The bow tie front panel is also new. I got it from LMC. I also bought a tailgate from LMC too. I purchased these inner bed panels from Premier Street Rods. These will be important to building out the new fleetside bed and giving us some good strength. The bottom of the bed sides is strenthened by these inner panels. Steel bed on a '57 will be very nice. And when it gets a '59 fleetside built around it, it will be very unique and custom. Test fiiting the bed. Not too hard since this is the frame it was born on. Bed is cut out. Working on the wheel tubs. Cutting the end bed supports from the '58. Needed them to extend the bed ends for the 92. They are what the rear bed pillars mount to. Keith getting the short bed floor ready for the '59 flletside sheet metal. Had to cut the bedsides off the tubs. As of now, we think we are going to put a modern hidden gas nozzel on it. For sure i am not haveing the tank behind the seat like the '55 did. A modern steel bed will make the new 1955 short bed fleetside really sturdy and strong and very functional. I will be nice not to worry about a wood bed. Cutting the steel bed floor out of 'blue. I do not want a high maintenance wooden bed floor. Long bed on a short frame. It will need very much work. More early fittings. Early fittings. Sophisticated 2x4 leveling system. First fitting...little too low. Setting the '57 cab on the '92 frame. Here is the old chassis. Look at the old style front leaf springs and solid axle. Chevy on John Deere. Yes, it's real!! Redneck engineering. Cab heading to the backyard...forever! Now the cab is heading to pasture. The old bed is out to pature. You will see it again as we decided we were going to use the steel bed floor instead of a wooden bed. Bed and fenders off. One day we will sand, clean and paint the frame. The work begins. We are taking the bed off 'Blue. Getting down to the chassis. Keith rules!! Some digital paintbooth renderings of Ol' Blue with a different, two tone paint job. Now 'Blue looses the sheet metal and gets a new antique Apache skin!! House of Kolor Digital Paint Booth rendering of Ol' Blue when I thought I might just customize it. The antique resto-mod project won out. Anyone want some Silverado sheet metal? Me, Ted and 'Blue at work at the lakehouse. Must have been the early days as it looks like I was bringing patio furniture from Houston. Fredo shipped the bed from SanDiego. This is being unloaded at the SanDiego Forward Air terminal and about to be flown to Austin Bergstrom airport. The project started with me buying this bed from a great guy named Fredo in SanDiego. I purchased just the bed as he was turning this '59 into a flatbed. Note - my truck is a '57 but I want a fleetside and '57s were step side only. Fredo from SanDiego! Fredo sold me the fleetside bed and shipped it to Austin for me. This is Fredo and his "Fantastic '59"! Headin to Texas!! Even old trucks dream of retiring to the Texas Hill Country. It just took 55 years! Meet Lee of LB Enterprise in Kansas. Lee was really helpful in the process of getting me the truck. The price was fair and he was great to work with. Google LB Enterprise in Hugoton Kansas and you can see all the vehicles Lee has for sale. Travis has the truck loaded in Kansas and is about to head back to Austin. The bed on the back is temporary. Travis agreed to drop it for Lee on the way. Crazy coincidence since it is a fleetside and is exactly what we are going to do!! :) Pulling the cab, hood and fenders off the old frame and mating them to my '92 Silverado chasis. Driver's side floorboard with optional, double secret, "quick ! poor your beer out.." hole. Toward dirver side door. I see some chrome trim. Remember I have never seen this truck in person. Looking across back of cab toward passenger side door. Looks very nice. No really, this is nice. :) Starting with this 1957 I found in Hugoton, Kansas. ...just the cab and front fenders and hood...