59 Apache - Lifelong obsession

[59chev]

Originally Posted by Rickysnickers

Nice job, looks good!

Thanks!

[Jason 56]

You’re almost driving again. Go get that thing running It’s gotta feel good to have it nearly done! Great progress. Instrument cluster look awesome

[59chev]

Originally Posted by Jason 56

You’re almost driving again. Go get that thing running It’s gotta feel good to have it nearly done! Great progress. Instrument cluster look awesome

Thanks! Looking forward to driving it again after all these years.

[dsraven]

I hear it has warmed up some in Calgary. have you had a chance to get your truck fired up? any pictoral progress?

[59chev]

Originally Posted by dsraven

I hear it has warmed up some in Calgary. have you had a chance to get your truck fired up? any pictoral progress?

Thanks for checking in on my build dsraven. I’m waiting on a couple of small parts that I ordered. I keep checking the tracking but it seems like shipping is moving at a snails pace..

[dagnabbitt]

Subbed, I have a 59 myself that I have waited too long to work on, I am getting great ideas from yours, great job!

[59chev]

Originally Posted by dagnabbitt

Subbed, I have a 59 myself that I have waited too long to work on, I am getting great ideas from yours, great job!

Thanks dagnabbitt!!

[59chev]

Been making good progress. I put the box back on and built some simple risers for the cross sills out of 4" rectangular tubing. At the back of the box I bought a new rear cross sill and chopped up my original one to fill the gap for the raised bed floor.

I was able to fire up the engine for the first time. It felt like a huge accomplishment to idle it out of the garage with no hood and open headers. I then washed off 8 years of dust. It will get painted at some point but for now I want to enjoy driving it this summer.

Next up is taking it in for exhaust and alignment.

[Rickysnickers]

Nice!

[62 Barnfind]

Nice job!

[6DoF]

i freaking love that look, don't paint it!

[59chev]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

i freaking love that look, don't paint it!

No worries 6Dof, I'm in no hurry to paint it. The primer is at least 15 years old at this point and is chalked out. Eventually it will become a necessity, since it has wore done to bare metal in spots. When it does get paint it will still be Satin Black with white bumpers / Grill, just something that will last better than the primer.

[6DoF]

[59chev]

Time for a long overdue update. I got my truck on the road at the end of May and had a great summer enjoying it at car shows and weekly cruise nights.

It was so awesome to experience this truck again with all the upgrades vs driving it in stock form. On my first drive, my muscle memory reached my hand out out for a manual gear shift that wasn't there anymore. All the upgrades accomplished the goal of a better ride and smooth cruising at highway speeds. With the overdrive and 3.23 rear gear I am running 1900 rpm at 70 MPH.

I decided that I didn't want a stained wood bed floor this time around, so I finished the box off with a simple sheet of good quality sanded plywood. I painted the bottom and covered the top with roll on box liner. I wanted to be able to throw my cooler and golf clubs in there without worrying about it. I finished the bed off by re-using the flat metal strips and stainless button head fasteners from the local bolt supply. I had to raise the bed floor 3 1/2" so I chopped up my original rear sill to fill the gap. I got rid of the tailgate chains and used spring pins to hold the tailgate shut, then installed a folding link kit for when the tailgate is opened. Lastly I installed a Craftech tonneau cover and a reproduction rear bumper to finish off the bed.

Looking at the forecast, It will be time to put it away for the winter soon. I have a few projects planned over the winter mostly focused on the interior, like sound deadening, new window seals, ect.

[dsraven]

truck looks great. good to hear you were driving the wheels off it this summer. it was a good summer for that. keep posting up your pics as you continue on, it spurs us slackers on, haha

[59chev]

Originally Posted by dsraven

truck looks great. good to hear you were driving the wheels off it this summer. it was a good summer for that. keep posting up your pics as you continue on, it spurs us slackers on, haha

Thanks dsraven ! The weather was great this summer and the turnout at events was phenomenal. The one cruise night I went to had 500 cars show up. Pretty awesome for a weekly event.
Posted via Mobile Device

[6DoF]

ok, that tonneau cover gives me ideas! i like it.

[dsraven]

And it makes you go faster too.

[59chev]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

ok, that tonneau cover gives me ideas! i like it.

I like how low profile it is when closed and the bows keep the vinyl really tight. I ran into some rain on the way back from one show and it seemed to do a great job of keeping everything in the box dry.

[59chev]

Unlike previous winters where I had a long list of tasks to complete to achieve my goal of getting my truck back on the road, this winter I get to focus on small projects and refinements.

I am running an original 59 Impala steering wheel. Over it's lifetime it looks like it has been re-painted at least twice. Looks like it was originally a metallic blue, then teal, then red/orange. Since the orange paint was half chipped off I figured I couldn't hurt it to attempt to remove the remainder of it. To my surprise the teal paint underneath was actually in good shape and shiny. I was able to chip off the majority of the orange paint using a plastic scraper, followed by careful wet sanding with 600 grit. Then I waxed it and cleaned the horn trim ring with chrome polish. I'm extremely happy with this project as it only cost me time.

An added benefit is the wheel matches the original color of the truck, which is starting to show through the primer on the hood. I'm considering covering the primer with a satin clear to at least preserve it until I can get it painted sometime far into the future.

[dsraven]

seems like youre not the only guy who repurposed that wheel. kinda cool thought that somebody else liked what you like, years ago.
the primer you used, is it a 2k primer? a lot of primers are not really a weather sealer so moisture can go right through it and start te rusting procedure. being named a sealer really only means sealing one paint product from interacting with another. I have seen where guys sandblasted, primed and then the project had to sit outside over the weekend. it was already rusty in that much time. a clear coat would maybe be a good idea.
BOOM! something to keep you busy over the winter. haha.

[dsraven]

your steering wheel is in really good shape. usually there are a few gaps/cracks to fill and then they need paint after.

[59chev]

Thanks dsraven!

I always say I was born in the wrong decade.. I tried to keep the overall look of this build to a mid 60s hotrod/low rider theme. I wanted a steering wheel to fit the time period that added a custom touch over the stock wheel. I searched for one for a while and as it happened, I met a 59 Impala owner at a car show that had some spare parts for sale.

As for the primer, it was sprayed with black epoxy primer about 15 years ago as a “temporary” solution. It has since chalked out. I am considering a wipe on clear coat to preserve what it there as a paint job isn’t in the budget. To be honest, I kinda like the current look with some of the original teal starting to wear through on the hood, but I don’t want it to get worse.

[dsraven]

I think you will likely lose a bit of the primer when you clear it because you likely need to scuff the primer up some so the clear will stick. I know some guys will apply some sort of oil over the paint on the patina trucks to help preserve them without painting but not sure what that is or if it affects future painting options. maybe somebody here has the answer?