inform themselves of the situation before judging this book by its tattered-looking cover. “A tight budget wasn’t a factor with this truck. I got to build it with the best of everything, without a restrictive money cap,” Greg says. “I’ve always wanted to build a super snotty, heavy patina- finished truck, and I feel that I got just that and a whole lot more in a single package.”

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Gregory Halliwill
1949 Chevy 3100
pickup Charlotte, MI

ENGINE

• Shop: Mark’s Performance Engines, A & J Transmission
• 2013 GM LS 427 stroker engine
• 2009 4L60E trans
• DTS driveshaft
• Eagle 4340 crankshaft
• Eagle rods
• D.S.S. Racing pistons
• COMP Cams camshaft
• Pro Comp cylinder heads
• ARP hardware
• GM water pump and 140- amp alternator
• Custom aluminum radiator
• Derale electric fan
• Fatman Fabrications LS motor mounts
• Edelbrock Victor Jr. LS intake
• K&N air filter
• 950 Holley 4150 series carb (black aluminum)
• Holley LS valve covers
• Hooker ceramic-coated super comp headers
• 2.5-inch stainless exhaust/Flowmaster 40 series muffler
• American Autowire wiring

SUSPENSION

• Fatman Fabrications 2-inch drop spindles
• RideTech ShockWaves (front and rear)
• RideTech AirPod control system
• Fatman Mustang II power rack/sway bar
• Fatman rear 4-link with pan hard bar
• Wilwood 14-inch front, 12-inch rear rotors
• DTS rearend
• Fabricated Ford 9-inch Detroit locker

WHEELS & TIRES

• 19×9- and 19×12-inch Rushforth Rated-X wheels, polished lip, brushed and cleared center
• 255/35R19 and 325/30R19 Nitto Invo tires

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Greg’s Shop
• Natural patina, satin clear over finish
• LMC bed and windows
• Oak bed floor
• Gas filler moved to bed
• Clayton Machine Works door handles
• LED taillights
• LumTronix RedLine headlights

INTERIOR

• Shop: Luna’s Custom Upholstery (Eric Luna)
• Black Naugahyde upholstery with diamonds in the seats and door panels
• Custom headliner with billet strips
• Dashboard smoothed and painted satin charcoal
• Dakota Digital VHX gauges
• Flaming River push-button steering column
• Clayton Machine Works door handles
• Summit Racing seat belts

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ the Almighty, Toby Vansyckle, Don Mohre Fabrication, Trevor Cornwell (wiring), Roy Brooks (fabricator) and Matt Marske.”

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