pic of the '59

[59Apache4WD]

hope this works, the truck does........mostly

[ChargerBill]

COOL truck! I love those bullet fleet beds. Is that NAPCO/Corporate running gear or a conversion?

[59Apache4WD]

Thanks!! It is a conversion --'74 k10 running gear. Dana44 front axel, SM465? 4speed (granny low), NP205 T-case, and GM 12 bolt rear-end. It's got a 350 with edelbrock intake and a quadrajet, solid lifters and a hot cam of unknown specs., PS,PB with discs up front. The guy I bought it from was going to do it up with his son, but the dad/son thing didn't fly guess..... I took it to work the other day and somebody pissed me off so I hammered the gas pedal and maybe something on the carb broke free but the secondaries opened up and I thought the front wheels were going to come off the ground!!! WAY COOL! I have to change the gearing in the front end and then go see how it does off road........Probably more than you wanted to know,but thanks for the interest!!
Jeff

[ChargerBill]

Actually I'd like to know a little more. You see, I have a '78 Blazer that I was thinking about using as the running gear for a '58 Chevy stepside. I'm not sure if it would be easier to keep the '58 frame and bolt the Blazer running gear to it, or put the '58 body onto the Blazer frame. Any experience with this? Suggestions? Pitfalls I might want to avoid?

[59Apache4WD]

Well......I didn't do the conversion, I bought it this way but heres what I would have done differently - The 350 is held in by front "old style" motor mounts that come periloulsy close to the harm. balancer, and home- made "okie style" side mounts welded to the frame, To do it from the start I would use Brothers V-8 crossmember/motor mounts ( mine is ok in that there is nothing under the motor so access to things like the starter etc is great). I've got "block hugger" type headers on mine and I think that with the crossmember that they would be needed too. By the way, the stock type starter on mine was put in at an angle when I got it, causing horrible noises---so small type high torque one from Vic Hubbard solved that. The only other issue that I have to deal with is that the power steering box is mounted on the outside of the frame rail (as I'm sure it is on your Blazer) which makes clearance on the inside of the 35"x12.5"s - even with serious wheel offset- real close (hits). I replaced the tie rods and cross link and need to shorten the drag link a little for a bit more room when turning right. Of course, that is the opposite way you want to go for serious wheelin', because if the front left droops, you don't have much range in steering. Cross over steering is not really possible without serious gyrations. I'm not planning on running the Rubicon with mine just some trails and mud, so that doesn't bother me too much. All of that being said- I would think it is a lot less work to convert the old frame than to try to mount the '58 body on the blazer frame. I noticed that you are in no. cal. - I'm in Hayward area, If you want to see it for yourself let me know. Also have you done any diff. work yourself? I need to change the gears in the front diff. on mine (rear is 3.73 front is 3.07), and I have not done this type of thing before. How difficult is it?? I had the rear end done and it cost me about $1600.00, with new axles and posi. If you need photos let me know.

[ChargerBill]

My K5 Blazer has 36" tires on 15" X 10" American Racing Outlaws. I also installed a 4" Skyjacker leaf spring kit. I think I'm going to approach this from the point of keeping the '58 frame. I want to mount the NEW Skyjacker leafs to keep the 4" lift instead of using the old leafs. I guess I'll need to measure where the Blazer steering box is in relation to where it will need to be on the '58 frame. I have a tranny/transfer case mounting crossmember that I could bolt onto/adapt onto the '58 frame and I already have the V8 mounts for the '58 frame. I guess it's time to take some careful measurements and weight the options. One of my biggest concerns is where will the tranny and transfer case shifters come through the floorpan and how far forward will the engine have to be mounted to make it all fit?..

Too bad someone hasn't documented this swap...I'm sure it's been done hundreds of times.

[59Apache4WD]

The steering box on mine is a bit of an issue. It is mounted with through bolts to the frame but one of the upper mounts is acually above the top of the frame rail, so a mount was fabbed and welded on the upper surface of the frame. As far as I can tell by looking under other peoples trucks, my tranny/T-case crossmember is from the '74 also. I need to change rear springs or have mine re-arched and add a leaf to get more room in the rear wheel wells. The tires are 33's (not 35's) and are too close. I have 4" lift blocks on it already and have been told not to go any higher with blocks. I don't know if the front springs are from the '74 or not, but they mount in the original mounts as far as I can tell, the rears do too but I think the perches on the axel were moved to fit the springs.
As far as engine mounting/shifter placement you should have the same layout for frame/ cab floorpan as mine. I have heard that were two different types of floorpan with one having a larger hump than the other and I don't know what mine is but the gearshift comes through the original hole with a little trimming on the right rear, and the t-case stick back about 10-12" behind and about 2-1/2" to the right, but both well within the orig. removeable cover, with Hurst boot/plates on both. It's one of the things I liked best about the conversion and convinced me to buy it, it looked like whoever did it had a clue. It still has the '59 radiator and the front motor mounts sit on stems up from the front crossmember in what I think was the original way a v-8 would have been mounted, I've checked and my truck was not orig. V-8 truck, so those mounting points were formed on all front crossmembers I think. So it should just be a matter of where the T-case crossmember mounts.