SEMA 2023: 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup NautiD by Weaver Customs

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Trevor Freeman

The Las Vegas Convention Center encompasses more than 4.6 million square feet of floor space spread across multiple buildings. When the SEMA Convention comes to town, they occupy the entire facility. To say that the SEMA Show is big is an understatement. It is so big that it’s hard to see everything, even over multiple days.

If you spend all of your time in the convention halls, you might miss a great vehicle in one of the outdoor displays. At the 2023 SEMA Show, I saw this amazing custom Chevy pickup truck in the Adam’s Polishes booth in front of the Central Hall.

The truck is a 1949 Chevrolet 3100 pickup nicknamed “NautiD.” The truck was built by Weaver Customs in West Jordan, Utah.
The crisp body lines of the “Advance Design” styling really come through in this truck, which has shaved trim, drip rails, wipers, and mirrors. The non-metallic gray color is also eye catching, which is actually Axalta Chalk Grey. I spent a few minutes admiring the truck up close.

The truck has a ton of custom touches including a custom bed, flush mount glass, shaved and smoothed body, and a restyled front and rear end. There are more than 100 custom billet machined pieces on the truck.
Under the hood, the original straight-6 engine has been replaced with a 6.6-liter Duramax LLM diesel engine with twin turbochargers! This is coupled to an Allison 6-speed transmission. A custom Flowmaster exhaust keeps the power flowing smoothly. The Duramax engine is an interesting choice for a build, but it fits the spirit of the truck as a workhorse.

The custom-built chassis has an independent front suspension with a 4-link rear suspension with Ridetech components. A narrowed 9-inch rear end puts the power to the rear wheels. Speaking of which, the wheels are one-off designed which are 18×8 in the front and 20×12 in the rear with Michelin tires.

The interior has a minimalist design aesthetic blended with modern amenities. The truck has air conditioning, a Kicker stereo, power windows, and even 2 cup holders in the center console. A pair of custom Dakota Digital gauges provide essential information to the driver. The interior was done by Innovation Custom Interiors in Ogden, Utah who wrapped the seats and console in Guinness Hydes leather.

This Chevy 3100 is a 74 year old truck that has been completely reimagined with modern power, handling, and amenities. With this full restoration and upgrade, I’d say the truck is ready to take on the next 70 years and beyond.

Be sure to give them a follow @weavercustoms on Facebook and Instagram.

SEMA 2023: 1956 Ford F600 Crew Cab KINGPIN by Classic Car Studio

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Trevor Freeman

Some artists work with clay, oil, acrylic, and others with wood. At Classic Car Studio in Brentwood, Missouri they employ a team of artists who work in sheet metal. Using welders, cutters, grinders and similar tools, they transform ordinary cars into custom creations that defy expectations.

There were so many people crowded around Classic Car Studio’s 1956 Ford F600 crew cab pickup at the 2023 SEMA Show that I could barely get any pictures of the truck! Nicknamed “Kingpin” the truck is a full custom build by CCS.
The original cab was cut and extended into a crew cab with suicide rear doors. In the build videos on YouTube, you can see the crew fabricating the sheet metal for the roof, cab and other panels using bead rollers and body hammers, using time-honored techniques. Every panel on the truck from the front bumper to rear bumper has been massaged in some way, from the custom roll pan to the hand-formed fender flares.

The chassis is all custom built in house, with the exception of the Porterbuilt front subframe. It includes AirLift bags with AccuAir air management.

Under the hood is a 24V Cummins diesel engine from D&J Precision Machine, coupled to a Firepunk 48RE transmission and a custom GM 14-bolt differential with 3.42 gears.

While trucks aren’t typically known for comfort, KINGPIN is a very comfortable place to be. The custom-stitched interior uses Relicate leather for the seats and interior pieces. Behind everything, SoundSkins dampening cuts down on road noise.

Driver amenities include a Sparc Industries steering wheel and a full complement of Dakota Digital gauges. The electrical for the truck was completely redone with a Highway 22 Plus universal wiring system from American Autowire.

The exterior is finished in BASF Glasurit “Area 51” blue, which was originally offered on the current generation of F150 pickup. I like that they went with an OEM Ford color for the ’56, even though it’s not a color from the era.

There are so many custom touches on this truck, it’s hard to count them all. My favorite thing about the truck is the unique shape of the wood in the truck bed. I’ve truly never seen another custom truck like this before, and it really showcases the kind of creativity that CCS is capable of.

The fabrication shown in their videos is top notch, and really stands out, even among a sea of other amazing cars and trucks at SEMA. I can’t wait to see what Classic Car Studio comes up with next!

SEMA 2015: 1969 Chevrolet K10 Pickup

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Trevor Freeman

For many people, owning a vehicle is not just a way to get from Point A to Point B – a vehicle is a blank canvas upon which to creatively express yourself. Within the world of custom cars, communities have developed around certain platforms and models. From the ’32 Ford and the ’49 Mercury to modern day platforms like the Subaru WRX and Mazda Miata, custom cars are woven into the fabric of our culture.

One platform that is huge among customizers is the family of GMC and Chevrolet full-size trucks built between 1967 and 1972. With a wide variety of both original and aftermarket parts available, these C/K pickups are an excellent starting point for a custom build.

While walking the show floor at SEMA 2015, I passed by the Doug Thorley Headers booth and saw this 1969 K/10 pickup which belongs to Brad & Sara.

I couldn’t find a lot of details on the truck, but I did notice a newer generation LS engine swapped under the hood along with a color-matched intake manifold and valve covers. The whole thing looked very clean in the engine bay with the smoothed firewall. The truck was equipped with Doug Thorley headers, a Painless wiring harness, and an IDIDIT steering column with Dakota Digital gauges.

This K/10 was laying frame thanks to Airlift Performance parts and Viair compressors. At normal ride height, it handles well thanks to its Specialty Suspension components and QA1 shocks. I’ve got no idea about which wheel and tire combo they went with. It was painted a beautiful metallic blue paint job with House of Kolor paints and a light shade of wood in the bed.

Because of the popularity of these trucks, you will find that no two are alike! Every owner has customized theirs in a unique way. I like what Brad and Sara did with this one – nice job on the cool custom truck!

SEMA 2014: Radial Engine Swapped Chevy Truck

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Trevor Freeman

The idea of putting an airplane engine into a car is certainly not new. The guys from Blastolene have done it, and there was an episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson recreated the Battle of Britain with two larger-than-life airplane-powered vehicles (a 27-liter Spitfire-engined Bentley and “Brutus,” 46-liter BMW aircraft-engined custom build).

However, this enterprising hot rodder has put a completely new spin on the idea of an aircraft-engine swap into an automobile. What we have here is a 1967 Chevrolet C10 pickup with a radial engine which looks completely wild!
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1957 Chevy Truck “QuikSilver”

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Trevor Freeman

I don’t normally post about trucks, but this one is really something special.

This customized 1957 Chevrolet truck belongs to Alan Beers of Owasso, Oklahoma. When I say customized, I don’t mean that the owner bolted on a couple of go-fast parts and a rollpan. I mean that every body panel on this truck has been altered in some way!

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1989-1991 Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible Truck

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Trevor Freeman

The early 1990s were an interesting time for compact trucks. For some reason, auto manufacturers got the idea that pickup trucks were just too boring and that they needed to be more fun and exciting and sporty!

In 1991, General Motors released the one-year-only GMC Syclone. This compact pickup featured a powerful turbocharged 4.3L V6 engine that produced 280 horsepower and ran circles around everything else on the road. With its blacked-out appearance and lowered stance, the Syclone was essentially a factory hot rod that became instantly collectible.