1954 Chevy 3100 - Southern Cookin'

We live in a world where time becomes more compressed with each passing day. When was the last time you worked just eight hours in a day, spent a leisurely Saturday moving about at your own pace, or spent enough time working in your garage on your project? The answer to all of the above for many of us is, "I can't remember." For those of us living in a world where 24 hours a day isn't adequate, seven days a week comes up short, and 12 months in a year doesn't seem nearly enough time, the craftsman from Southern Motor Company in Liberty, North Carolina, have a viable option for you with their all-steel construction adaptation of a 1954 Chevrolet five-window pickup. SMC has plans to produce 100 for 2008, followed by 600 in 2009.

Our hobby has accelerated over the past decade with the proliferation of manufactures who offer both fiberglass and steel recreations of our dream car (or truck) from a bygone era. SMC is just one such company that has geared up to deal with the time crunch all of us live in and offers a practical solution to projects never finished. Of course, there will always be plenty of guys who wish to take the time to savor the journey, and that has always been a great way. SMC is offering an alternative for the rodder who wants to get out there and enjoy the drive, the thrill of attending events with his own ride, and spending that all-too-infrequent Saturday just polishing and cleaning his pride and joy.

The Southern 408, modeled after a '54 Chevy 3100, is actually quite an impressive vehicle when you break it all down. Offered in a variety of PPG Vibrance and Radiance II color choices (the prototype is shown in Sunset Red), the truck comes complete with a 350-horse 5.4L LS-style engine, four-speed OD auto or five-speed manual transmission, and a disc brake-equipped, 3.73-geared rearend to provide the same reliable performance. Furthermore, along with dual front airbags, side-impact bars, turn signals, etc., to help ensure personal safety, the 408 also comes with added assurance-a 36-month/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which has to be a first in the street rod industry.

Upon further investigation, you might notice a fair amount of deviance from actual '54 Chevy specs, and for good reason. Obviously, to get the nod from General Motors, which they did, Southern Motor Company had to make the appropriate style changes. In doing so, they took the liberty of giving end users a little more legroom by slightly enlarging the cab in the right places-and still managed to chop the top without compromising headroom. Among other key marque changes is the Fleetline-inspired grille flanked by the deco-looking hood badge. As far as the bed, fenders, and bumpers are concerned, they're pretty much "as-were," as you can see. For a bed floor treatment, though, that's anything but what was available in 1954-how about a hand-selected teak wood professionally finished along with polished stainless strips? And while we're on the subject of modern options, take a look at the interior, which is anything but a basic vinyl-covered bench and Spartan instrumentation. The 408 is decked out in full leather, with electric bucket seats, tilt steering, air conditioning, and CD sound system being standard package choices.

Are you starting to realize maybe you really don't have the time to build your own? According to SMC, preorders are currently accepted and each Southern 408 will meet National Safety Standards for each production year-including emissions in all 50 states! A fully refundable (with interest) deposit is required at the time of ordering, and customers are encouraged to testdrive a production truck at any time before delivery (scheduled for June 2008).