Projects 1955 Chevy Cameo. Build Thread

I also also have a big block in my Task Force pickup, @j-jock, you might remember the thread I did on it. Using a V8 bellhousing, mine clears the firewall without any mods to it, with enough room to get the valve covers off. I also test fitted an HEI just to see if it would fit, and it does, with enough room to R&R it with the cap on. All in all, a really simple swap, using fabbed front mounts with rods and bushings like the original setup, and the big block is about the same weight as the original 235 was. I am using manifolds on mine, and had to do some grinding on the left one to clear the steering box.

 

www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/big-block-chevy-in

 

Yes, I remember the thread. I did mine in 1971, and the mounts I purchased were from Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago, and were for the installation into a tri-five car. I originally had the manual setup, using an M21, the stock truck bellhousing, and the truck mounts. There was no way that I had enough room on the left side. I wonder why the difference?
Bob

 

@j-jock, I would have to assume production tolerances stacked up in my favor, since we all know that the cabs, mounts, and crossmembers are all identical in the manual trans equipped trucks. I was really happy that it all went together so easily.

 

Thanks for the info. It helps a lot, knowing that the firewall does not have to be clearance. This definitely moves the big block ahead of going with the 348.

 

Here's a few new photos. The front fenders are being fitted to the cab, doors and hood. A few small surprises were revealed after the factory black primer was stripped off. Although the fenders were NOS, they had been briefly installed on another truck.

The passenger fender had an antenna hole that had been previously drilled and patched. Additionally, both fenders had been drilled for large round turn signals, that were to be mounted on the top of the fenders, (as was done on a lot of old farm trucks). These holes had also been patched by a previous owner.

The mounting holes for the hood emblem have now been filled, as well.

 

The cab, doors, and front sheetmetal are all blocked, reprimed and ready for final paint. Took the pickup box parts to the shop and they are getting reassembled and fitted to the truck.

 

Great to see your Cameo being put back together.

 

Lookin' good.
Bob

 

Thanks. The body and paint are going quite well, and rather quickly.

The next step is to remount the spare tire carrier, and rear bumper. Then they can get fitted up to the box and rear fenders. Also need to get a hitch mounting figured out

It's going to be a lot nicer than it was before it was totaled. The fit and finish will be MUCH better than it ever was.

I also have an idea on what wheels to use. The plan is to make some chrome reverse wheels like they were done in the 1950's. I've found three original six lug wheels, that are riveted together. They're nice enough to chrome, so......Drill out the rivets, get the centers, and rims chromed.....Reverse the centers and weld them back together. Need to find the fourth wheel, though.

 

Remembering those wheels that I have more or less probably thrown away, I wish I still had one laying around that I could donate to the cause.
That will look slick, Im looking forward to seeing it done

 

I just sold a 366, and was having a good look at the heavy duty truck manifolds. If there was a clearance problem, they might provide a lot more clearance because the individual ports are turned down even tighter than a header pipe.
I probably should have kept the manifolds, but I don't intend to build any more major projects. (He said, age 76). Time to start enjoying the stuff I already have.
Bob

 

Thank you. I'm hoping to have it done by next years USPEC, (Pie Crust Drags), at Byron Dragway. Then it can be used to trailer my 55 210 sedan to the drag strip.

 

Looking good and I like the tow vehicle idea, same thing I plan on doing with my 57

 

Just went through your build thread. It'll be a great truck when you're done.

 

The box is temporarily installed and fitted. Fortunately, the wood floor only needed some minor work for it to fit correctly. It's the same oak boards that Dad varnished in 1991, before it was totaled. Really glad that they do not need to be replaced.

Next up, is to get the spare tire carrier and rear bumper fitted and lined up. After that is installing a trailer hitch.

 

The new trailer hitch, (Draw-Tite 41947), showed up on Thursday. Not surprisingly, a quick test fit showed that it wasn't going to be an easy, (if even possible), installation on the Cameo.

A decision was made to just leave the fiberglass spare tire carrier off of the truck and store it away. The rear bumper will then be bolted together in one piece. Without the tire carrier, the hitch should bolt on without any modifications. A Class V hitch with 1600 TW, and 15,000 GTW should be good enough for what I'll be pulling.

 

The tow hitch I installed was done over 25 years ago and doesn't look anywhere near as pretty as the pre-fab unit you have. My hitch is a little lower than yours, but I still had to remove the rear bumper to install it.
Because I am no longer towing anything with the truck, I am going to remove the tow bar, re-do and reinstall, the bumper.
I never did have all the parts for the spare tire storage.
Bob

 

One of the good things about this truck, (going back to when Dad bought it in 1987), is that all of the Cameo parts were there, with the fiberglass parts in really good condition. The rear bumper was there, but it was badly rotted.

