55.2-59 1959 Chevy Apache Short Step "Goldilocks"

[youngrodder]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

i've never been one for the shiny patina ... but my need to seal it is starting to outweigh that.

the capper is amazing on that truck, such a great look!

I recommend the use of a product called "Patina sauce" by Sweet Patina. It leaves a matte sheen and works to preserve the metal while providing a water beading quality like its been waxed. I have used this on the Family Truckster and love it. It smells great too..Maybe I should be in sales. Ha Ha

https://sweetpatina.bigcartel.com/product/patina-sauce

Thanks
Marc

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by youngrodder

I recommend the use of a product called "Patina sauce" by Sweet Patina. It leaves a matte sheen and works to preserve the metal while providing a water beading quality like its been waxed. I have used this on the Family Truckster and love it. It smells great too..Maybe I should be in sales. Ha Ha

https://sweetpatina.bigcartel.com/product/patina-sauce

Thanks
Marc

dually noted sir!

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by 57tailgater

This is fun following this thread. You talking about your dance between the accelerator pedal and the starter button reminds me of me when I had the 6 cylinder in my ‘57. Quite the step! I also found my choke butterfly was loose to the cable lever connection and would make things not run right. Got that squared away and all was good. Keep it up and keep posting!!

It is quite the dance indeed! I would really like a 2 pedal pump, then quick fire, then a smooth idle afterwards, but this ole girl isn't there yet. Or my knowledge isn't there yet!!

If I had the space and the resources, I'd slap in a known running 350 and fuss with that instead... that's probably a weekend job once you pull the front clip off, eh? Tempting but I have TWO other trucks to pay attention to that are either more rare or more cool. There is something about a beat up truck that just feels like freedom though! Park anywhere! Sit on the hood! Lean on the fenders, who cares?!

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by G&R's57GMC

Yea !!! It runs and drives .

Put a 30” or 36” glass pack on it and exit out under the step ahead of the rear tire. It will be quite and run well .

Be sure to add the vapor separator up high to the vacuum line to the p/b booster.
Posted via Mobile Device

I already have a muffler and $100 into the replacement exhaust, It it going to make that much of a difference on how it runs to hack off what I have and replace it?

Also, those separators are no longer made, from what I can tell.

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by youngrodder

Very cool...Looks great.

Marc

Thanks! I did a small bit of body work but the California desert and rolling it down a hill did the rest (=

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by youngrodder

I recommend the use of a product called "Patina sauce" by Sweet Patina. It leaves a matte sheen and works to preserve the metal while providing a water beading quality like its been waxed. I have used this on the Family Truckster and love it. It smells great too..Maybe I should be in sales. Ha Ha

https://sweetpatina.bigcartel.com/product/patina-sauce

Thanks
Marc

I've seen that stuff and also saw that you can make your own with Boiled Linseed Oil and Mineral spirits...supposed to reach matte as well, and for price of sweet patina, you can make way more (or just have the separate ingredients on hand for their intended uses). I'm a woodworker so I have the BLO already, and thats the more unusual ingredient. I've seen WD40 being splashed in as well.

When it dries, its not shiny, but just adds more contrast to the colors than there would be otherwise. I'll probably give it a whirl.

[G&R's57GMC]

P/B filter Dorman 80195

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by G&R's57GMC

P/B filter Dorman 80195

They must've restocked. Nobody had them when I looked last.

So you think the glasspacks will make a difference in how she runs? I don't really care about the sound in this case. I generally dislike slow and loud.

[daveshilling]

Just for fun, I photoshopped a lowered version... Camaro clip and rear axle flip.

[G&R's57GMC]

That’s what Tex had , even burned out it was not bad . I assume you drove Tex more the down the street . So that should give you an idea what it would sound like but even quieter .

So you say the muffler killed the performance as soon as you installed it ?

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by G&R's57GMC

So you say the muffler killed the performance as soon as you installed it ?

When I first started it up after, it seemed fine. Nice and quiet compared to open manifold. Then I added some water to the radiator since it has a leak, waited until it stopped bubbling up, and then went around the block. I didn't even make it all the way around. I thought I ran out of gas. I went and got 5 gallons, put 4 in, and it would start but not stay running. Eventually, I was able to keep it going long enough to get back around the block and home by engaging the choke, although the more i pulled the choke, the more RPM I had.

