Have you ever driven by a rust bucket and thought about its history? What did it look like, how did it perform, who owned it, and where had it been? That thought, for a lot of us, starts many truck rebuilds. For Steve Lynch it was no different. Finding this ’57 Chevy Cameo pickup buried deep in the backyard of a property in L.A. was the beginning of his rebuild. This truck had more than its fair share of rust and had not received very much love in recent years, but to Steve, this truck was it. Back in Idaho where he lives, he knew that the guys at Gary’s Hotrods were up to the task. So he dragged it to Gary and Sonny (father and son) so that they could get their first look at the truck. From the expressions on their faces he wondered if he had made a bad decision in purchasing the truck, but after a close inspection, the guys assured Steve that they could transform the rusted piece of yard art into a showstopper, and boy, were they right.
The first step was to figure out how wild Steve wanted to go with the build. Rust repair was the name of the game for the body and frame. After grinding, cutting, and sanding for weeks, the body was finally in acceptable condition. The next step was to tend to the 50-year-old suspension parts. A quick call over to the guys at TCI and a few days of waiting for the new shiny parts, Sonny and Gary got to work on welding the necessary brackets to mount the new crossmember, and upper and lower control arms. The rear was also a TCI four-link kit that Sonny promptly squared and tacked into place before final welds were laid down. A 9-inch Ford rearend seems to be the most economical way to go, and with the 3.50 gears and a 4L60E transmission, the Chevy scooted nicely. For the powerplant a ’06 Corvette Z06 was cleaned up with some chrome, and they got rid of some of the eyesore wiring.
With the body rot ground down and panels replaced, Sonny got to work on the final body filler. Soon enough he was ready for paint. Steve wanted a teal color with a splash of turquoise, so Sonny mixed a custom Sikkens paint to match what Steve had in mind. With the paint curing, the next step was planning out the interior and seating of the Cameo. Gary suggested that Steve take a look at what Ron Mangus could do and the rest was historywell, the seat anyway.
With the roller coaster of emotions going into building a custom Cameo we asked the father-and-son duo what, if any, would they change? They said not a darn thing; it came out better than expected.. ct
Steve Lynch
Burley, Idaho
1957 Chevy Cameo
Chassis
Frame: stock / modified
Modifications: IFS / four-link
Rearend / Ratio: Ford 9-inch / 3.50
Rear suspension: Ford 9-inch, TCI coilovers
brakes: disc, TCI
Front suspension: TCI
Steering box: TCI
Front wheels: 18x8 Incubus
Rear wheels: 20x10 Incubus
Front tires: 255/50-18 Toyo Proxes
Rear tires: 295/40-20 Toyo Proxes
Gas tank: custom stainless, under bed
Drivetrain
Engine: ’06 Chevy Corvette Z06 505 hp
Heads: GM
Valve covers: Street and Performance
Manifold: GM
Ignition: GM
Headers: Street and Performance
Exhaust / Mufflers: custom by Ray’s Muffler in Burley, ID
Engine Dress-up: polished aluminum pulley kit, Street & Performance
Transmission: ’06 GM 4L60E
Modifications: chrome done by Ogden Chrome in Ogden, VT
Shifter: ididit
Body
Style: Cameo
Fenders front: stock
Hood: stock
Grille: stock
Bed: oak, Pro’s Pick
Bodywork and paint by: Gary’s Hotrods
Paint type / Color: Sikkens custom turquoise done by Gary’s
Headlights / Taillights: LED blinker in the headlight
Outside mirrors: none
Bumpers: stock shaved, tucked, and painted
Interior
Dashboard: stock
Gauges: Auto Meter
Air conditioning: Vintage Air
Stereo: hidden
Steering wheel: Billet Specialties
Steering column: ididit
Seats: Glide Engineering, Covered by Ron Mangus
Upholstery by: seat (Ron Mangus) all other work done by Power Plant in Twin Falls, ID
Material / Color: leather / gray
Carpet: custom