One Family '59 Apache, new shop truck.

[Zoomad75]

Hey all! Got a new project I'll be checking in here for help on from time to time. Been on here a long time, but usually hang out in the 4x4 area. Little background to start. I'm the Service Manager at a little Chevy dealer in southern Colorado. The owner of our dealership surprised the heck out of me by buying a '59 Apache Fleetside that he's had his eye on for a long time. He's pretty much given us in the shop full reign to restore it back to it's former glory. Despite being the owner of a dealership he's not what you would consider a "car guy" like most of us greasers in the shop are.

So here's the subject:


I've been at this dealer for 5 years and counting. The truck has been sitting in front of a little farmhouse about a half mile up the road from the dealership. Everybody in the shop knew where it was and most even made an offer on it, myself included. It was owned by a great old gal that passed away a few months back. She was a customer of ours as she also had a '67 Chevelle she bought new and drove nearly every day and a '76 Lincoln Mark V (can't remember exactly) and we worked on both to keep them up and running. We even rebuilt the 283 in the Chevelle a couple of years back. The Apache was her fathers, that he bought new in '59. It was the truck they used in the field and around their small 10 or so acre farm. When he passed away the truck was left right where he left it in front of the garage.

We got to know her pretty well, my techs, my advisors, me and our owner too. When she needed anything automotive we handled it. Our owner passes by her place a couple of times a day as it's on his way home and he stopped one day a couple of years back when he saw her out in the hay field. She was pulling weeds, so he walked out and asked if he helped pick the weeds if she would sell the truck to him. Her response was even he didn't have enough money to buy her Daddy's truck. They laughed, but she was serious. She kept that truck up to the day she passed too.

Her death surprised all of us and we all knew from talking to her she never had kids nor did she have any surviving relatives either. We all wondered what would happen with the vehicles, farm and such. Small town information channels are just as speedy as the internet even today and the word came out that everything was to be auctioned off for her favorite charity. She was pretty sharp and had it all laid out in her will from what we were told.

I took a rare Saturday off to go play in the mountains with my son and another couple of buddies and our trucks and that's when the boss went to the auction. He paid a good sum for it, but still less than I think its worth in this condition. He, I and our wrecker driver went after it the following Monday which is where the picture was taken.

So the details about the truck is that her Dad bought it new. Reads 75k on the clock right now and based on overall condition, in out and under I don't think it's rolled the odo over either. It was last plated in 1999. It's been parked outside under an apple tree for at least that long. As the time capsule it is, a pouch her her Dad's favorite Beechnut tobacco was still on the dash right next to the pipe holder. The truck is a 283/2bbl, 3speed on the column. Big back window, deluxe trim with the fleetside bed. Near as we could tell sometime in it's life it got a second coat of paint, but lacks any major rust. Floor is clean. One spot in the cab corners. Interior bed metal needs some work as it's crusty at the bottom, but the besides are good except for the back corners. Bed wood is there, but wasted. Interior is complete with deluxe upholstery on the door panels matching the seat, but the seat upholstery is wiped out.

Engine only required a fresh battery and fuel and it fires right up and idles quiet and smooth. Fuel was leaking from a rotten line from the frame to the pump, but that was fixed easy enough. Amazing. Checking the stamping number on the front of the block confirms it's the right engine as it has the "M" suffix which by all my research and checking the Chevrolet By the numbers book, is a 59-64 truck 283 2bbl manual trans engine.

First mini project to tackle is the brakes. Pedal goes to the floor. I took the task of ordering up all new wheel cylinders, master cylinder and various seals and gaskets. We replaced the rear drums yesterday with new shoes and had to bend up new lines along with pulling the axles to replace the leaking axle seals. Axles looked mint at the sealing/bearing surfaces and the ring gear and spiders showed perfect wear patterns with no issues. Today we knocked out the front. We turned the original drums as they had a lot of meat on them and wanted to keep the look with the rivets attaching them to the hub. Heck the bearings looked fresh once we cleaned the decades old grease out of them. Rolled smooth and quiet.

