HAMMER FAB · BUILD SERIAL

HF-51-01

1951 · Full custom restomod

COMPLETED

51 Chevy 3100

1951

OWNER — S. COMSTOCK, JONESTOWN, TX

NOV 2021 – APRIL 2023

§ 01

THE BRIEF

The truck came in for what the owner thought were a few repairs. Chasing those symptoms uncovered the real culprit — a failed, outdated chassis with Jaguar front and rear components stitched in back in the 1980s. S. Comstock's brief was simple: ride like a new truck, start like a new truck, and don't leak. So we tore it down to the last bolt, sandblasted every panel, and found something almost unheard of for a truck this old — zero rust. That's what a true California truck buys you. Under it went a Roadster Shop SPEC chassis at standard ride height on coilovers, and all the restoration hardware — glass, weatherstrip, trim clips — came from Classic Parts of America. Rolling gear stepped up from the tired 15" steelies to a Coker 16"/17" staggered combo wrapped in Diamondback Classics wide whitewalls. Under the hood, a modern LS wears Chevrolet script valve covers and a classic black dual norkle air cleaner, cooled by a PWR aluminum radiator with electric fan. Inside, the bench seat was upholstered by Jay Schluter of Colorado in horizontal-pleat black leather, and the remainder of the interior was done by Hammer Fab in house: a smooth painted dash, Chevrolet banjo-style wheel, and Dakota Digital gauges tucked into the OE cluster. Build kicked off November 2021 and rolled out completed April 2023.

§ 02 — Note from the shop

"Rides like a new truck, starts like a new truck, and doesn't leak — on a rust-free California body that came back to zero after the blaster."

§ 03 — Build journal

The updates.

A living log of every meaningful moment on this build — new photos, short notes, and the milestones worth marking.

9 UPDATES · 1 MILESTONES

Milestones

APR 15, 2023— Delivered — owner S. Comstock with the finished truck

UPDATE 09 / 09

Apr 15, 2023

DELIVERY MILESTONE

Delivered — owner S. Comstock with the finished truck

April 2023 — S. Comstock with his 1951 Chevrolet 3100 at its first show after delivery. Red paint over the new Roadster Shop SPEC chassis, Coker staggered wheels on Diamondback whitewalls, and a modern LS that starts, drives, and seals like a new truck.

S. Comstock with the finished 3100 at its first show — red paint, chrome, wide whites, and a stance that reads right from every angle.

UPDATE 08 / 09

Apr 10, 2023

COMPLETION

Completed — red, wide whites, and a right-sitting stance

Rolled out of the shop in April 2023 after a build that kicked off in November 2021. Red paint, Coker 16"/17" staggered wheels on Diamondback Classics whitewalls, and a modern LS drivetrain dressed to look period-correct.

Front three-quarter — grille bars and chrome bumper against the red paint.

J003

Passenger-side profile — stance and wheel-to-fender relationship shot against ivy-covered stone.

J004

Driver-side profile — five-window cab and long-bed proportions reading straight down the body line.

Rear three-quarter — Texas plate, chrome bumper, and the painted bed sides catching the sun.

UPDATE 07 / 09

Mar 20, 2023

DRIVETRAIN

Under the hood — modern LS in vintage clothes

Modern LS under the hood so it starts like a new truck and doesn't leak. Tall Chevrolet script valve covers and a classic black dual norkle air cleaner keep the bay reading period-correct. PWR aluminum radiator with electric fan handles the cooling; everything else routed to disappear into the black-painted inner fenders and firewall.

UPDATE 06 / 09

Feb 25, 2023

INTERIOR

Interior — all black, Chevrolet banjo wheel, Dakota Digital

Interior came together in all black — the bench seat was upholstered by Jay Schluter of Colorado in horizontal-pleat black leather, and the rest of the interior was done by Hammer Fab in house: smooth painted dash, Chevrolet banjo-style steering wheel with chrome horn ring and Chevrolet badge, and Dakota Digital gauges in the OE cluster.

UPDATE 05 / 09

Feb 15, 2023

PAINT

Paint — Hammer Fab's first full in-house paint job

February 2023. Red paint goes down on every panel — cab, doors, fenders, hood, running boards, tailgate, wheels, firewall, and every inner surface. This was Hammer Fab's first full in-house paint job… well, kind of. Our new booth hadn't landed yet, so Martin Bros loaned us theirs to shoot the whole truck. Every panel sprayed off the truck and hung individually so color and clear laid down evenly on faces most people never see.

Cab out in the sun after color — red paint catching Texas light for the first time.

Cab head-on in Martin Bros' Col-Met booth — back of the cab, roof, and inner bed wall all sprayed in one shot.

Back of the cab pulled out into daylight — mirror-flat clear over red paint.

Front fenders staged in front of the cab, a wheel hanging at right — every part painted off the truck so nothing hides an unfinished edge.

Both doors hung and masked in the booth — inner shells and jambs sprayed body color.

Cab masked off at the windows — glass openings papered so the sealer edges stay crisp.

Firewall side of the cab — sprayed body color so under-hood is as finished as the outside.

Small parts and the Chevrolet tailgate hanging together — headlight bucket, hood, and stamped tailgate all wearing the same coat.

UPDATE 04 / 09

Jan 31, 2023

ASSEMBLY

Final assembly — where the hard work starts to look like something

January 2023, final assembly. Don Hardy 4.8L LS backed by a Bowler Performance 4L65E automatic drops into the powder-coated satin black SPEC chassis — Don powder coats his blocks before he builds them, so the long-block goes in already finished. Cast iron exhaust manifolds got TIG-welded V-band flanges for a truly leak-free exhaust, then sprayed in-house with bronze Zybar high-temp polymer coating. Brake lines get the same level of attention most shops skip — hand-formed loops and clean terminations at every junction. Fenders, hood, and running boards staged around the cab, ready to hang.