 

The one problem with the bumper, is that it is unique, so finding one, or even parts for one is like looking for chicken lips. The only pieces I found, were off a Suburban in an auto wrecker. I purchased it, but the boss didn't tell his crew, and they crushed it the next day. I got there just in time to see it on the trailer under a bunch of crushed cars. They did stop their operation long enough to cut off the only salvageable remaining pieces of bumper.
I rescued my truck from an auto wrecker, so that should give you an idea of the condition of the body at the time. The rear bumper had been welded, and it was a terrible job. The tailgate was missing, as well as the lights and the cable hangers. I was lucky enough that I was actually able to get the cables and the lights from GM.
It wasn't easy finding all the other parts, and I am still missing some of the support brackets for the rear bumper.
I still feel lucky that I got to enjoy the truck I always wanted.
Bob

 

My brother bought a Cameo off and old guy years ago that was sitting and rotting in a shed, so far it is still sitting and rotting at his place. He won't let go of it, its on his to do list.

 

When Dad first bought the Cameo in 1987, the rear bumper was in awful condition. The bumper ends, guards, and bumper brackets were almost completely rusted away. At the time, one of my nephews was able to repair the rest of the bumper, (except the ends and guards), and fabricate new bumper brackets. Surprisingly, repro, steel ends and guards were available in the early 1990's. They were a bit pricey, but the quality was good, and the chrome was nice. This same bumper is now being reinstalled, with the repairs getting refined, so it'll fit much better than it did before.

 

That is good to know. I would like to see pictures of the bumper when you get the time. It will give me a better idea of the parts I am missing.
Bob

 

Looks like you got it under control which is great because Cameo's are worth saving. I did a 57 that also was severely abused by previous owners. The frame was bent, it had a 440 Chrysler engine that required cutting the passenger side toe board for exhaust clearance, and the center of the dash had been cut out and replaced with a dash section and radio from a Ford. Quite a bit of rust and the fiberglass bed was terrible (this was before repo's were available). Pics show 440 engine, galvanized patch over exhaust on passenger side, and chopped up dash. Although I like the red/white ones better I stuck with the factory colors which eventually wore on me. I'd bet your Cameo will turn out just as nice, maybe better. Note the "V" and Hydramatic script on the door---it is a factory V8/automatic.

 

Here are some photos.


This is one of the, (sort of), original bumper bars. It was built completely from scratch, by my nephew Bill, in about 1992. The original was too far gone to use, but was still intact enough to use as a pattern. He spent ALOT of time on this. Notice the mounting tab, on the outside end of the bar.




These are a pair of repro bars, and a repro pan for the center section. The bars look pretty good, but are missing the mounting tabs that should be on the outer ends. The repro pan will be used, but the repro outer bars will not. It was decided to reuse the ones that my nephew made / repaired.





These are the backside of the repro ends and guards. They are of really good quality. The fit isn't perfect, but the originals never fit perfectly, either.




The top side of the spare tire carrier, with all three original mounting brackets.




The underside of the carrier. Note that the hinge is not an original, or a repro. It is a hinge off of a John Deere Model 45 combine. These combines were built in the 1950's, so the hinge kind of went well with the truck. LOL!

The hinge is what was used when the bumper was first reconstructed in the early 1990's, and will be retained. After all, it's part of the Cameo's history. The hinge was originally used on one of the side covers on the combine. If I remember correctly, it was the cover on the left side of the combine.

 

I couldn't get any good photos of the bumper brackets, since they were bolted onto the truck. However, they are basically heavy U channel steel, welded into an "L shape", with a 90 degree bend.

There are also two smaller brackets, (originals), that attach the bumper ends to the lower corners of the stake pockets in the bed sides.

Here's a not-so-good photo that shows them in the back of my 84 S-10.

 

Thanks for posting the pictures.
It looks like the only parts I am missing, are all the pieces for the tire carrier. It looks like the pieces I salvaged from the other Suburban have the brackets I need to remount the bumper. I am missing one of the vertical chrome pieces, and I will have to find one to hide the seam between the bumper pieces.
Bob

 

That is a pity it isn't getting restored, because there aren't a lot of the Cameo boxes that survived even the first 10 years. GM didn't anticipate that some people that bought these trucks, were going to beat on them just like any other truck of the era. It wasn't like today, where everyone wants to keep their truck shiny, and the guys that are going to work the trucks hard, will normally install a utility box.
Bob

 

I grew up in a town of 6,074 people, the town garbage truck driver had 5 Cameos, being into Task Force trucks I always thought that was something because even in the late 70's early 80's they commanded a pretty penny.

 

Being a car nut from the time I was 13, I was aware of them, but did not see one until 1966. The truck was a utility truck for an auto electric company in Moose Jaw Sask, and even though it looked like crap, both rear fenders flapping, and no tail lights, it was still on the road when I first saw it.
The next time I saw it, was in the auto wrecker. That was where I bought it. The owner thought I was crazy to want to put it back on the road again, and allowed me to use his shop to swap in a 283. I can't imagine how it could have worked better for me.
The only mixed emotion I had, was that I had to sell my 394 powered 53 Merc pickup. The biggest reason for letting it go, was because my wife hated the styling of the Mercury. I would like to have kept them both, but I didn't have the space for another vehicle.
Bob.