Once we make it safe to move under it's own power, it's getting a major scrub down and then myself and our body shop manager will map out the plan of attack. Our owner wants a dead nuts on original frame off restoration. So no modifications. I even got shot down about powder coating the frame as it's not what the factory did.

I've got more photos, but need to upload and then I'll add them in. I've poured over LMC and Brother's websites, can any of you suggest other sources for stock parts for the stuff that LMC or Bothers might not have? Where on earth am I going to find the original style material for the seat and door panels? I found one place that might have it that I sent pics of the design that I'm waiting to hear back from.

Thanks for looking and any help!

[Zoomad75]

Interior



rear.


engine


Been a while since the wheel has been off..


rear brake


rear axle


front

[Hampshire]

Nice find! Kinda tempting to do just enough to get it running well & safe to drive. Leave the paint, some new tires & maybe a fresh blanket on the bench seat.

Reminds me of so many I saw of these when I lived in CO in the 70s....

[lynx5653]

great story and a nice truck, hope it stays at dealership. would be nice to name it after the lady as a memorial.

[OrrieG]

Nice find, original v8 truck with custom cab trim. No rust is a big bonus, The one change from original I would make is upgrading to a dual MC under the floor in the stock location. No one will see it unless they are crawling around underneath and it gives you the peace of mind in case of a brake failure. Freshen up the lines, hoses, belts, suspension bushings, etc.

Correct reproduced fabic and vinyl is available for the seats, there might even be some bolts of NOS stuff floating around. Original bed is southern pine (actually a hard wood not like the western yellow pine) painted black as were the bed strips. Reclaimed southern pine is available for a cost.

The fleetside spear trim is worthless, I will give you my shipping address so it can properly be disposed of!

Great find.

[Russell Ashley]

Great story, I'm looking forward to updates on this one.

[beanyard]

Does it have the overdrive option?

[hopped up]

Awesome truck! Just order a dropped axle and dropped leaves and tell your boss they're stock

[Zoomad75]

Plans are that the truck will stay as part of the dealership fleet. The boss wants it in the showroom when it's done. Like I said he's not much of a car guy so it's all kind of a shocker he wants to do this. He's not into car shows but he knows I am, so he'd like me to take it to some local shows as a calling card for the Service and Body shop departments.


I like the idea of making it safe to run, cleaning it up and running it with the patina. We may do that as a temporary thing as our body shop is crazy busy right now.

Orrie, sorry the spears as "junk" as they are, ain't going anywhere! I'm learning a lot about this truck, but have been around many growing up in a house with '57 Chevy cars. I almost got a 57 Cameo for my first vehicle, just couldn't get the seller to meet me in the middle on price.

No overdrive on this one. My tech and I were giggling at the puny size of the little 3 speed. Compared to the SM465 in my K5 this thing is tiny!

Even the radio still works too. We've been referring to the truck as the "ol girl". She's been a little angry about being messed with as my tech drew blood and got a lump on his noggin when he was under it. She's coming around though, one tends to be a little cranky after long slumber.

Most of my crew is more "mature" you might say, so this is right up their alley and it's a nice mental break from diagnosing electrical/computer problems that can be so draining. Our painter in the body shop is in his twenties though. As we were unloading we had a pretty good crowd out checking it out and he popped off with the question if he had to work on that old thing. My most tenured tech who is going to do the lions share of the mechanical work told him "yes you will". The painter replied I'll put in my resignation if they make me work on it. So my tech responds, better write the resignation now!

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

The painter replied I'll put in my resignation if they make me work on it. So my tech responds, better write the resignation now!

Why is he even in the profession?? Just the guy I would want working on my car!! You would think he would jump at the opportunity to get paid to work on a classic like that. Unless he is afraid he is not up to the task, or it will cut into his commission work???

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Why is he even in the profession?? Just the guy I would want working on my car!! You would think he would jump at the opportunity to get paid to work on a classic like that. Unless he is afraid he is not up to the task, or it will cut into his commission work???

