Route 62 between Elizabethtown and Lexington, Kentucky, is a twisty, curvy road that connects I-65 to I-75. We took the opportunity to push the old truck to its limits. The simple, leaf-spring suspension front and rear handled predictably, and a relatively low center of gravity kept the old truck stable on the bends. Driving it at nine-tenths was still only 45 mph, and while we were enjoying our rum-runner fantasies, an impatient Ford Ranger bullied past.
We had a strong sense of moving from the South to the Midwest as Kentucky's verdant hills gave way to the open fields and farmhouses of southern Ohio. Our two Chevy trucks were as different as the Interstate and the back road. The Silverado's handsomely sculpted lines and monochrome paint are the product of an era in which looking good is just as important as being good.
By contrast, the 3100's rounded styling came from the late 1940s. The runningboards were obsolete before the truck was built; tiny taillights dangled from the sides of the bed like afterthoughts. The 3100 spoke of a simpler time, a year before Chevy discovered high style for its trucks, seen in the legendary 1955 Cameo.
True to its workhorse nature, the '54 made the trip and only needed one repair stop (see sidebar). Given a tuneup and a good wash, it seemed ready to turn around and drive right back to Alabama, if necessary. Old Red was definitely more eager to make the trip than our ears and lower backs. The overachieving Silverado SS was barely inconvenienced by the trip and felt solid enough to make the trip every week for the next 50 years. The SS is a well-built vehicle and an amazing example of how far pickups have evolved; Still, I think we'll be just fine driving the '54 around town, gathering looks of admiration wherever we go.
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