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!