Ben's 1961 Chevy Apache K20, Missoula, MT to St. Louis, Missouri

[61Chevy454]

Hey guys, I guess this will be my build thread for my 1961 K20 with a 454 and a 700R4 (It blew up on the way home so its in the shop being replaced with a TH350.

Front view:

Driver Side:

Passenger side:

Rear:

Motor:

Interior:

Sketchy Front Springs:


Yes, those are lift blocks in the front. Thank god the transmission lost everything but 1st gear 150 miles from home because if I drove it like that going 60, I could have died. Yes, I bought it in Great Falls, Montana, about 150 miles from home and lost 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear 130 miles from home. I limped it home 30 miles an hour, stopping multiple times to check on the motor and all that good stuff and it seemed solid, 40 lbs of oil presure and everything. I left Great Falls at 9:30PM and got home at 3:30 in the morning. It was a long night.

The truck is also getting an RSK for the rear and 4 inch lift springs put on the front since I had to spend the money on new springs anyway, to negate the fact that there was a lift block that had to be removed.

The new transmission is a TH350 mated to an NP205 transfer case out of a junkyard. The TH350 seems to be in really good shape and so does the NP205, and it does have a warranty.

The motor has an Edelbrock carburetor, Edelbrock intake, headers, Mallory ignition box and an MSD distributor.

In about 2 months, I plan on moving back home to Missouri from Montana and driving this thing home...Yes, I know how bad the gas mileage will be, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

I need to patch the floor pans and put on a different set of doors I ordered...I also want to change out the whole gauge panel for one like http://www.lmctruck.com/features/cbe/cbec21.htm this.

I also would like to make the windows roll down with the crank but that could be a problem that isn't worth fixing!

[61Chevy454]

The mechanic says he's able to get the leaf springs from the 67 kit to work with my truck so when I get it back, it'll have a set of 4 inch lift springs in the front, a rear shackle kit in the back and have a much meaner stance. I also ordered up a set of 33x12.50x15 tires with a 45,000 mile warranty. Total cost for the tires was $700+mounting. I figure that this is about what the truck will look like when it's done




Photocredit to user Argonaut and his truck for the pictures. These photos were of his 66 on 34s

[61Chevy454]

Been a while, and a lot has been done!

700R4 has been removed and replaced. Has new shocks in the front with 4" lift springs, and a bunch of leaves pulled out the back. Also had the rear main seal done while it was there.

Also got 33x12.50x15 inch tires...here's a pic with the tires on!


I have a junkyard nearby me that has a set of decent doors he'll sell me for $100 a piece, and they're gonna be way better than the doors on mine. I also found a guy who will sell me the deluxe original steering wheel from this make and model for $20.

[61Chevy454]

Sorry for the long time in between posts! Even more has been done, special shoutout to @JonZCustomShop for his massive help in this project.

First things first, two new doors! Here is the driver side with the door off!


Here she is with the new driver side door.


She also got West Coast big rig mirrors on both sides thanks to Jon!


As well as a GMC front grille. I traded him my black Chevy one for his white GMC one. We both had something the other wanted, so it worked out perfectly, except for the minor electrical issue that took us about an hour to figure out was a blown fuse to the headlight switch!


She also got an original 1961 Chevy steering wheel which thankfully fit on the column just fine!

Over the weekend, I rebuilt my first carburetor ever to put on her. I swapped out the 1406 600 CFM Edelbrock and I rebuilt a core 1407 750 CFM carburetor I bought for $40. Took me a few hours, but it works

[TJ's Chevy]

Those big mirrors will be a nice addition! My GMC has them to.

[61Chevy454]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

Those big mirrors will be a nice addition! My GMC has them to.

They are a nice addition! Especially if the passenger side mirror would stay on! The retaining nuts came off so it keeps falling out, I figure I'll probably just buy a new bracket. Can't wait to get seat belts and my carb dialed in so she'll drive real good.

[61Chevy454]

Got in some parts for the truck today! First off, a 1" wood carburetor spacer from Edelbrock, and a set of 1" wheel spacers so my tie rods will stop rubbing on my tire!

[61Chevy454]

Unfortunately, I stripped out the threads from my intake manifold. No spacer for me, need to pick up some loctite to make sure the bolt stays in but its holding pressure for now.

Got in my calibration kit...when I first rebuilt the 1407 (750CFM), it was my first carburetor rebuild ever and I had no idea what jets and rods were in it. It was way too rich, so I pulled the rods out of my 1406 (7542) and put in a set of 7352 rods that leaned it out quite just enough to the point that I don't smell gas anymore. I'm still trying to figure out the optimal pump shot amount for the thing. Also, 6MPG is killer in the city.

I'm also contemplating going to a brake booster/dual reservoir master cylinder kit in the future if I get some extra cash. Specifically, CPP kit #6062BB4-8. If anyone has an option that would be less than $300, let me know! @CaptainFab, if you have any ideas, let me know!

Next up, I have to take care of the rear brakes...they're done for. I'm mostly worried about blowing a wheel cylinder and since my reservoir is a single reservoir, I will lose front and rear brakes if and when I blow one.

Also, here is a photo of the steering wheel install with the ugly Camaro column.


Here is the photo of the headunit install (the shop I went to did a great job at making it look good.


Here is the speaker setup.


Bonus OLD and NEW pic.


Let me know what you think!

[Captainfab]

You can add power brakes to your truck for less than $300 using one of my booster brackets which is actually designed to bolt to your firewall correctly.

[61Chevy454]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

You can add power brakes to your truck for less than $300 using one of my booster brackets which is actually designed to bolt to your firewall correctly.

I'll probably take you up on ordering the brackets! I'll have to check how much this months paycheck is and what my finances look like. Also, stupid question because I'm sure the answer is yes, but can I remove my clutch pedal easily without messing up the master cylinder that is in the truck? I would like to get rid of the ugly vestigial limb that is the pedal. It takes up a ton of room.

[Captainfab]

Yes the clutch pedal can be removed from the pedal assembly.

[61Chevy454]

Made quite a bit of progress on Apache. The original Harrison radiator from 1960 was starting to leak, not much, but a bit, and I figured it was probably time for a new one. Bought a 3-core aluminum rad off Amazon and it cools way better. Only issue I had was the drain plug was broken, so all I did was JB weld it and it stopped leaking! I'm thinking I just need a set of aluminum valve covers to make my engine bay look real nice!


I also added a Hayden 678 transmission cooler and deleted the radiator cooler. I don't want to risk coolant leaking into my $1200 transmission and destroying it.

Here's a bonus shot for y'all! Looks badass(;

[61Chevy454]

Hey guys, long time no see! Just thought I would check in with y'all. SHE MADE IT!

Her and I made the trip in about 3 days...without a single hiccup. She went the whole trip running strong and smooth as ever, didn't have me pulled over once...unless you count the $3-400 I spent in gas! The best MPG I got was 9.92 MPG, which is fairly good for a 454, I'd say.