Overhead of the cab on the chassis with fenders, hood sides, and running boards staged around it — Don Hardy 4.8L LS sitting between the frame rails.

Rolling chassis, top-down — Roadster Shop SPEC frame in satin black powder coat, Don Hardy LS long-block already powder coated before assembly, Bowler 4L65E behind it, stainless exhaust routed along the rails.

Chassis head-on — accessory drive, coilovers, and blacked-out control arms framing the powder-coated LS block.

Cast iron exhaust manifold sprayed in-house with bronze Zybar high-temp polymer coating, TIG-welded V-band flange at the collector for a leak-free joint.

Brake line detail — hand-formed loops at the master cylinder. Details most people overlook.

Fresh powder-coated chassis parts staged on the bench — crossmembers, brackets, and hardware laid out satin black and ready to bolt back together.

Powder-coated SPEC chassis and front sheet metal support laid out on the shop floor with control arms and hardware, staged before reassembly.

Coker steelies powder coated body-matched red, mounted up with Diamondback Classics wide whitewalls.

Cab set back down on the SPEC chassis — rear view showing the coilovers, driveline, and aluminum fuel tank tucked between the rails.

Silent Coat sound and heat barrier laid into the cab floor and transmission tunnel — quiet ride and cooler interior before the carpet ever goes in.

UPDATE 03 / 09

May 1, 2022

CHASSIS

Roadster Shop SPEC chassis under it

Old '80s Jaguar-hybrid chassis came out. In its place: a Roadster Shop SPEC chassis for 47–54 Chevy pickups, set up at standard ride height on coilovers. Modern geometry, modern brakes, modern steering — the foundation for a truck that would finally ride and stop the way the owner wanted it to.

Roadster Shop SPEC chassis — standard ride height, coilovers, full front and rear suspension shown with options.

J025

SPEC 'Standard' chassis ride height (coilovers) — profile reference showing wheel-to-fender relationship the chassis was set up to achieve.

UPDATE 02 / 09

Feb 1, 2022

TEARDOWN

Teardown & sandblast — zero rust on a true California truck

The truck came in for repairs. Chasing those symptoms turned up the real problem — a failed, outdated chassis with Jaguar front and rear pieces stitched in back in the 1980s. We stripped it down to bare panels and sandblasted every one. Zero rust. Unheard of for this era — but that's what starting with a true California truck gets you.

UPDATE 01 / 09

Nov 10, 2021

KICKOFF

Build kicked off

November 2021 — the 1951 Chevrolet 3100 arrived with a list of 'repairs' the owner wanted looked at, and the build officially kicked off for S. Comstock.

§ 04 — Process

Chapter by chapter.

Every build is documented as it moves through the shop. Here's how this one came together.

C026

FULL TEARDOWN · SANDBLASTED · ZERO RUST FOUND

01CHAPTER

Teardown — chasing the real problem

Owner brought it in for repairs. Those repairs turned out to be the symptoms — the real culprit was a failed, outdated chassis with Jaguar front and rear components stitched in back in the '80s. We stripped the truck to bare metal and sandblasted every panel. Zero rust. This is the most solid example of the era we've ever seen — a true California truck.

C027

ROADSTER SHOP SPEC · STANDARD RIDE HEIGHT · COILOVERS

02CHAPTER

Roadster Shop SPEC chassis

Out went the '80s Jaguar-mash chassis, in went a Roadster Shop SPEC chassis at standard ride height on coilovers. Purpose-built for 47–54 Chevy cabs — modern geometry, modern brakes, modern steering, all so the truck rides and stops like something built this decade instead of last century.

C028

COKER 16"/17" STAGGERED · DIAMONDBACK CLASSICS WHITEWALLS

03CHAPTER

Stance & rolling gear

Retired the old 15" steelies for a Coker 16"/17" staggered wheel combo wrapped in Diamondback Classics wide whitewalls — bigger contact patch, modern tire compound, and the whitewall stance the truck was always meant to have.

LS · CHEVROLET SCRIPT COVERS · PWR ALUMINUM RADIATOR

04CHAPTER

Drivetrain — modern LS, vintage dress

A modern LS lives under the hood so it starts like a new truck and doesn't leak. Dressed with tall Chevrolet script valve covers and a classic black dual norkle air cleaner so the bay reads period-correct at a glance. PWR aluminum radiator with electric fan; every hose, wire, and bracket routed to disappear into blacked-out inner fenders.

C030

CLASSIC PARTS OF AMERICA · RED PAINT · STRAIGHT GAPS

05CHAPTER

Restoration parts & finish

Glass, weatherstrip, and the balance of the restoration hardware came from Classic Parts of America — the right pieces going back onto a straight, rust-free California body. Red paint, straight gaps, and consistent reveals from bumper to tailgate.

CHEVROLET BANJO WHEEL · DAKOTA DIGITAL · BLACK LEATHER BENCH

06CHAPTER

Interior

Bench seat upholstered by Jay Schluter of Colorado in horizontal-pleat black leather; the rest of the interior — smooth painted dash, Chevrolet banjo-style steering wheel with chrome horn ring and Chevrolet badge, and Dakota Digital gauges tucked into the OE-style cluster — was finished by Hammer Fab in house.

§ 05 — Gallery