There are a lot of Advance Design pickups out there to choose from, but we’re willing to bet that none of them are finer than this 1950 Chevrolet 3100 5-window pickup. Professionally built at a cost of over $180,000, it features the best of everything, from its fuel-injected V8 to the show-winning paint to the exquisite interior with all the creature comforts. Fully sorted, beautifully assembled, and ready to show or tour, this is as good as vintage pickups get.

The list of modifications just to the bodywork is extensive, but the big one is the 2/2.5-inch chopped top, which was so skillfully done by noted pro Gene Blackford that you almost don’t notice it at first. The five-window cab can be notoriously challenging to chop, mostly because of those curved quarter windows, but the guys working on this truck totally nailed it. The workmanship is seamless, the door gaps are even all around the perimeter, and all the glass fits like the factory installed it. Other custom details include shaved door handles, nosed and decked hood, and frenched headlights, plus those custom fender skirts which were also fabricated by Gene. It’s worth noting that this truck is 100% steel, including the fenders, so it has a robust feeling that’s anything but fragile. Remick Customs did the bodywork in preparation for the custom PPG finish, which involves a base coat called Blue Heaven and another five hues to create the incredible flame job across the nose. The colors are proprietary and unique to this truck, but fortunately, the formulas are included if you ever need to duplicate it. Once the artwork was dry, it was all buried under several coats of clear for an incredible shine that’s so seamless you can’t even feel the edges of the flames. It is extremely impressive. The finishing touch was some subtle pinstripe work by Matt Smith of 840 Graphics—just enough to accentuate the custom without becoming overbearing.

Of course, it goes without saying that all the chrome and stainless trim is new, including the grille bars and bumpers, the truck-style side mirrors, and those cool little LED taillights perched on chrome stanchions. You’ll note that even the rear bumper was modified with a pair of radiused cut-outs for the exhaust, a neat touch that makes a big difference in the way the back of the truck looks. The bed was finished with stunning wood planks stained blue so they almost match the bodywork, an incredible feat that took about 40 hours and a dozen different test samples to get everything just right. Obviously, they weren’t cutting corners on this build.

The interior doesn’t stray far from the original, and includes the factory bench seat, now covered in beautiful red leather with matching door panels. Dark blue carpets prevent it from being red overload and the dash was painted to match the bodywork with more of Matt Smith’s gorgeous pinstripes. The gauges are custom pieces made just for this truck by Beede, and they slot neatly into the original round pods so they almost look like they were born there. The original steering wheel was restored and painted with more Blue Heaven and pearl white and the horn button was custom striped to match, with everything perched on a new chrome tilt column. These trucks were typically bare-bones from the factory, so they didn’t cut the dashboard for extras, with the original grille in the center being restored, not modified. Controls for the Vintage Air A/C system and the Kenwood AM/FM/CD stereo (with remote) are all neatly stashed in the glove box, along with a 12V power point for your phone (after all, this truck was designed to be a daily driver). Speakers were hidden throughout the cab so it sounds great and the A/C blows ice cold for easy cruising. That device perched above the center of the dash is called a “trafficator” and is a period accessory that allows you to view overhead stop lights without craning your neck—useful on a chopped truck like this. You’ll also note a beautifully fitted red headliner and new weather seals throughout, making this truck feel tight and solid as it goes down the road.

Don’t be fooled by the air cleaner (which is from a 1954 Cadillac), that’s a fuel-injected Corvette LT1 V8 under the hood. The air cleaner is fully functional and uses a custom polished aluminum duct to feed filtered air to the front-mounted throttle body, a neat piece of work. At a glance, you can see they worked hard to hide the wiring and plumbing, and anything that wasn’t color-matched to the bodywork was polished or chrome plated. There’s a giant aluminum radiator up front with a beautiful fabricated aluminum shroud for the electric fan, so it never gets fussy on hot days, and the serpentine belt drive system features polished aluminum accessories. The firewall was subtly modified but looks almost as if the factory intended it this way and there’s OEM-quality engineering visible throughout. Turn the key and it fires instantly, idles properly, and pulls with the ferocity of 300 Corvette-bred horsepower. The LT1 is legendary for its durability, so don’t be afraid to take it for a spin or make it your daily driver, it’ll last practically forever.

It’s obviously built for cruising because there’s a 700R4 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission, which makes for effortless high-speed motoring and reasonable fuel economy thanks to the fuel-injected motor. The front suspension is a custom Mustang II setup with tubular A-arms and coil-over shocks, while the rear suspension is the usual leaf springs and a Currie Enterprises 9-inch rear full of 3.55 gears. Those leaf springs mean it can still work as a truck, although that gorgeous bed probably means it’ll never work another day in its life. The frame was boxed and reinforced and you can see a few artistic flourishes even there, with neat slots cut here and there to allow access. You’ll also note that every weld was ground and filled until it disappeared, making it look like the frame was made from giant chunk of steel. The custom 3-inch exhaust system is stainless, but it was fully wrapped from front to rear to control heat and the look really stands out from the usual shiny stuff everyone else uses. We appreciate the effort. 4-wheel power disc brakes give it stopping power equal to the Corvette’s go power and it sits on 15-inch steel wheels with smoothie hubcaps, trim rings, and staggered Goodyear wide whitewall radials.

There are plenty of custom 3100s running around, and if garden-variety is OK with you, well, go ahead and buy one of those. But if you want what is flat-out the finest custom pickup we’ve ever seen and one of the best customs of any kind that has ever come through our shop, this is it. There are no demerits, no excuses, and no asterisks with this truck. It is ready to continue collecting trophies at almost any level and it drives like a real truck, not a piece of static art. That kind of construction and sorting doesn’t come cheap, but even at this price, this truck is a bargain that’s impossible to duplicate. Call now!