Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional
Pro Street modified and boxed one off custom example of this 1957
Chevrolet Cameo 1/2 ton Pick Up Truck with a built 383 stroker
blown engine with reportedly over 650HP which is obviously
ridiculously powerful for this truck so beware! The truck is mated
to a custom built Turbo 350 with AUX trans cooler automatic
transmission with a B amp;M ratched floor shifter, Ford 9" rear
end, 4 wheel power disc brakes, power steering, power windows,
power locks, remote doors, power antenna, custom leather amp; tweed
seats, 17" Custom Boyd Coddington Performer Billet chromed wheels
on both sides with hidden valve stem inside of wheels, Vintage AC,
Heat amp; defrost, custom radiator, custom air cleaner, solid Oak
bed, arch leaf suspension with custom heavy duty Firestone air bags
with remote fill by Allpro, 2 X 12V batteries, custom gauges amp;
steering wheel; just a beautiful and unique and completely
customized and painted by one of the most respected artists in the
industry in Black with 'Indian Tribal' graphic flames and yet an
instantly recognizable example of the legendary Cameo Pick Up with
wraparound rear window and only very few miles since being restored
and reportedly previously owned by a legend in the industry and in
any case a very well known and high profile show truck!According to
'Truck Builder' magazine, which profiled this truck in 2005, this
truck had been rumored to have been owned by the legendary Boyd
Coddington, but please note that we have not confirmed this
ourselves. Regardless, the truck was later taken by it's then owner
Gil Palmer, to his friend Terry Belzenye, a noted rod amp; custom
builder for some 40+ years at 'Specialized Street Rods' of
Huntington Beach, CA. Over the next 12 months the two friends
completely rebuilt the truck and turned it into a show winner and
the supreme head turner that it remains today!The stock frame was
modified by 'Specialized' to accommodate a Volare front clip to
handle the power of a blown 383 Chevy engine. The Volare (out of a
'67 wagon) was positioned to drop the truck 5" and came with 4
wheel power disc brakes and power rack-and-pinion steering. A
custom remote power steering unit was used and the custom designed
brake system features a vacuum brake tank. 'Specialized' added a
set of 'Fatman' dropped spindles and then mounted 17" Coddington
chrome billet wheels and Nitto 225/50/R17 tires. The rear end is a
Ford 9" with 4.11 gears with positraction and a Detroit Locker
Softlock connected to Alston ladder bars. Rear wheels are also 17"
Coddington's (by the way they are chromed on both sides!) with
255/50/R17 Nitto tires.The engine compartment was completely
detailed before the powerplant was then dropped between the
framerails, a 383 stroker Chevy engine with a big 'Mooneyham and
Sharp' 6:71 blower supercharger, built by one of the most famous
hot rod shops of all time, 'Blair's Speed Shop' in Pasadena, CA. To
handle the estimated 650HP, Blair's used a steel Eagle stroker
crank and H-Beam steel Eagle rods. Pistons are custom Ross units
with Xtreme rings. Aluminum heads with a custom valve job
contribute to the low 8:1 compression ratio that's needed for this
big boost combination. A Comp Cams camshaft (0.515 lift with
248/257 duration) is driven by a gear drive. Two Holley 650 double
pumpers supply the air/fuel mixture. 'Street amp; Performance's'
serpentine belt system was used and it even drives the Vintage Air
conditioning system. The truck also has a heater and defrost and a
custom emergency brake. A premium sound system with AM/FM/CD is
located under the passenger front seat with remote control, 2 side
speakers, amp; 2 Boom Box speakers behind the rear seat.A custom
machined air cleaner and a set of built headers and Magna flow
mufflers were used to help control the sound of this beautiful
beast. The custom exhaust front to rear is completely jet coated.
3.5" Electric cutouts from Doug's Headers allow for uncorked
cruising where applicable and are controlled from a switch on the
dash. The transmission is a 700R4 with overdrive built by the 'Toy
Shop' in Pomona, CA and 'Art Carr's California Performance
Transmissions' custom built the B amp;M Mega Ratched floor shifter
controlled and used a 3,000 stall speed convertor. A B amp;M
transmission cooler keeps things at operating temperature. Gil also
had a Gear Vendors under/overdrive installed so he could cruise,
despite the 4.11 gears.This engine and drivetrain combination was
built to be both supremely powerful yet manageable on the street.
There's no overheating worries and maybe the custom made aluminum
radiator from 'Mattsons' in Stanton, CA is part of the reason!
Nothing too wild was done with the body, but a few nice touches by
'Specialized' enhanced it immensely. First the driprails were
removed, and that's no easy task! Then the doors were radiused, the
reverse-opening hood was bolted on, a billet grille was installed
and a custom core support was fabricated. The body was filled with
no trim, a built smooth filled firewall amp; inner fender wells and
bumpers and a third brake light were added. Jag style headlights
were mounted inside the '55 front end buckets. The paint was
completed at the renown 'Autocrafters' in Torrance, CA with a base
Black with master painter Rick Leos and Eduardo 'Lalo' Hernandez
completing the wild custom 'Indian Tribal' flames. The custom hood
opens in reverse and was engineered by 'No Limit Engineering'. A
custom 16 gallon gas tank has been installed under the bed with a
fill through floor mechanism. The fiberglass bed of the truck with
a custom tailgate has a solid oak wood floor that was left over
from the 1906 San Francisco Fire which is coated with high gloss
polyurethane. A custom bed cover with locking mechanism is by
'Gaylord' protects it and is painted to match.For the interior
'Fiber Tech' in Huntington Beach were hired and they opted for BMW
ultra soft leather in Black with Tweed upholstery by 'Touch of
Class' for the seats and a custom made headliner and all interior
wells were filled ground smoothed. A Flaming River steering column
to give the driver a lot of adjustability was topped with a Flaming
River steering wheel wrapped in leather. The dash was customized by
'Specialized' with a bevy of Auto Meter gauges installed. The
wiring was completely redone with 'Quickwire' products with all
connections soldered for ultimate reliability and labeled and with
the fuse panel relocated behind the rear seat for easy access. The
glovebox remained functional and the entire floor was covered with
a heatshield to keep the cab cool. The windows and antenna are
power and the doors handles have been shaved and are electrically
opened by remote control as are the power locks and the custom
light system under the hood. The truck has 2 x 12 volt batteries.
The main battery powers the ignition system. The housing was custom
built and is located under the floor of the passenger seat. The
auxillary battery powers all other electrical units and is custom
mounted under the undercarriage on the passenger side. Both
batteries are charged automatically by an isolator and a CTek
charger that automatically keeps both batteries fully charged.
There is also a custom hidden hitch behind the rear license plate
and there are two hidden kill switches.By the year 1955 Chevrolet
was at the pinnacle of designs for all American pick ups. Their
models had beautiful sculpted fenders and door panels with low
hoods and stylish egg crate grilles. They also boasted wraparound
windshields and were loved for being both practical and stylish at
the same time. The '55 Cameo set a new level of glamour and was
designed to attract attention whilst...for more information please
contact the seller.