The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks 1961 Apache 4x4 3 door crew cab.

Thanks for letting me join. This is my first build and I picked a truck that may have less then 500 ever built. Good news is it is still just an 61 4x4 Apace so parts are still out there or can be found new. These trucks were built by 5 diffe companies from '61-'66 for airports, loggers, military and railroads. I bought a 1978 GMC Serria Grande for the axles, trans and bellhousing. Housing has a Crack and tranny is not coming off with out pulling motor. I have the original 235, sm420, corporate axles. They could be for sale if anyone is looking. The motor has 120 psi, hei distributor. The carb was missing parts and rebuild kit did not fix it. I bought a '86 sbc that was in a dodge hot rod that got totaled. Motor has 2500 miles since it was gone through. I need a good highway trans, looking at NV4500? Thinking of keeping the divorced trans case? If easier to use transfer case one of a 78 gmc that has the parts to marry it. I have new leaf springs, converted the rear to disk breaks, new gas tank, new break line ready to put in and the front u mount for the 350. I need to put in power steering, new gas line, break booster, clutch master. If you guys know what I am looking to replace, please let me know what you would do. Again, I have never done anything like this. Thanks for the help, and if you know anything about these trucks please inform me.

Thats a nice looking truck. Welcome.

Sweet project. Ive always wanted 1. Sounds like you got your work cut out for ya. Dont overdue it and get overwhelmed tho. Somethings can put on the back burner, like power steering....etc. Keep posting your progress. I like it.

Some of us purists would question the wisdom of butchering up a more or less intact special-production vehicle, but it's "Your circus and your monkeys"- - - - -and your checkbook that's going to be taking the hit. Have you checked the engine casting number? The "235" might actually be a 261 engine, which will be worth considerably more to someone who wants the 235's big brother. A simple bell housing change to one for a hydraulic clutch equipped V8 would allow you to use the original drivetrain without any major modifications.
Jerry

I want to be able to drive it anywhere and with the set up it had, 45 mph was going to be tops. To regear the axle was going to cost twice as much as the 78 gmc that had everything to make it a go anywhere truck. Just running into parts issues that I am sure you have all had. Again, never done ANYTHING close to this and at 43 it is time to change that. The casting number is 3769716 and the head is the higher compression head only used two years is 3836846. My hope is to do frame up for around 40k. My uncle is a hot rod builder and is going to take over once I get it running and driving. The I am going to move on to the '87 Chevy 4x4 or the '78 Ford 250 4x4 next. Problem is that I do not have many near me that has any clue what I am doing and not knowing what I am doing is getting tough, but learning is half the fun. I did get the rear disc converted over today. And the truck has a hydraulic clutch in it now?

Yes, the photo of the engine/trans assembly shows the clutch throwout fork on the passenger's side, and the clutch slave cylinder coupled to it. The master cylinder will be a 2-unit setup on the firewall in a single casting, one line for the brakes, and the other for the clutch. Early 1960's Chevy and GMC trucks used that system for some reason, but it was a production run of only 3-4 years. I have a couple of the V8 bell housings for the hydraulic clutch system stashed away for future projects.

A V8 engine and taller tires would probably bring your road speed with the current gearing up into the low 60's without over-revving the engine.
Jerry

Just tore into the rear end to clean, inspect and fill. The local chevy dealer had a diff cover and both end seals. 4x4lugnut, the break guy says to use 75w-140 full synthic oil? The gears look great and they are 4.10. I am reading the disc breaks should have a break booster? For a few hundred I could put that in, is it needed?


How many of these trucks are still out there and how many were ever made. I know there was like 5 companies building them from '61-'66 I have only for around 15 different ones online.

I had a 65 that was used to load/unload cargo planes. Still had the conveyer belt mount sockets on the front and rear. Caused a stir at the courthouse in the mid 80's when I got a highway license for a 20 year old truck that had never been licensed. There was no need for a license when new as it would never be on the highway. Being a 3/4T it made a great car trailer tow vehicle. Rear gears were extremely deep (4.56, 5.14 ?) but an old BW overdrive made road driving just right.

Interesting variation on a very rare truck.. I have a '64 C10 extended cab pickup that started out as a C20 that was originally built at the Fremont, CA Chevy plant. I have no idea who the company was that did the original body modification on my truck. I would appear that they took the concept to a higher level using a combination of the rear portion of a suburbon blended with a pickup large window rear cap, resulting in a nice looking extended cab. The chassis under my truck was originally a dualie with a six foot flat bed.
I purchased a '98 Z71 extended cab pickup, harvested the chassis and 5.7 V8, 4L60 trans and ten bolt rear end. The long chassis grave me enough length to accommodate my long cab and a stock '64 fleetside pickup bed. Wm.