One, he's a kid. Two, he knows we will all expect his best work to lay some flat paint. He's a pretty good painter for such a young age, but not much into the classics. The last hot rod we did he painted came out great, but he was pretty stressed out about it. This project won't cut into regular work, but fill in when we have our normal slow down in the winter. It's really a difference of getting sent home when we don't have work or having something to work on to make a paycheck with. His Dad is our body man and is an old school panel bender so I know he'll make a nice smooth surface to lay paint on for his son.

It's going to be good team building project for the whole back half of the dealership for sure.

Funny side note, the dealer's son (one of our sales guys) who is also pretty excited about this too asked me "How much have you spent on parts so far?" after I got all the brake parts in. My response was "Does it matter?" delivered with a side of sarcasm. He wasn't happy with my tone, but he's never really been involved with a restoration of any type. I went on to explain, take what ever number you thought it was going to cost and double it. We might be close there. Parts add up quick. Even with a truck this complete we still need some patch panels, bumpers, tailgate, bed wood, wide whites and various bits and pieces. Then factor the man hours too. Oh and who knows what this friggen un-obtainable deluxe upholstery is going to cost if anybody has it!

I'm not spending money on a whim, but some parts just can't be reused. Anything that is rubber on the truck is dried out and rotten. Window gaskets, grommets, floor mat, cab mounts all dried out in our dry Colorado climate. I'm starting a spreadsheet to track what we have, need and parts sources. I'll throw a column in there for cost too.

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

The last hot rod we did he painted came out great, but he was pretty stressed out about it.

Pretty much what I assumed and understand, working on the bosses truck. I hope you have a meeting with them and explain they could probably go on Ebay, etc. and find one completely done and ready to roll into the show room for less than it will cost to restore it.

BUT if it is going to be the company calling card to use for marketing the back room services, clever accountants can figure out how to expense the costs and labor expense, and it is a good team building exercise then it can be a win for everyone.

My wife and I had the discussion many years ago that most of my car expenses would not be recovered, but I could just as easily be giving them to the neighborhood bar or shrink but without the vehicles to show for it!

Will be fun to follow.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Pretty much what I assumed and understand, working on the bosses truck. I hope you have a meeting with them and explain they could probably go on Ebay, etc. and find one completely done and ready to roll into the show room for less than it will cost to restore it.

BUT if it is going to be the company calling card to use for marketing the back room services, clever accountants can figure out how to expense the costs and labor expense, and it is a good team building exercise then it can be a win for everyone.

My wife and I had the discussion many years ago that most of my car expenses would not be recovered, but I could just as easily be giving them to the neighborhood bar or shrink but without the vehicles to show for it!

Will be fun to follow.

We've had quite a few discussions over the restoration vs buy done argument. We still have a 49 or 50 (can't remember) 5 window 3100 that was used at the dealership to haul trash to the dump for years. We were discussing restoring that one before the 59 became available. Problem on that one is that truck is completely clapped out. Rusty, worn and generally beat up by many a lot boy gear jamming the 3 on the tree. That truck would be an upside down battle even despite it's history with the store.

The 59 is in much better shape by comparison. It doesn't have the history tied to the dealership like the 5 window, but the truck is well known to most "car/truck guys" in our little town. Seems many have found out we got it and are kicking themselves for not coming to the auction.

The costs will get accounted for in the right bucket but that's way above my paygrade to worry about.

You can get the original material for the interior at - http://www.smsautofabrics.com/ Its a little pricey but it is original, and they'll send you samples to help match before you buy.

I found their website a couple of days after I found out we had the truck. Emailed them for a sample, sent a couple pics and just Saturday after I left the samples came in the mail. The boss handed me the envelope with a big grin on his face. I knew what it was from the name on the envelope. Opened it up and it's great match to the original. You aren't kidding on the price, $95 a yard for the cloth and the vinyl isn't much cheaper. But it's the right stuff so it's worth it!

Pics uploading...

Oh yeah, brakes got bled and adjusted. New fluid in the diff, trans and engine. Fresh oil filter element and oil in the oil bath. The tech took the boss out for it's first run since being parked for a very long time. He got his shirt and pants filthy from the nasty seat cover but came back with that big grin on his face again. Then the tech and I took it out again so I could have a ride. Took video from inside too. (I'm such geek!) We are all really surprised how well it drives. It accelerates with spunk, trans shifts cleanly and the new brakes stop straight and true. Need to tighten up the steering as it's a tad sloppy. The engine runs so well, we are torn about doing a full blown rebuild to it. It's holding 30psi+ for oil pressure and does not smoke at all. We are going to run it a little more to loosen things up a little and take a compression test to see what we got.

