Thought I'd share my adventures with the 59 Apache Fleetside I picked up a month ago.
I've wanted a 50s or 60s Chevy truck for a long time. Any of the truck in Illinois are either rusted beyond any repair or restored and priced out of my range. So, knowing that there are many great vintage vehicles out in the western states, I started searching for a truck while out in Colorado on a military assignment. Searched through the internet, looked in the papers, and put out a few want ads and came across a 59 Fleetside. Drove out to see it in a Colorado snowstorm which was an experience in itself. It looked like a good candidate for restoration, so along it came home with me. The truck was drivable when I bought it, but needed some attention to make it roadworthy. When it arrived home on a flatbed (only 2 days from Colorado to Illinois) I had to take it around the block. I'm sure that was a strange sight for the neighbors. Dad came home from work so we had to take it out then too. Ran it out of gas a block away! Got it back home OK and the work started.
Here's a list of what was ordered/replaced. Door channels, gas tank sender unit (and later the gas tank when we opened it up), installed seatbelts, replaced rusted cab corners and fenders, wipers and blades, new windshield, 3 new brake hoses, new fuel hose, new heater hose (the one inside the heater, luckily nothing wrong with the core), adjusted and repaired muffler and pipes, partially replaced taillight wiring, driver door adjusted, oil, change, coolant change, new oil filter, fuel filter, greased and lubed all grease points, full brake inspection, rear end and trans levels checked, new tires, etc.
Lots of other things where checked and repaired as well. After going over this truck, I would say that 95%+ is all original. I hope to keep it as original as practical.
Took it on another voyage around the neighborhood yesterday after all the repairs and it drives and sounds real nice. The clutch will need to be replaced unfortunately. There's a lot more work that I will be doing to get this truck looking great.
The truck will be a daily to work driver when practical. Most of the major work minus the body is done. There are a number of dents that need to come out before any paint goes on it, so it may be a while until the rugged look goes away. The original paint is still on the truck. It was cardinal red but has faded to orange. I'll post updates and more pictures when I can. The Stovebolt site is great. I've spent a lot of time searching the tech section and looking up old posts for answers. It's been a great tool. The link to the pictures of the truck when I got it is in my signature line, which is my
Stovebolt Gallery page.
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