1955 Chevy NAPCO 3100

1955 Chevy NAPCO 3100. It has NAPCO running gear from a 58 Chevy Panel truck that was ordered from the forest service with optional 17.5 inch wheels and a Braden 10,000 lb. aluminum body winch. The drums are cross drilled and has a dual master cylinder. The engine is a standard 350 crate motor. The truck has A/C. The rest of the truck is stock.

[@thatguydillan6360]

I’m a Ford guy but damn you got a nice beauty of a truck👍🏻

[@rondyechannel1399]

Very nice stock looking truck! I have a 1957 mid year factory NAPCO 3100 in Sandstone beige, restored by me and driven the last ten years. I also has a few nicks but if you want to use them it happens! They are getting almost too valuable anymore. In high school I put a 327 in my '59 NAPCO and boy was it a dune topper!

[@jomichael32]

I drive it everywhere and take it offroad. Nothing crazy, no mud bogging or anything, but enough to work out the NAPCO system. I have yet to get it stuck so haven't had to test the winch yet. I've already put a few scratches here and there. I figure, its only pristine once. Good luck with your 63 search, just do it and work on it slowly. I would save up over the course of a year and would buy parts when a big discount came up, usually November. In between was sanding and dreaming.

[@huihui4]

nice truck man i have a 1957 chevy napco 4x4 with a 350 aswell. there fricken sweet trucks i gotta say that

[@AaronJohnson-kx7nn]

Love the Napco 3100

[@jomichael32]

Thanks for the advice on the thermostat, because that is exactly what I did was to put a 195 in. I recently added a 165. On the 17.5 wheels, the Super Traxion tires were the only ones I could find and were extremely expensive.

[@jomichael32]

Thanks for the comment!

[@chevang539]

Nice work! After watching a million videos of hillbillys building Frankenstein trucks from junk they had laying around it's nice to see something finished off this nice. Glad you were able to realize your dream!

[@jomichael32]

I put in a nice electric fan and it works great. I also, added a 165 thermostat. I runs cool all day. You can cross drill drums, I bought mine already drilled from Brothers Trucks. The holes are just drilled through the drum where the brake pads contact the drum. Pretty slick and keeps the brakes cool and lets any water out if I were to go in water or mud that deep, which I don't!

[@jomichael32]

As long as it is 4 wheel drive, it's gotta be cool. Good luck on your project, take it one step at a time so you don't get overwhelmed and give up. I would save all year and then buy a pallet of parts when the supply companies had their yearly discount sales.

[@zxtenn]

Amazing, i am pretty car savvy and i have never heard of drums like that, i have a 96 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.2 and i installed drilled and slotted rotors, that yellow makes the truck as well as all the undercarriage, very clean, good to have a later model engine too-- someone has a 55 with a 265 factory engine, they want 35 grand

[@jomichael32]

Thanks for the comment. I love these napco trucks.

[@jomichael32]

It's the original SM420 with a non syncro granny gear. It has a divorced transfer case Spicer 23.

[@pablogonzalez-cs7cj]

Very nice 👍🏼

[@mitym64]

awesome truck dude!!

[@jomichael32]

Thanks for the comment. I wanted a 409 BB, but once you get to a bigger block you run into space issues around the steering. Even with the 350 there is about 1/4 inch from the steering box to the exhaust manifold. I didn't want to modify anything when mounting the motor. It even uses the 6 cylinder front engine mounts. The truck could use more grunt than the 350 has. Once the truck gets 10-12 years down the road, I will probably drop in a hopped up 6 cylinder Thriftmaster back in it.

[@charlesgoede2809]

Nice to see someone with some restraint. Wonderfull truck, hope you re-do the bench seat in original style vinyl when it comes up. So many of these old trucks have been modded with such poor taste.

[@TheSmreeder]

Beautiful Truck...By the way ! ! ! Many Blessings , SMR

[@jomichael32]

I didn't know about cross drilling drums either until I tripped across some for sale on brotherstrucks. And at $90 each, that's not a bad price. I have my truck insured for 35 grand, but it would take a lot more for me to sell it. Omar Lugo (the NAPCO Guru) sold a NAPCO Suburban for over $65,000 on Barrett Jackson 6 or 7 years ago.