Added some more items to the list we need. Dang shifter looks like it broke off a couple of inches up from the base and it was booger welded back together.

[MitchFloyd]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

One, he's a kid. Two, he knows we will all expect his best work to lay some flat paint. He's a pretty good painter for such a young age, but not much into the classics. The last hot rod we did he painted came out great, but he was pretty stressed out about it. This project won't cut into regular work, but fill in when we have our normal slow down in the winter. It's really a difference of getting sent home when we don't have work or having something to work on to make a paycheck with. His Dad is our body man and is an old school panel bender so I know he'll make a nice smooth surface to lay paint on for his son.

It's going to be good team building project for the whole back half of the dealership for sure.

Funny side note, the dealer's son (one of our sales guys) who is also pretty excited about this too asked me "How much have you spent on parts so far?" after I got all the brake parts in. My response was "Does it matter?" delivered with a side of sarcasm. He wasn't happy with my tone, but he's never really been involved with a restoration of any type. I went on to explain, take what ever number you thought it was going to cost and double it. We might be close there. Parts add up quick. Even with a truck this complete we still need some patch panels, bumpers, tailgate, bed wood, wide whites and various bits and pieces. Then factor the man hours too. Oh and who knows what this friggen un-obtainable deluxe upholstery is going to cost if anybody has it!

I'm not spending money on a whim, but some parts just can't be reused. Anything that is rubber on the truck is dried out and rotten. Window gaskets, grommets, floor mat, cab mounts all dried out in our dry Colorado climate. I'm starting a spreadsheet to track what we have, need and parts sources. I'll throw a column in there for cost too.

You can get the original material for the interior at - http://www.smsautofabrics.com/ Its a little pricey but it is original, and they'll send you samples to help match before you buy.

[Kim57]

Very cool truck and great story.
Kim

[Highsider]

Thanks, Zoom, for the time to tell us this cool story.
Also, you have been around here long enough to know we love pictures.
Thanks for posting.

[Highsider]

Your last paragraph reminds me, I used all Steele Rubber brand items for new door window felts and channels, as well as all glass and door, hood, etc seals.
It is the "good stuff".
See my "roof" thread on what I had done to mine last winter.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by Highsider

Your last paragraph reminds me, I used all Steele Rubber brand items for new door window felts and channels, as well as all glass and door, hood, etc seals.
It is the "good stuff".
See my "roof" thread on what I had done to mine last winter.

Great tip! We plan on doing this one time and not having to come back and re-do stuff. Not that this truck is going to spend much time outside once it's done, but we want it to look and fit like factory.

[FarmerSid]

Great story and plan!

[_Ogre]

nice find, nice truck. i can appreciate stock too

[Divine 59]

Best ways to "tighten up" the steering are:
1) Check tie rod ends for slack. I would either rebuild or swap out the center link for a center link that accepts modern tie rod ends.
2) Check the drag link. It's probably a little loose and that will make the steering sloppy.
3) Recommend replacing ball bearings in front with needle bearings. It will roll easier and make the steering effort light.

Otherwise stock to honor the previous owner. Sounds like she's a class act and deserves the homage. Good luck with whatever y'all decide.

[ChuckDriver]

Great story and an awesome truck!

[Highsider]

Ultra cool video.

Heater temp missing?

[Ratpin]

Subscribed.

My dad and I are also working on a '59 short fleetside deluxe big back window.

[1project2many]

That 1 could be reproduced by a CNC machinist. Once chromed, no difference would be noticed.

3) Recommend replacing ball bearings in front with needle bearings. It will roll easier and make the steering effort light.

"Nothing rolls like a ball!"
http://vintage-ads.com/AdDetail.asp?ItemNum=1945-5014
And actually, "barrel" or spherical roller bearings are the best choice as they are most tolerant of misalignment.