Mr. Scrape’s Proof-of-Concept Project

You know Mr. Scrape. Maybe not personally—the chances that you’ve been to Sumter, South Carolina, aren’t fantastic—but you have seen their work before. That’s because Mr. Scrape has been putting trucks in magazines for years now, so odds are that you’ve heard the name. And with a name like Mr. Scrape, you know they put things on the ground. 

Trouble is, when you’ve been doing things the same way for a long time, it’s easy to feel pigeonholed. You don’t want to find yourself in a rut that you can’t escape. With that in mind, Mike Lee, the boss at Mr. Scrape, decided that it was time to branch out and build something different. That’s where this ’51 comes in.

The 1947-55 first series AD trucks are a pretty classic example of a pickup. They’re as American as apple pie, and if you ask anyone to draw a hot rod truck, they’d probably sketch out something that has fat fenders and a step-side bed. After finding a ’51 in great shape, they could’ve just torn into it and laid it out on big rollers, like they have many times before. But this time around they decided to go clean and simple, doing something more akin to a best of show winner at Goodguys, rather than something that would enter a dragging contest at a mini-truck show.

Which brings us to the vehicle itself. The entire thing is sprayed hot rod red and accented with tan. That particular shade is called autumn, and the idea was to match the leather on the interior and bring it into the engine bay and behind the grille. This way, there would be a consistent tan/red combo throughout, and it would still be something different, because nobody ever matches their seats to their engine. It also gives the truck a nice two-tone quality, where—with the exception of chrome and aluminum—two colors dominate the truck both inside and out.

Speaking of the inside, it’s definitely a work of art. The seats—originally found in a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe—were wrapped in leather, as were the headliner, dash, door panels and center console. For those familiar with these trucks, you know what a huge feat that is: The dashboards were painted from the factory, and not easy to remove. Wrapping it couldn’t have been fun, but it looks great. The console is also custom and holds two strips of LED lights that flank the sides and run up toward the back of the seat. This is one of those things that could look overdone, but here it’s not only tasteful, it adds a bit of class to the entire operation. In fact, everything inside the cab is done with that same shade of autumn. When paired with the rest of the painted shell, everything comes together to create a clean look.

Underneath all of that red and tan is a suspension that shares a lot of concepts with Mr. Scrape’s mini-trucking background. Ridetech components run throughout, with Shockwaves handling the ride quality, while an AccuAir e-Level kit manages the ups and downs. The end result is a truck that tucks the 18- and 20-inch Raceline wheels nicely, but doesn’t carve the rockers into the asphalt like many minis. Again, it’s about the hot rod scene and making something that would appeal to that crowd, and it worked.

In fact, it worked so well that eventually the truck wouldn’t be just a shop truck anymore, it would go to a new owner in Missouri. Just a few months ago, the ’51 was sold and loaded on a trailer headed toward its new home. As a proof of concept, the Mr. Scrape team certainly demonstrated that they’re able to create a hot rodder’s dream, and now they get to do it on a regular basis with their new client base.

Building hot rods and dragging trucks on the regular? That’s living the dream. ST

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TRUCK SPECS

Owner

Mr. Scrape (Mike Lee) 
1951 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup
Sumter, SC  

Engine

• Shop: Mr. Scrape (Mike Lee), Sumter, SC
• Chevrolet 350-ci V-8
• Engine painted to match interior
• Turbo 350 transmission

Chassis & Suspension 

• Shop: Mr. Scrape (Mike Lee), Sumter, SC
• ’70s Chevrolet Camaro front clip
• Triangulated 4-link
• Fuel cell
• RideTech air suspension
• Tubular upper and lower control arms
• RideTech Shockwaves front and rear
• Battery relocated under the cab floor
• AccuAir e-Level
• 5-gallon air tank

Wheels & Tires 

• 18×9 and 20×10 Raceline Fugitive wheels
• 255/35 18 and 255/35 20 Toyo tires

Body & Paint 

• Shop: Mr. Scrape (Mike Lee), Sumter, SC
• Painted rear slats
• Area behind the grille is painted the same color as the engine, which matches the interior
• Custom wheel well tubs to hide AC and wiring
• Shaved firewall

Interior & Stereo  

• Shop: Mr. Scrape (Mike Lee), Sumter, SC
• Autumn-colored, leather-wrapped dash, headliner, door panels and seats
• Custom door panels and armrests
• Custom center console
• Custom lower dash panels to hide the wiring
• Custom headliner
• Custom overhead console
• Handmade sill plates
• 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe front seats
• Billet steering wheel
• Katzkin leather kit
• LED lighting
• Classic Instruments gauges
• Alpine head unit
• Memphis Audio 6.5-inch speakers
• Custom fiberglass kick panels
• Memphis Audio 6×9 speakers behind the seats

Special Thanks From the Owner: “Ricky, Dan and Author at Hair’s Automotive; Derek at AccuAir; Josh at RideTech and Brandon Burrell for always making our rides come to life behind a camera.”

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