59 Apache SWB Fleetside in UK

[_Ogre]

i can appreciate the work you guys have to do to keep old trucks alive over there
nice save on the bed sides, little rust on the truck helps there
your garages are a little tighter than what we have here, looks like you have to grease the sides to get in

i saw your comment on the gas sender float
we have a 68 jeepster in the shop, changing it over to efi
we found this when we dropped the tank and it worked

[Nut Case]

High marks for creativity !

Any port in a storm...

[mongocanfly]

Hahahahahaha..love it ogre..looks like something my dad would have done

[uber cool]

Yep sure is a tight fit through the door. Haha. Funny re your comment of the sender as someone on a UK forum just told me the same tip of using a rear light bulb.

[uber cool]

The rear lights have been a bit hit and miss with bad contacts and earths. So decided to replace the bulb holders. Bought these twin bayonet bulb holders from Welcome to Auto Electric Supplies and they are designed as retrofit into existing lamp units so perfect for the application.

old bulb holder, held together with metal putty!


old ones removed with hacksaw


Hole drilled larger to accept new holders






new holder in place, then the lip is peened over to crimp against the existing lamp unit and provide earth return. Shown part done, but it's peened all the way round and open up like a flower.




finished items, Ta-Da! Took about 15 mins for both


Next up slightly wider rear wheels, 5" rims off and 8" rims on.

[RockinKees]

Looks like a tight fit on those rearwheels

Nice fix in the taillights, have to remeber that, Thanks for sharing!!

[uber cool]

it was still on the jack in the photo, its a good 1 1/2 " clearance to arch

[dug224]

Great solution on the tail light bulb holder! That was on my list to figure out. Also, nice recovery on the left side rear wheel well opening. Like you, I have much work to do on my bedsides. dug

[Kim57]

Nice fix on the lights.
Kim

[uber cool]

Saturday I decide to tackle the driver side lower hinge repair I'd been putting off since I got the truck .


I got a repair panel from a UK truck parts importer. Nice quality panel and decent gauge of steel. First up remove the door to reveal the extent of the rot.


Sharp intake of breath and start cutting, the area cleaned up well with only localt rot that hadnt spread too far, although I'll need to make a closing panel to go under the arch later.


next up trial fit of repair panel and a little trimming and drill for plug welds


Door back off to complete the welding


Light grinding and small amount of filler to blend top of panel in


Quick lick of brush paint to keep it weatherproof


Door back on shuts nice, and all finished before the sun went down:tup:

[Grizz1963]

Nice job Andy

You always impress me with your work.

As always in the UK summer, I am cutting hedges today so no truck time this weekend.

[Advanced Design]

Very nice fix on the hinge pocket!

[Kim57]

Very nice fix.
Kim

[uber cool]

I'm very pleased how well it went. So much better to plug weld, so no welds are on show. Years ago I think I would have run an ugly weld all the way round lol

[RockinKees]

Nice fix!
Factory new!!

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Uber-nice repair!

[uber cool]

Mark came round at the weekend and we did an oil change and fitted a HEI dizzy to his truck.

[uber cool]

Went for a run on Saturday night and noticed a small oil leak running down the block under the exhaust manifold, it's been a bit damp in this area before but not a visible leak that you can wipe away and then come back after about 10 miles running. Arrgh! and with a 1000 mile road trip planned in July to France i thought it best to take the plunge and get the head off. So 2 hours later it looked like this.

[mjh1965]

Andy are you both driving to France in July of so you can always pop in on your way home for a cuppa and a break

[uber cool]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

Andy are you both driving to France in July of so you can always pop in on your way home for a cuppa and a break

yep we are both going in trucks ( fingers crossed all running ok) but going Newhaven to Dieppe takes about 140 miles off french side each way

[Advanced Design]

Too bad about the oil leak. Hopefully you will have it fixed in time for your trip.

Off topic from a build, do your neighbors have any curiosity about the old Chevy trucks? I am guessing they don't see a lot of them and was wondering about their response.

[uber cool]

Yep neighbours love them and to the point sometimes it difficult to get work done with so many asking about them. The guy opposite thinks I'm a serial killer and dump body in the rear of my green truck. Mostly people get them and like them, the odd passerby asks the same non car type person question, like it will be nice when you paint it and then look completely confused when I say it's not getting painted. The level of confusion on their face deepens when I say actually I've gone to great lengths to paint the repaired area to match the original worn paint.

The american car bug has rubber off an another neighbour 3 doors away that now has an 89 Chevy Caprice painted like a police car complete with blue lights and logo'd up.

Oh and dont forgot the 71 Dart in the garage.

[uber cool]

Got the head off tonight, good news and bad news. Good news is it looks like the oil leak was just a weep from the threaded head bolt holes and the head appears flat (checked with straight edge). Also confirms what I thought when I first got the truck that the engine has been rebuilt recently, as there is very little carbon build up. The carbon came off with first light pass of a wire brush. Bad news is found 2 of the push rods bent, checked on rockauto website and not available ARRGH!

Can find a place in US that will ship on 14 days! but need it sorting pronto for trip to le Mans. Then remembered my contact in Reading Rex Ward dealing in WWII military vehicles. Quick phone call to him today asking if he has 2 second hand ones, he reply's I have them new at £8 each, how many do you want, result :tup:

Parts order and on there way to me, which give me a little time to strip and check all the parts and re lap the valves etc. Need to check valve timing and all the rockers are fine to see if I can find out way the 2 pushrods bent, which where both on exhaust ports. Rex thought it may just have been over rev'd at some point as he says he has seen that before. However I dont recall seeing loose rockers when stripping it down as surely a bent rod is now shorter than a straight one and hence have play at the top. Also strangle the bent rod is still the same length as the straight rods, could the rods have been too long form another model?





light clean of the pistons


I also did find the water ways from block to head blocked, not sure if these are the supply or return path?




Offending push rod

[Kim57]

Engine looks nice and clean inside.
That's really bent.
Kim

[Nev68]

Were you getting any strange engine noises due to the bent pushrods?