In the world of custom builders, the name Streamline Custom Designs speaks volumes. Based in Utah, the crew is in the business of taking all the luxuries of the modern world and packaging them in the body of a classic car. That's how the crew describes itself, at least, but just a quick look at one of their builds is enough to convince you that may very well be so.
The last time we came across the name was back in August, when the Grand Prize Giveaway vehicle for the 2023/2024 custom show season was presented by the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.
The vehicle itself was a fully custom 1932 Ford five-window coupe, and Streamline's name came up because it was involved in its making, together with other great names in the industry, including United Pacific and Johnson's Hot Rod Shop.
What brings us here today is another one of their builds, made starting from one of the shop's favorite platforms, a 1950 Chevrolet 3100.
The 3100 moniker has been around haunting the minds of American truck lovers for eight decades now. It was first part of the Advance Design series that ran at Chevrolet between 1947 and 1955, and then it became the star of the rather short-lived Task Force series (1955 - 1959).
Not particularly impressive back in its day when it comes to capabilities (it was, after all, a half-ton like all others), the truck came with rather impressive design lines (regardless of the series), and that's probably one of the key things that ensured its survival to our day and age.
A 1950 3100 part of the Advance Design line is what formed the basis for this conversion at the hands of Streamline Custom Designs. It may look a bit familiar, as it was initially part of the Hot Rod Industrial Alliance display at SEMA a few years back, and it was also featured in TruckHub magazine.
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
It now once again makes the headlines as it is getting ready to sell during the major car auction Barrett-Jackson is hosting over in Scottsdale at the end of next month. A perfect time for those who know the truck to be reminded of it, and for the rest to finally meet it.
On the outside the thing is a 1950 Chevrolet 5-window truck, wearing all the beautiful lines of its family with pride. All of them have been made even more visible thanks to the clever use of a PPG custom paint mix that's been dubbed by the custom garage Cafe' Au Lait.
It's a color that works literally wonders in conjunction with the excellent-looking chrome shine on the grille and bumpers, and the eye-popping shine of the staggered Schott wheels. These elements are sized 18 and 19 inches front and rear, and wear Nitto tires with a delicious yellow line.
The perfect body suffered a cowl delete, the fitting of running boards and frenched headlights, but also modifications to its bed. It is supported off the ground on a Total Cost Involved (TCI) chassis that's been gifted with tubular upper and lower control arms and a suspension setup to die for, comprising a 4-link rear setup, RideTech coilovers, and heavy-duty sway bars.
Sandwiched between the chassis and the body panels is the truck's powertrain. Back when they rolled off the assembly line in production form, these trucks were powered by one of three engines, namely a 216ci, a 235ci, or a 261ci. This thing has none of that, but a brand-new 376ci LS3.
The crate powerplant was gifted with a Magnuson supercharger so it now packs quite a punch. That punch travels through a four-speed automatic transmission down to a Currie 9-inch rear end and is transformed into 775 ft/lbs of torque at the wheels.
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
As it does this, the engine breathes a sigh of relief through a 2.5-inch stainless-steel Flowmaster exhaust system, knowing its output will be easily kept in check by Wilwood braking hardware.
All of this effort has been made so that just two people could travel in style in an interior drowned in Relicate leather. The dashboard in front of the luxurious seats holds a set of Dakota Digital gauges, and closer to the seats it supports an American Retro steering wheel.
The touches of modernity Streamline promises with every build come on this machine as a JL audio system.
The 1950 Chevrolet 3100 as you see it has been the recipient of several awards at Goodguys events, and it now plans to make them all count as it heads under the hammer. Like all other vehicles to be sold in Scottsdale next month, this one too is doing so with no reserve.
That may be good or bad news for the owner, depending on whether the right crowd is in the house, but it also means it's impossible for us at this time to make an estimate as to how much it could go for.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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