1954 Chevrolet Series 3100

In the 1920s, General Motors created the Styling Department concept which brought automotive design and engineering to new levels. The new department also turned visionary Harley Earl into one of the industry's star personalities. Earl's protégé, Chuck Jordan, at the age of 25, was charged with the redesign of Chevrolet's truck line for 1955. Earl's influence on Jordan had a pronounced effect on the new Chevrolet trucks, resulting in more integrated bodywork, hooded headlights, a prominent angle-sided front grille, and a wraparound windshield.

Chevrolet's new 'Task Force' pickups revolutionized future truck designs.

For 1954, Chevrolet gave their popular Series 3100 many aesthetic updates including an open radiator grille filled with a large cross-bar arrangement with the main horizontal bar traveling the entire length of the body. They had rectangular parking lamps and a one-piece windshield without the vertical center molding. Chevy gave their pickups several mechanical changes as well, including a four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission, a more rugged and durable three-speed manual gearbox, and clutch. Vehicles equipped with the Deluxe package were given chrome fender trim strips, painted grilles, and hub caps. The standard finish for all models was Juniper green exterior with Cream Medium striping and black wheels. An additional twelve other colors were available. Another change for the 1954 model year were the reduced loading height of the pickup, due to a reduced frame kickup at the rear axle. With the help of heavier cross-members at the rear of the engine, the frame's rigidity was increased.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2014