Feature Car

1957 Cameo
Owned by Dave and Lucy Gmur
Central Fraser Valley Chapter

It was May, 1990, and we were on our way back from the Castlegar May Tour. We stopped in Kelowna for a day, and I happened to visit a car sales lot which had a few old cars out front. When I spoke to a sales rep. and expressed my interest in classic vehicles, he directed me to a large building at the back of the lot, containing a collection of approximately 30 vehicles - most on consignment. I soon spotted the '57 Chevrolet Cameo. It was complete and looked to be a nice "driver". It had been repainted a non-original color - metallic brown with black box inserts - not real pretty. The only thing not original was the chrome reverse wheels and radial tires, but the original rims were in the truck box.   Missing were the original hub caps and Cameo beauty rims. The glove compartment contained original sales warranty from the dealership in Davenport, Washington, Phone #52! Also receipts for engine rebuild at 100,000 miles. (the odometer now showed 109,000) The salesman informed me that the present owner had recently moved to Kelowna from eastern Washington, and needed to sell this truck to fund the restoration of his '57 Chevy convertible. Well, my decision was probably hasty, as I didn't think this truck would be long for sale here, so I bought it and had it transported to Abbotsford. 

At this time I was involved with other projects, so the truck was put in storage until a later date. But in the meantime, I did take some time to research the history and interesting facts about the '57 Cameo. 

The production years for the Cameo were short - 4 in all - 1955 to 1958. A total of 10,320 were sold. Before the Cameo, pick-ups ranked as trucks, but the Cameo changed all that. It became known as America's first production 'glamour truck'. The Cameo's option list alone took it out of the truck category. V-8 engine, power steering, power brakes, 4 speed Hydramatic or 4 speed synchromesh, 3-speed with overdrive, and electric wipers were only a few. The first Cameos, like early corvettes were all painted Bombay Ivory with red around the back of the cab and inside box.   The 1957 Cameo (2,244 built) was available in 11 two-tone colors - I won't list them all, but I chose the turquoise and ivory combination, which incidentally, was the original color of this truck. 

The Cameo's outer pickup box was formed from fiberglass, as was the skin of the tailgate. Fabrication of these panels was handled by the same people who supplied Corvette bodies - Molded Fiberglass of Ashtubula, Ohio. The rear bumper is a 7 piece unit consisting of two chrome bumperettes bolted to the 3-piece main bumper which is painted the main body color. The center section of the bumper is hinged and when lowered, allows access to the fiberglass spare tire carrier. The tail lights are large, similar to a larger version of those on the '54 Chev. passenger car. 

The cab of the Cameo gives a panoramic view with its wraparound windshield combined with the wraparound back glass - all tinted. The seat is upholstered in vinyl at the side with cloth - similar to the seat in the 1954 BelAire. 

The Cameo was priced at about $500.00 above the price of a standard Chevy pickup, an amount sufficient to discourage quite a few potential buyers. 

Finally, in June, 1996, I began the dismantling procedure to prepare for the restoration. I was amazed at the excellent general condition - no dents, even the chrome was good with the exception of a few pieces. Headlight and taillight bezels had a few pits, rear bumper corners and bumperettes were slightly scuffed. These would have to be rechromed. 

We dismantled fenders, doors, box and tailgate, stripped all down to bare metal. They were all but perfect, no evidence of previous damage or repair. The cab was removed from the frame and both were sandblasted. Only one damage spot was found on the cab roof which had been leaded. The lead was removed and the area properly repaired. The wood deck in the box was still in good condition, except for one cracked board, but I decided to replace all the wood. The glass was all intact and good condition. The frame, engine and transmission were prepared and painted. The bodywork, paint and reassembly of cab, hood, doors and front fenders was done by H & R Collision, Abbotsford, B.C. 

Mechanical repairs and general reassembly was done by myself with the help of some good friends. 

Re-installation of the front windshield posed probably the biggest problem of this restoration. I had purchased a new rubber windshield surround, and having installed that, the original windshield was not fitting!! Ron Eyben and Earl Tucker came to the rescue with their glass expertise and made it happen. 

Now that it was all back together - painted, upholstered, primped and pampered, I could stand back and admire, I was happy with the end result. The Cameo has taken many awards in car shows, and has provided us with a lot of enjoyment. Our 18 year old Grandson even thinks the Cameo is 'cool' to drive, and to me, that says something for this 'classic'. 

Thanks for your interest........... Dave Gmur