Question about a 59 fleet side

[chopnchaneled]

Please excuse my ignorance but i'm a nubee even on the 67/72 threads but here go's.

Got a friend the has just got a 59 short wheel base stepside, he wants to change it over to a fleet side. He was talking to a guy that told him all 59 fleetsides were cameo's????? Is this true????
Its a half ton.
I'm trying to get him to sign up here but he's not very computer friendly.

Any advise on the question would be great.
Thanks

[FFredo]

I may be wrong but the Cameo does not look much like a fleetside. Also I am not aware that a short bed camero was ever made. Thye did make short bed fleetsides though.
Google images will have a few examples for comparison.

[Maximus]

The information given to your friend is absolutely incorrect.
The cameo was a factory option in 1955-58 that changed the bed. fenders were removed off the step-side frame and fiberglass panels were bolted in their place.
This is the major difference between a cameo and a fleetside.
A fleetside is a new bed design introduced in 1958 that was all steel (minus wood floor), and had a new frame that allowed the bed to span the full width of the truck. a cameo just used the stepside frame so the box was only 4' wide.

hard to explain, but a cameo has the same small bed frame as the stepside, whereas a fleetside is a true full size bed.

also, for originality, 1959 never had a cameo, so a fleetside would be his only accurate option, if he even cared about originality...

He can use either a 1958 fleetside bed or 1959 fleetside bed.


and Ffredo, I think all cameos were built on the 3100 chassis (later renamed 3124 in 1957 to indicate cameo)
3100's were the designation for 1/2 ton short beds

[meter swinger]

Maximus has it right.
Your friend can easily swap to a fleetside bed. He just needs all the parts along with the bed. Whoever is giving him info is a little off.
The tailgate, front bed panel, wheel tubs, tailgate trunions, chains, bumber,taillight lens & bezel are all repopped. Sides are not. Not sure about the cross braces, but the rear sill is repopped and offcourse the boards, strips and all associated bed floor parts are repopped.
Oh and the dadgum tail light housings and pigtail are not reproduced.

It is doable. And if you can find a good complete bed for a good price, it would be a lot easier
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[OrrieG]

Do I have the only short 59 fleetside in existence? No but they are rarer than the long fleetside beds and stepsides. I read somewhere they were even rarer than the 59 Cameos but no numbers exist to prove it. When I got mine in 76 I was actually looking for a long bed because I was going to put a camper on it and could not find a used short bed camper. Just found this one in real good shape just before me purchase deadline.

Drove it thru the winter of 76, second daughter was born April 77, around 3rd week of June put on the camper, tossed the wife and kids in and did a hippie trip from Phoenix to El Paso then thru NM, UT, ID, WA, OR, CA, NV and back to AZ. Was on the road for 8 weeks, only truck problems were crap in the fuel tank which destroyed the fuel pump.

Only people problems were in a snooty subdivision near Orem that did not like us using the frontage road for a dinner stop and had the cops move us on. Did have one altercation in southern CA because the folks didn't like my Army fatigue jacket (really mine I wore it for 3 years in the Army); had to explain that I earned the right to wear it anywhere I wanted to, they could do the same with a trip to their friendly recruiter.

I have more photos of the trip but they are slides and my scanner doesn't do them well.

[chopnchaneled]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Do I have the only short 59 fleetside in existence? No but they are rarer than the long fleetside beds and stepsides. I read somewhere they were even rarer than the 59 Cameos but no numbers exist to prove it. When I got mine in 76 I was actually looking for a long bed because I was going to put a camper on it and could not find a used short bed camper. Just found this one in real good shape just before me purchase deadline.

Drove it thru the winter of 76, second daughter was born April 77, around 3rd week of June put on the camper, tossed the wife and kids in and did a hippie trip from Phoenix to El Paso then thru NM, UT, ID, WA, OR, CA, NV and back to AZ. Was on the road for 8 weeks, only truck problems were crap in the fuel tank which destroyed the fuel pump.

Only people problems were in a snooty subdivision near Orem that did not like us using the frontage road for a dinner stop and had the cops move us on. Did have one altercation in southern CA because the folks didn't like my Army fatigue jacket (really mine I wore it for 3 years in the Army); had to explain that I earned the right to wear it anywhere I wanted to, they could do the same with a trip to their friendly recruiter.

I have more photos of the trip but they are slides and my scanner doesn't do them well.

Thanks Guys for the input.

So, It looks like he may be driving a stepper untill or if he finds a short fleet bed.

[OrrieG]

Cross braces, including the rear sill below the tailgate are repopped by Mar-K. If you are ambitious you can modify a long fleetside to fit but it required taking a section out of both sides of the wheelwell. Somebody here did it, take good welding skills to keep things from warping.