Projects The Okie Apache thread, a boy and his truck

The frustrating part is where he grafted the old crossmember. That's gonna cause me a lot of work. I had never noticed before, the truck is just a beater dad keeps around for hauling junk.

 

The kid has a lot going for him; a supporting family, a free truck that's a solid start and a nice shop-with a lift!
The truck will attract Girls. That should be looked upon as one of the end rewards!!!

4 years ago when my Son was 15, we offered him my older Daughter's (done with college and on her own) 4 door Accord. My Son asked "how much work would it be to get your old Chevy truck back on the road"?

I had bought a new half ton back in '93 and it had been mothballed in the yard for 9 years. Back then I had done the typical 6" drop, hard bed cover etc. Well, the truck needed EVERYTHING!. We made an agreement to work on it together and he learned how to do full brakes, tune up, fluid and filter swaps, radiator, throttle body rebuild, fuel pump, water pump, etc.
Even if he doesn't do his own repair work on his daily's in his life, he now knows the workings of a vehicle and won't be victim of an $800 brake job.

 

Nice project, I drove a 59 big window in high school back in 83-84, I know the feeling of treading a little lightly as my 13 yr old son spends a lot of time on xbox and computers. He helps when asked but also is quick to leave when the job is done, I had him changing the oil on the t-bucket the other day though.

 

Looks like dad and Colby were busy today.

 

Looks like you’re off to a good start gentlemen. Solid game plan ya got there. I like it. Love the idea of navy blue, but it should be noted that dark colors are difficult to keep clean. To that end may I suggest something like this


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Good on you. Don't have too many young ones showing interest, but when they do, my shop is always open to them. On a more serious note, is that Drag-N-Fly, the worlds most beautiful altered shoved off to the corner under all that stuff? Makes me cry.

Warren

 

Warren, unfortunately it is. I a accumulating parts for an update. It's not the most beautiful altered, but I'll take the compliment.

Thanks

 

I will continue to follow this story. It is great the way you are working with your nephew learn the process of building what will eventually be his truck. The check off list is a great idea.

 

That's the way its done. Great shop.
My son in law thinks he's a "wrencher". I think he's trying to kill my daughter.
Cotter pins need to be installed in the tie rod ends. The nut castle needs to be on the hub nut.
Something before you should know before you adjust valves would be solid, or hydraulic.
Seeing some of the hack repairs on the H.A.M.B. being identified and fixed is so refreshing.

 

I spend a lot of time with him quizzing him on hand tools. I'll ask him what size I need to hand him....even if I know he is wrong, I hand it to him. When he tells me it is too big or too small, I ask "Then what do you need?" I make him figure it out.

 

Great to see young guys & girls showing interest. Even better when it’s carrying on a family tradition. Also want to mention that a 49-52 Chevy car gas tank fits perfectly between the frame rails of these trucks if you move the rear crossmember back a few inches. I got one for my ‘57 from Tanks inc. and couldn’t be happier with their customer service, quality, and how it fits. I put the filler through the fender & feel it looks somewhat factory.


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You guys are really stripping it down, I was thinking about his blue color choice and just realized my last 2 were blue when I got them..ha ha

 

Yeah, it's just easier that way. I'm not a patina guy. I like to blast everything to white metal then epoxy primer and shiny paint.

 

Colby and Dad got a little done yesterday. The frame is off to the blasters tomorrow. A car wash did a lot of good to this greasy mess. A before and after.

 

Back from the blaster.
So there wasn't a lot of thought put into this steering box setup.

 

Great story and work, hang in there, good luck !

 

Very nice! I hope he sticks it out. My son is 10 and he's getting close to seeing himself take on a project as well, he has very expensive taste though , Bugatti, Lambo, Ferrari. Maybe I can get him interested in something a little older.

 

So, I haven’t posted here in a while. We have been doing OT stuff to the frame, which we won’t discuss. My nephew sent pics to me after primering the frame. Tomorrow they shoot some color, which will be tough since it is black as well, just way shinier. He’s going back to school soon, so we need to maximize his free time. This was a good learning process for him. First time to hold a paint gun.

 

A little out of sequence, but we took the advice of a fellow hamber and bought a 59-60 Impala fuel tank. It’s 16 gallons, has the same resistance as the current fuel gauge and fits with minimal mods. Plus, it was only like $80.

I removed the rear crossmember and c notched it to clear the neck. Moved it back to the rear of the frame to make room for the new tank.

I am hoping that it comes out between the bed and the bumper. I am going to build a close out panel and mount a flip up tag bracket from an old 70’s Caddy that I snagged in a junk yard 20 years ago. Now I just have to find it.

 

Cool

 

Cool build! It's looking good so far.

 

Is a Cam**o C**p off topic? Looking good! I dig the gas tank. I never felt comfortable with the original tanks behind the seat.

 

You know it Dan.....
More pics today after we get it painted.

 

Oh, one other thing. We flipped the axle and c notched the rear frame rails. May not need it, but if he ever decides to go lower, it’s already done. Waiting to set the pinion angle, once we get the driveline in.

 

What was the fix for the front cross member and “creative” steering box mounting?

Looks great and it’s the best when you get the kids involved. My grandson has been helping at various stages through out the years, he’s 12 now and I’m hoping we can get him into something that no one else has in school.

Cliff Ramsdell

 

Well, we studied all our options and we ended up grafting a gen 2 Camaro subframe onto the original frame. I didn’t cover it here on the Hamb, out of respect for Ryan’s wishes to keep everything traditional. You can PM me if you would like more info.

 

No, I’m good. I noticed it was missing from the build and was curious.

The amount of hackery that people put into projects is amazing at times and just crazy at others.

Nice job on all involved and good on you guys getting the kid involved, it kept my then 14 yo son from running the streets as they say, he would hang and work on his car in the garage, it was fun.

Cliff Ramsdell

 

Nice to see the kid showing interest and sticking with it. A LOT of what you're doing looks exactly like my truck looked when I began. I'll post a couple "Before'" and "Afters" and hopefully they'll inspire you to stay on it for the long haul.

 

Nice!
That does remind me of our truck.

 

That looks really nice...love the custom racing chair