With the goal of customizing the 1955 Chevy pick up that I bought in the late 1970’s, I decided to mate this classic cab with a more modern step-side pick up bed.

Chevrolet made the same step-side bed from 1988 to 1998 so that seemed like a good choice. The bed on my pick up is from 1992. I wanted to blend the old with the new(er). That meant modifying the bed fenders to more appropriately match the ’55 front fenders.
 
The two 1992 steps were cut off and the fenders were extended down to an appropriate length. A flat lip was molded around the wheel openings to match the one on the original ’55 truck front fenders. Finally, new single steps were built from scratch to perfectly fit the front of the fender shape at the bottom of the fender to replicate the original ’55 single step.
 
These customized fenders, steps, and rear rolled pan look and fit perfectly. Having seen late model beds on 1955-57 Chevy pick ups at shows, and thinking that they did not blend very well, I decided that there might be a market for this fender design.

I found a small fiberglass company where the owner appreciates old vehicles. He agreed to make a mold of the five pieces: two fenders, two steps, and one rear rolled pan. The first set came out so well that they went on my ’55 pick up. He then produced additional sets for me to sell.

During this time, I mentioned to a friend about my custom fender project. Coincidently, he runs a company that specializes in procuring patents. He offered to do this for me. The patent was awarded on July 19, 2011, which just happens to be my birthday.
 
I realized that I needed to form a new company to market and sell these custom fenders. American RPM (Restoration, Parts & Merchandise) was conceived.

 Mac Reid

CUSTOM TRUCK FENDERS—Patent #US D642,671 S

Please click the image below to see the full information regarding the Patent and the process and work involved with obtaining it.