WD-40 Company Builds 1951 Chevrolet 3100 – WD-40 Company veered off the beaten path with its partnership with off-road racer Trad Ronfeldt to rebuild a classic road-ready vehicle – the 1951 Chevrolet 3100 – which will be sold at auction to benefit SEMA Cares charities.
Ronfeldt, crew chief to seven-time Pro-4 off-road racing champion Kyle LeDuc, is partnering with WD-40® Brand and relying on its best-in-class products and his 23 years of off-road experience to tackle a restoration of the classic Chevy truck. Bold, ambitious builds, such as this, are an example of how WD-40 Brand focuses on helping professionals and DIYers conquer their goals and get their Job Done Right™.
Though it has the beauty of a showpiece vehicle, Ronfeldt and WD-40 Company set out to build a truck that would be driven every day and can help get stuff done. To accomplish that goal, the truck bed was fabricated from new materials and designed to match the truck’s year and model so that it could handle on the road like a modern vehicle, while maintaining its classic look. Ronfeldt stamped, bent and cut the bed, imitating the truck’s body lines to make it look like a Chevrolet production piece from 1951. Additionally, the WD-40 Brand/SEMA Cares Custom 1951 Chevrolet 3100 has:
- A V-8 carburetor crate motor producing 400+ horsepower
- Custom dually rear with widened Currie Axle
- New suspension design
- A fully restored cab interior
- Updated with new upholstery and distressed leather seats
- Custom patina paint job
- Completely new drivetrain and transmission
“Our company creates a range of high-performing products for those who need superior performance for specialized, maintenance jobs, so we wanted to build a vehicle that could do more than be shown at classic car shows; it needed to be drivable like a regular, everyday truck” said Robin Baloochi, Sports & Experiential Marketing Manager at WD-40 Company. “When Trad shared his vision for the custom 1951 Chevrolet 3100, we were on board immediately because it would allow us to put our products to the test to create a completely unique vehicle that truck lovers would want to drive.”
When taking on this rebuild, Ronfeldt depended on WD-40 Brand products to provide heavy duty solutions.
“The WD-40 Brand products that stand out for me are the ones that make my job easier,” said Ronfeldt. “I constantly use the WD-40 Specialist Carb/Throttle Body Cleaner on metal parts, including brakes, that need to be cleaned because it has no problem removing grease and oil.”
Ronfeldt also used the following products:
- WD-40 Specialist Heavy-Duty Grease: Ronfeldt previously used an anti-seize product on shouldered bolts, but that just turns into to glue. He switched to the Heavy-Duty grease “because it works better at keeping bolts from sticking to parts.”
- WD-40 EZ-REACH: Ronfeldt uses America’s #1 multi-purpose lubricant* almost every day for reaming and drilling holes for the utility bed to lubricating bolts that have galled threads when he’s removing the nut. He also uses it as rust preventative on unprotected metals.
- WD-40 Specialist Gel Lube: The non-drip lubricant was used on the shift linkage under the truck. Ronfeldt was impressed by its ability to “go on thick and stay lubricated for a long time.”
- WD-40 Specialist Silicone: Ronfeldt says that for “anything with a hinge this is a must, and there’s a lot of hinges on this truck.”
- WD-40 Specialist White Lithium Grease: The grease was used to lubricate and protect door locks and latches during the rebuild.
- WD-40 Specialist Penetrant with EZ-REACH: Ronfeldt used this penetrant all over the truck to “remove the 70-year-old bolts with ease. The flexible straw made it very easy to access the hard-to-reach spots.”
- WD-40 Specialist Contact Cleaner: The electrical contact cleaner is used to clean out the distributor and electrical connections throughout the truck.
The WD-40 Brand/SEMA Cares Custom 1951 Chevrolet 3100 will be auctioned in 2022 with proceeds going to
SEMA Cares charities, including Childhelp, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. Learn more about the build and all WD-40 Brand products at wd40.com/custombuild/#.
WD-40 Company Builds 1951 Chevrolet 3100 Photos
[flickr_set id=”72157719670938338″]
For more CarShowz features, visit our blog section, here.
