No one was more surprised than I when my Uncle Roosevelt offered me his 1954 Chevrolet 3100 pickup. I suddenly found myself serving as the steward of that particular family heirloom, and I immediately made plans to transfer the old truck from its leaf-strewn backyard home in Alabama to my garage in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Eight hundred miles separated the truck from this goal, but it didn't seem right to consign the old red pickup to a flatbed trailer for the trip that lay ahead. After all, this grizzled old veteran had never in its 49 years backed down from a task. My father Errol and I would drive it up.
The trip provided the opportunity for a unique comparison. Driving the "Advanced Design" 1954 Chevy back to back with the new Silverado SS showed just how much light trucks have changed in the past 50 years. The two trucks have only four things in common: a five-window cab, an engine up front, a bed out back, and body-on-frame construction.
Old Red represents the end of an era. Chevrolet's Advanced Design truck line was introduced in mid-1947 and featured larger, more spacious cabs than its predecessors. These changes were made to satisfy customers who wanted improved comfort. The new cab was wider, with space for three across.
The bench seat was adjustable, and larger windows improved visibility. It was one of the first steps away from the industrial-tool era of light-duty trucks. Other changes made between 1947 and 1953 were also in the name of comfort; for example, a column shifter and emergency-brake pedal replaced floor-mounted levers for easier ingress. A synchronized transmission eliminated double-clutching. In 1954, the Advanced Design lineup got a bolder bull-nose grille, a modern one-piece windshield, and an easier-to-read dashboard. Clearly, the more personal approach worked, because Chevy outsold Ford every year from 1947 to 1954.