That is cool. Nice looking truck. I spoke with a guy named Gary that also used one to pull planes around. This one has 6 places to hang long rifles and a spot light on the hood for the driver to run? No idea what mine was built for.

What does the head numbers on the other side mean, B28 918 241 570.

I found Hotrod Lincoln's comment about the '261 CID' early engines to be quite interesting. it has only been in the last ten/fifteen years that I ever heard any mention to the 261's existence. In 1951/52 I put what was touted as being 105 HP Chevy six from a large truck in my '42 Delux coupe that had tossed a rod. I did not keep the car long, sold it to a friend, so I never drove it.
In 1954/56 I was living in Las Vegas. In early 1955 I was working with a man that had a very nice '41 Delux club coupe. My co-worker decided to take a quick trip down to Los Angeles for the week-end. He only got as far as Baker CA when the engine blew up. he left the car in Baker, caught a bus back to Vegas, telling us his sad tail about the car. The car had to be towed into Baker and was sitting in an impound yard.
My Co-worker was short on funds so I offered him a $100.00 for the car and I would pay the tow and storage.
Myself and a friend went down to Baker on the following weekend, payed the fee's due and brought it back to Vegas on a tow bar. The engine was toast, with a rod sticking out of the side of the block. I went on the hunt for an engine, was told that a salvage yard out on the Boulder Highway had some military surplus engines. I went out to the company to check things out. Turns out the engine were surplus truck engines NIB, a big problem was since they were military, they had sealed intake (fording) and ignition systems. Some extensive checking revealed that the engine were the 105 hp Chevy truck engines and were being sold on an exchange basis. Hmmmmm. I made a deal on an engine for $100. exchange, told the seller that I would pull my engine and bring it back in it's original shipping container.
We pulled the engine out of the '41 stripped it down to the bare block, stripped all of the accessories off of the new engine, put all of the '41 accessories onto the new engine and installed it in the car. We put Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders, slowly turned the engine over, drained the pan and installed new oil. The engine started right up, smoked a little bit for awhile, the result of the MMO, then settled down to a nice purr.
We installed all of the military equipment onto the old '41 engine and put it back in it's original crate, returning it to the salvage yard. everybody was happy.
The '41 turned out to be a very nice car, it ran great, the added horse power was a real plus. I drove the '41 for about a year and then sold it to buy a ''50 Olds Rocket 88.. Wm

Update, both axles have new oil and seal. New disc brakes all the was around from lugnut4x4. Got the driveline out if the 78 gmc. Found a shop that will make me rear shackles for the front leaf springs. All new body panels are getting picked up in two weeks. Parts coming tomorrow to put rear axle back on. I have a Instagram page for the truck, 1961_apache_4x4_crew_cab

A couple of things to note on that frame and chassis are that the '60-'66 chevy 4x4 frames were built out of the same dimensions as the 1 ton frames from that era, so those frames are good. If you end up swapping to a newer frame like a lot of people do, don't crush it. Someone will pay good money for it.

The bellhousing crossmember, or rear engine mount crossmember (same thing) is that piece that's bolted to your bellhousing. Those are rare. Don't throw it away. Sell it if you aren't going to use it. However, I would suggest that you use it with a v8 bellhousing. It will locate the engine in the stock location, and give a little added frame strength.

As for transmissions, I will heartily suggest you put a gm 2wd NV4500 behind the 350 and keep the divorced transfer case.

The later axles are a good swap since you don't have to modify anything to bolt them up. If you were closer, I would take the original rear axle off of your hands. A lot of those rear axles were made, but not many had the spring perches in the location that yours does.

Check with Captain Fab over at 67-72 chevy trucks for brake booster and brake and clutch master cylinder brackets that use your stock pedals and hydroboost brakes. He also makes a bracket to bolt up later model steering boxes. He makes good stuff that usually will bolt up without any real modifications to get you power steering and power brakes. If you get rid of your original steering box and bracket, don't trash it. Someone is searching for one.

In general, about everything on that truck is rare. Don't trash any of it because someone is looking for it.

That's a great truck with a cool history.

The NV 4500 should be an easy swap if it has the hydraulic slave cylinder and throw out arm on the right side like my NV 3500 does. In 61 the factory clutch set up should also be on the passenger side so just a bit of tweaking needed.