Mike and Krista Murphy’s 1957 Chevrolet 3100 is the kind of beautifully built truck that many owners would reserve for local car shows or trailer to events farther from home. But for Mike and Krista, owning an incredible truck means driving and enjoying it. They proved that by driving the truck in the 2026 Pavement Pounder Events road trip from Detroit to Lincoln, Nebraska, for Wheel Hub Live at the Museum of American Speed.
The 2026 trip was Mike and Krista’s second with Pavement Pounder Events, following Route 66 to SEMA in their 2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS in 2025.
Mike and Krista purchased the truck at the 2025 Mecum Glendale auction after visiting several auctions in search of a 1957 Chevrolet truck that had everything they wanted, including the right color. The truck that caught Mike’s eye was the black beauty shown here. It was originally built around 2010 in a pro-touring style.
Once completed, the truck stayed with the same owner for a little more than 10 years before being sold with only a little more than 600 miles on the odometer. The next owner kept it for three and a half years, adding a meager 800 miles before putting it up for sale. When Mike and Krista signed the papers and took possession of the black truck, it showed only 1,561 miles on the odometer.
From the start, Mike and Krista intended to drive and enjoy the truck rather than let it be a garage queen. First, however, they wanted to take a few shakedown drives and uncover any issues that might have gone unnoticed because the truck had seen so little use since it was built. One of the first problems to emerge was overheating, which indicated that the radiator needed more airflow. That tied into another upgrade Mike was already planning: the air-conditioning system. When the truck was built, it received a first-generation Vintage Air climate-control system, the company’s best available at the time. Vintage Air now offers Gen 5 systems featuring newer technology and greater efficiency for improved cabin cooling.
The updated Vintage Air system and its new condenser created more room around the radiator, allowing Mike to install a Flex-A-Lite Flex-Wave LoBoy electric fan. The fan moves 3,000 cfm of air and eliminated the overheating problem. The final upgrade replaced the truck’s MSD ignition system with a simpler GM HEI-based system from DUI. It delivered the reliability and simplicity Mike and Krista wanted while helping them achieve another goal: eliminating excess wiring from the engine compartment.
With the upgrades complete, they took the truck on more shakedown drives to car shows and simply spent time behind the wheel before departing on the 2026 Pavement Pounder Events road trip. The route from Detroit to Wheel Hub Live at the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska, covered 2,200 miles, mostly on back roads filled with scenery and adventure. But they had to drive 1,200 miles to get to the start of the tour.
On the outbound trip, the only mechanical issue was the 700-R4 transmission refusing to stay in Overdrive. During one of our stops, adjustments were made to the transmission’s TV cable, solving the problem. The other incident had nothing to do with the truck’s mechanicals. During a slowdown on one of our few interstate segments, admirers following close behind did not stop in time and gave the back bumper a love tap. The responsible drivers were very apologetic and equally admiring of the truck. Thankfully, there was no noticeable damage to the truck – not even a scratch on the chrome bumper – so they were good to go for the rest of the trip.
After completing the drive to the event and the 2,200-mile tour, Mike and Krista were very happy with how the truck performed and drove, proving it to be a great road-trip vehicle. In fact, Mike is already looking forward to putting even more miles on the Task Force 3100 in 2027 by joining the next Pavement Pounder Events road trip through the spectacular scenery of the American West in Colorado and Utah.
