Jason Graham Hot Rods Saves a 1957 Chevy Cameo Pickup Project Gone Wrong
Mark Fuqua always wanted a vehicle from 1957, his birth year, but preferred something with distinction and unique style. A pro street 1957 Chevy Cameo pickup, the original fiberglass fleetside-style pickup, was discovered on an auction site and seemed to fit Mark’s plan. Once he got the pickup home however, two things became apparent; the truck turned out to be a “patched-up mess,” and he was in over his head for what he envisioned. With that, he turned to Jason Graham Hot Rods to build the custom hauler of his dreams.
Like any project, one needs to build upon a strong foundation, so Jason Graham ordered up a Roadster Shop chassis to replace the cobbled original. The modern suspension design and components provide terrific handling with a smooth ride, and there was also more clearance for a set of Pirelli-wrapped 19×9-inch Schott wheels up front with massive 22×12-inch examples in the rear.
The body is instantly recognizable as a 1957 Chevy Cameo pickup, but custom touches abound, starting with a slight chop and repositioned A-pillar in order to flush-fit the windshield and back glass. The cab corners were reworked to improve the flow into the fiberglass bed, the tailgate was completely restyled, a custom floating grille was created, the bumpers were tucked and modified, and a belly pan was fabricated before Tasha Graham laid down a mirror finish of Glasurit Pearl White.
Under the custom hood is a beautifully crafted engine compartment including a hand-formed radiator cover with a built-in air intake assembly. A Chevrolet Performance LT5 is the centerpiece, adorned with a custom supercharger cover and unique coil covers reminiscent of early Hemi-style valve covers. The 750-horsepower engine is backed by a Bowler Performance-built 4L80E transmission which Mark controls through a Lokar shifter built into a custom console.
That console flows into a custom seat that is wrapped in charcoal-colored leather with inset material pulled from a ’56 Buick. John Miller gets credit for the beautiful stitching on the seat, along with the matching door panels and headliner. The steel dashboard was smoothed and updated with Dakota Digital instrumentation viewed through a Tri-five Chevy passenger car steering wheel perched on a Flaming River column. A Vintage Air system keeps Mark and his lucky passenger cool and comfortable.
The 1957 Chevy Cameo is finished beyond what Mark ever thought possible thanks to the talented crew at Jason Graham Hot Rods. He learned a lot through the build process and was amazed at the amount of work that goes into building a truck to this level and admits that next time he would go to Jason right from the get-go. Lesson learned, but now it’s time to enjoy his custom Cameo!
Photos by John Jackson
