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InTheGarageMedia.com

Bare metal Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck with a lowered suspension and polished five-spoke wheels, parked in a workshop. The truck features a brushed steel finish, a classic horizontal-bar grille, and rounded fenders.
Family Business
Sonny’s Speed & Kustom’s 1947 Chevy for Matt Harper
By CTP StaffImages By Bart Cepek
B

ack in the day, Matt and Mason Harper’s grandfather owned and operated a glass company, which would become the “family business” that, rightfully so, the two brothers would one day take over. As an homage to their elder patriarch to complement their heritage in the biz, and as a way to satisfy their obsession with fast cars and trucks, they decided to have a pair of Chevy 3100s built.

It all started when Grandpa Harper started the glass company with a Chevy 3100 as the official shop truck. When the Harper boys came up in the ranks of the family glass business, they wanted to capture their obsession with fast cars/trucks in a way that also complemented their family history in the business, so naturally that put them on the hunt for a couple of 3100s to start with. Matt had acquired his first and Mason shortly thereafter. Following a short search for a suitable builder, they found the right shop, ironically just up the street from one of their business locations.

Front view of a bare-metal Chevrolet 3100. The focus is on the polished horizontal-bar grille, large round headlights, and smooth, unpainted hood, highlighting the metallic texture and custom bodywork.
Interior of a bare metal truck showing a polished three-spoke steering wheel and two round gauges with red faces set into a metallic dashboard.
Wide interior view of a bare metal truck cab featuring black bucket seats, a chrome steering wheel, and exposed metal floor panels and pedals.
Rear view of a bare-metal Chevrolet 3100 truck featuring a smooth tailgate and flared fenders. The lower rear panel includes integrated dual exhaust ports and a "Sonny’s Speed & Kustom" license plate.
Close-up of a bare-metal truck bed featuring wood floor planks and polished metal divider strips. A center section of the wood floor is hinged open, revealing a recessed metal fuel filler cap in the bed floor.
View of a bare metal truck bed with the tailgate lowered horizontally. The bed floor features wood planks and polished metal divider strips. The interior metal walls are unpainted with visible raw textures and weld marks.
High-angle, rear three-quarter view of a bare-metal Chevrolet 3100 truck in a workshop. The truck features a lowered stance, chrome multi-spoke wheels, and raw metallic bodywork with visible sanding marks.
Engine compartment of a bare-metal truck with the hood held open by gas struts. The engine features a large black supercharger, surrounded by unpainted metallic inner fenders and a custom radiator shroud.
Front view of a bare-metal Chevy 3100 with the hood open. Inside the engine bay, a custom unpainted metal shroud covers the radiator area. The truck features a polished horizontal-bar grille and round headlights.
Sonny’s Speed & Kustom was approached about the dual 3100 builds, and they gladly agreed to take on the family business projects. Both brothers agreed that “mod for mod” they will be identical, the only exception being the color of each truck. The Initial idea from the onset was a simple, straightforward build, each using an early S-10 chassis.

Well, as you can see by Matt’s half, that quickly snowballed into what they are now: Supercharged LS platforms on Art Morrison GT Sport chassis, big brakes, and all the sheetmetal mods they could throw at them. Even though the brothers seem to agree more often than not, we dubbed the dueling builds “Sibling Rivalry.” At this point not one panel on either truck has been left untouched. Both brothers are extremely excited to go through the build process together and are ready to hit the show and touring circuits; as a duo that is sure to snap necks. Stay tuned for more to come!

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