So the only things that changed were water in the radiator, and the muffler being added. Of course I can unbolt the exhaust and see if I can replicate. Just odd. More tinkering in my future!

[dsraven]

if you had "ran out of gas" effect then maybe look at crud from the tank plugging a filter or possibly jamming a fuel pump valve. I have seen a brand new fuel pump get a stuck valve just from sitting over the winter with clean fuel in the tank, a clean tank, a clean fuel filter. an in line filter right before the pump is a good idea on old vehicles that may have questionable fuel tank insides. it's easy to see, access and change.

[6DoF]

or baffling broke loose in the muffler and plugged it? but I'd say blow out the fuel line for bad pump is more plausible.

[dsraven]

Check down throat of carb to see if accel pump squirts fuel. If not it's likely the carb bowl is empty for some reason.
Dirt in carb I let needle causing restriction. Dirt in gas tank outlet causing restriction. Collapsed rubber fuel line under the floor at the gas tank end. Dirt in fuel pump causing valve malfunction (some of these pumps come apart so you can clean them out). Plugged fuel filter if it has one.
Disconnect line at pump inlet and extend it so you can put it into a catch jug. Then blow into the fuel tank and see if you have nice clean fuel flow at the jug. If using air compressor be careful not to overdo the pressure
Fuel pump pressure/volume test if the fuel line test looks normal pull the lid off the carb and see what's in the bottom of the bowl
Plugged muffler usually let's engine start and idle, depending on how bad its plugged. With vacuum gauge installed engine will show vacuum at idle but then drop off vacuum as engine is revved up
Sounds like more of a fuel starvation problem to me. Also check advance mechanism on distributor, vacuum and centrifugal. Sometimes centrifugal advance is stuck, siezed or has lost a spring

[G&R's57GMC]

So it’s been just about a month since you last posted .

Any progress on this or other projects ?

[daveshilling]

I haven't tinkered much with it lately. It will start and run but it likes the choke engaged the whole time and the idle circuit is pretty much non-existent...have to keep the throttle screw cracked open a bit. I posted it up for sale as it was a summer fun project anyhow, and as I've many other projects to tend to (both truck and non-truck related), it may only get this far before being sold.

Nevertheless, even if I do nothing further, it's been a good learning experience, I was able to try some new things, practice my tube bending more, and I'm happy I was able to save this 59!

[dsraven]

how many trucks have you got in your stable? I'm partial to the one with the widened front fenders.

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by dsraven

how many trucks have you got in your stable? I'm partial to the one with the widened front fenders.

When this sells, I will be down to two, my 58 LS C4 vette suspension Apache project and my 56 GMC Suburban pickup (cameo).

I've been working on the 58 in a one-car garage worth of space with another farm-fresh truck parked beside it, but now that there's a fancier truck there, it's slowed me down a bit...I'm not sure I'm cut out to own and maintain a painted truck, especially the rarest Task Force of them all. It hasn't even been repainted yet and I found a scratch that gave me anxiety...I can't imagine how that will feel when I scratch a $10,000 paint job. For now I'll fart around in it as-is and try to refocus on the original build.

[hemifalcon]

For anyone who followed along when Dave revived this awesome truck—it’s been brought to Wisconsin this week.. glad to have found Dave’s documentation showing all the work he did-while it’s been largely neglected the past handful of years..

[hemifalcon]

Here she is..

[Tempest67]

great looking truck congrats

[hemifalcon]

Originally Posted by Tempest67

great looking truck congrats

Thanks—been talking with Dave since I was driving home still yesteday—it’s been super helpful-and motivates me to get this going again.

[dsraven]

looks like a fun project. i would start with looking for a fuel problem. maybe unscrew the top of the carb and take a look inside the bowl to see if there is water in there, while the fuel line is off try doing a fuel pump capacity test, just run the fuel line into a jug and crank the starter to see what the pump output is. or, start at the fuel tank end and check the fuel line all the way forward to the pump. look for kinks or squashed sections that would restrict flow. take the fuel line off at the pump inlet, install a section of hose so it can be placed into a jug, then apply a couple pounds psi to the tank and blow a bit of fuel out, make sure it's just fuel and not water. it sounds like it had run out of fuel before it arrived at your place so possibly tank crud came along for the ride as the last bit of fuel was leaving. this can plug up the pump valaves so fuel doesn't get pumped properly.