[@ForkliftJoe]

I had a '59 Napco that was supposed to have the 17.5 wheels. Even if the wheels had been there I couldn't find tires at the time, so I put 16's on it. On your A/C, make sure you don't have the wrong thermostat. Too many guys put in a modern 195 when these trucks used a 160. Biggest complaint I had on mine was the original 3.90 gears.

[@Kanoee64]

I bought mine two weeks ago in Lake Tahoe NV its goldish light brown.

[@manuelleyba4858]

Omg i feel like jelious...very nice job!!

[@zxtenn]

Wow, i didn't know old pick-ups had such a selling command, 65 grand== amazing. Once you start getting into frame off it gets expensive, i inquired about having my jeep undercarriage blasted and it was over 1500.00 and they prefer it all disassembled which is too much work for me as it's my winter vehicle, i just had the headliner and a new rug cost me over a grand-- i think someone took one of those off road and for the age it was very respectable

[@patriciomunoz2830]

Nice i love it

[@jomichael32]

I grew up in Carson City, NV. There are so many nice classics out there. I try to go to Hot August Nights every year, and I have yet to see a NAPCO. Not sure about what you mean by swing arms. I have seen anti-sway bars on NAPCOs but they are quite rare. Mine doesn't have them. What makes you think something is missing? The 3/4 ton NAPCOS are great, there is a guy on youtube that stuffed a Cummins Diesel in one. Do a search for it. Good luck with your project. Take it one step at a time!

[@DRNEGOLICIS]

Just baught a 56 4400, wish it was a 4wheel drive but, it was an origional Hydramatic truck

[@michaela26015]

+DRNEGOLICIS The 56's are beautiful 2wheel or 4wheel, hope you enjoy it!

[@jomichael32]

No, this Chevy came with the Thriftmaster 6 cylinder. Not sure what year Chevy offered the option of a 265. You are thinking of GMC, who offered a Pontiac V8.

[@michaela26015]

This is my truck, KZbin refused to give me access to this account because the phone is no longer valid. This truck is still on the road 10 years later.

[@540allison]

shes a beauty

[@michaela26015]

540allison Thanks very much, it was a 6 year labor of love! I'm still driving it around though it now has scratches and a few chips here and there.

[@Kanoee64]

Wow I love it! I just got a 59 Apache with original NAPCO 3/4 4x4 drive train I have a question and maybe I will have to show you with a Video Response but I think Im missing some swing arms? right above the tie rods?

[@TylerCH58]

Very nice truck. You obviously have a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this truck. Would you consider selling?

[@zxtenn]

Maybe you need a 5 blade flex fan? truck is very nice-- What do you mean about cross drilled brakes when you have drums?

[@michaela26015]

Brothers Trucks has crossed drilled drum brakes, just like discs but on the outer drum.

[@jomichael32]

@TylerCH58 Thanks for the comment, I certainly did spill a lot of blood, sweat and tear on this truck, not to mention my wallet! I'm not interested in selling it, it makes me way too happy.

[@MrMw67]

Very Nice!!! What type of Braden winch is it? LU-2? Was it on the truck when you bought it? I'm trying to find pictures of how the original winches were mounted as I've just found a Spicer PTO for my NAPCO transfer case.

[@michaela26015]

MrMw67 Sorry to get back to you so late. Yes the winch came with the truck. It is a 10,000 lb. with an aluminum case. I have all the original mounting brackets and many pictures showing how it mounts to the frame. It is an LU-2. It has a drive shaft running to a junction on the frame then out to the transfer case. The PTO hangs down off the t-case (it always drags over obstacles). I can send you images of the mounting if you are interested. Just send a reply.

[@rawkinbones13]

What kind of transmission are you running in your truck?

[@user-tk2td9lr3i]

👍

[@michaela26015]

Its been on the road for awhile and has some scratches here and there, but still going strong.

[@TheSmreeder]

Wasn't that supposed to have the Pontiac 389 ?... if so why would you not rebuild the 389 ? Many Blessings, SMR

[@rondyechannel1399]

Only GMC had Pontiac V8's and none were 389's. Same motor just smaller 1957 was a 347, 1956 was a 316, 1955 287. All Factory Chevrolet NAPCO's had 235.

[@MrDaBears83]

thats a bad ass truck man! check out my 54 Ford 100