59 Apache - Lifelong obsession

[BC Toy chest]

Lookin' good, keep the photos coming.

[59chev]

I made some more progress this past weekend. After spending a few nights with my angle grinder with a wire brush mounted on it, I quickly decided it was going to take me forever to clean up the entire frame. So this weekend I took it to a DIY sandblasting place and it only took me 40 minutes to do what would take hours with the angle grinder. Getting the frame out from under the cab was a bit of a chore however as I had to remove the rear end to get it out from under the cab, put it back in to haul it to the sandblasting place, then repeat the process when I got back home.

[Kim57]

Frame looks nice and clean.
Wish we had a self serve sand blasting shop.
Kim

[59chev]

The snowball effect is in full force. Even though my progress has been super slow I decided that this time around I was going to build exactly what I wanted. Once the clip was in and I spent some time staring at the stance and proportions, I decided that I wouldn't be happy leaving the truck as a longbox.

I finally have some progress to share: First I leveled the frame side to side and front to back, then I made some legs that bolted to some existing holes in the frame to keep the two pieces of the frame supported after I cut it in half.



I then used a carpenter's speed square to draw two perfect 45 degree parallel lines on the frame. I clamped a piece of flat metal to the frame to use as a guide for the plasma cutter. Once the cuts where made, I cleaned them up and beveled them for good weld penetration with an angle grinder.



I had the frame stick welded together by a professional welder with a fish plate on the inside for additional strength. The crossmember located under the cab is located further back on a longbox and mine was rusted through in a few spots. I decided to cut it out completely and build a new crossmember out of 2x4 box tubing moved forward to the shortbox location. I boxed the frame from the back crossmember up to where the legs of the camaro clip start. I painted the inside before I tacked the boxing plates in.

I still need to put a c-notch in the new crossmember for driveshaft clearance and fully weld in the boxing plates.

[dug224]

Nice detail. Can't wait to see it shortened up!

[AmateurStyle]

dude, i got chills ready your first post. awesome build(s)

are you using ez chassis swap body mounts?

[59chev]

Originally Posted by AmateurStyle

dude, i got chills ready your first post. awesome build(s)

are you using ez chassis swap body mounts?

The frame and body mounts are stock, with a camaro clip grafted on from approximately the firewall forward.

[AmateurStyle]

sorry just realized it said ready and not reading,....

anyway sorry for the confusion. i saw the part about the front clip and awesome job by the way but in the middle of your frame you have a nice black body mount that kind of sticks out. i was only asking because i have ez chassis swap body mounts.



either way no big deal. im enjoying reading about and seeing your progress. looks great.

[59chev]

Originally Posted by AmateurStyle

sorry just realized it said ready and not reading,....

anyway sorry for the confusion. i saw the part about the front clip and awesome job by the way but in the middle of your frame you have a nice black body mount that kind of sticks out. i was only asking because i have ez chassis swap body mounts.

Attachment 1591675

either way no big deal. im enjoying reading about and seeing your progress. looks great.

Thanks!!

I understand now.. I just painted the frame under the body mount and the body mount itself inside and outside before I bolted it back on. I used grade 8 hardware with a lock nuts and red loc-tite since I don't plan on taking it apart again.

[59chev]

My slow project plods along..

I have this whiteboard hung up on my garage wall with a To Do list and the photoshop I did of what I want the finished product to look like. I've tried to plan out each step in logical order and cross it off as it is completed.

I crossed two more items off the list: "Box Frame/Camaro Clip" and "Replace Cab Crossmember". Nevermind that it is 2017 and that I haven't finished the 2016 list yet. Seeing all the items crossed off reminds me how far I've come..

[59chev]

Pic of the completed boxing plates and replacement crossmember. I plan on it sitting decently low so I notched the crossmember for driveshaft clearance.

[dsraven]

looks good. nice radii on the plates.
don't forget you will need a trans cross member. maybe incorporate that into the boxing plates somehow so it is something that bolts on and/or is adjustable fore to aft in case you need a powertrain swap in the future..

[59chev]

Originally Posted by dsraven

looks good. nice radii on the plates.
don't forget you will need a trans cross member. maybe incorporate that into the boxing plates somehow so it is something that bolts on and/or is adjustable fore to aft in case you need a powertrain swap in the future..

You bet dsraven, I'm going to be using one of the cpp universal transmission crossmembers. It should just duck under the booster/master cylinder. Then I'll mock the cab back up so I can drop the engine and transmission in and figure out where that crossmember needs to be.

[dsraven]

sounds good.
maybe a good idea to set the cab on so you know the engine will miss the firewall.I ended up fabbing a new firewall from 16ga, welding it in, then changing my mind on the build and cutting it out. going envoy frame now. the firewall is sitting in the shop awaiting a kijiji ad when I get time.
what engine/trans will you be using?

[dsraven]

just went back in your build thread and found you have a 327 for power. nice. keep plugging away and you will be driving in no time. I have told myself that I will try to get in 1/2 hr a day at least so over time there is progress. I miss the odd day or week, but then some days I get to spend more time. recovering from shoulder surgery so not too much action. maybe a plan like that would work for you too.
my front wheels will be 16 to 16 1/2 inches ahead of the firewall. I used a framers square and level to check where the level ended up sitting on the tire. how far ahead did you end up? I am running a 235/55r17 tire which is 27.2" tall.

[59chev]

Your build is looking good. My time in the garage is usually Friday and Saturday nights after my kids go to bed until I am too tired to work any more. What made you switch from the stock frame with the rear 4 link to the Envoy frame?

[dsraven]

thanks,
the switch was the result of getting a deal on an envoy xuv. it will probably ride better due to longer control arms and strut front suspension-coils on rear. besides, I wanted to do something different. I also know where there is a '59 sitting for several years and the owner may be willing to part with it, so the frame may be used after all. maybe sell the frame if no go on the 59. not that many frames for sale around here that i have seen.
been there with the kids and projects. I had a baja buggy (full bodies beetle) sitting in the wings waiting for time until the floors rustyed right out. the kids sure had fun "driving" though. I wished they would have closed the windows..... the wife works as well so more work for us both when the kids were little. now it is grandkids that suck up the time. I call them time vortexes. they are fun though. new mischief every time they visit.

[59chev]

Been a while since I have posted. I got the cab mounted back on the frame, mounted the master cylinder, then cut a hole in the floor to access the master cylinder. I first welded up a frame out of some 1/2" square tubing then plug welded it to the floor, then I cut the hole 1" smaller in the frame so I could fold the sheetmetal over the square tubing. I cut a simple cover out of some 14 gauge sheet metal. This way I should be able to easily access the master cylinder from inside the cab.

[dsraven]

nice, good t see you are back at it. keep posting, I need some incentive.....

[59chev]

Originally Posted by dsraven

nice, good t see you are back at it. keep posting, I need some incentive.....

Thanks dsraven. Currently cutting down the inner fenders to fit around the A-arms. Should be posting more pics soon.

[Scottish58chev]

Nice truck and nice work

[59chev]

Almost finished with the inner fenders. I spent way to much time taking them off, trimming and putting them back on but I'm happy with the result. I wanted the inner fenders to fit the clip as if it were stock.

I shaped the cut around the A-arms to match the wheel opening on the outside of the fender. I did the straight cuts with an angle grinder and the tight curves with my dremel.

[59chev]

Did some garage cleanup.. Put the truck on dollys and spun it around so I would have more room to work on building the core support and bumper mounts. Threw the seat in it to see how it looks and to make some more floor space in the garage.

[59chev]

A long overdue update. I finished the mounts for the core support and the bumper brackets. For the core support I used the recommendation from Lux Blues "Camaro Clip in a Day" thread and repurposed the original camaro subframe mounts.

The Camaro subframe swoops out at the front, wider than the original frame. I found if I swapped my bumper brackets side to side I could keep the bumper brackets at the camaro width but fit the stock holes in the 59 bumper.

[59chev]

Got everything mocked up for the first time. Hung the front sheetmetal and bumper and eyeballed where I want the rear ride height. I still need to do the rear 4 link and figure out the mounts for the engine/trans but seeing it look somewhat like a truck is a major motivator.