Projects Need help with my 59 Suburban Limo

I have a 1959 Chevrolet Apache 38 Suburban limo built by Stageway (after 1966 Armbruster-Stageway) and I need some help finding production numbers, photos, and really any information I can get on it.

From the research I have done since 2008, I believe mine to be the largest surviving example of this body style, doing online searches I only come up with ̶4̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶s̶ (around 11 as of 5/25/13), and they are all smaller then mine.

Here it is on CarDomain.































I would also be very interested in talking to anyone who may have known this truck when it was still operating, it was doing runs for some time from Michigan to Montana, I even recovered ticket stubs inside it!

The other thing I am looking for is one of the fender badges, one of mine is good, the other is trashed.



If the weather holds out this summer we will have this truck mobile, the plan is for it to be our road-trip truck!

 

wow that things huge. whats the plan for it, straight resto or hotrod? good luck with the info hunt

 

essentially it will look stock, the original engine and tranny are long gone, so a modern set-up of some sort would be nice, maybe a Vortec 454 or something along those lines.

I will figure out the interior once I get it on the road, 3 rows of comfy buckets would be nice, then that huge rear area for cargo is what I am leaning towards!

 

This thing is cool.

 

sounds good. looks like you could carry a spare car in the cargo area. lol

 

I have friend in hugoton Kanasa that has one the same or may be longer will find pictures for you
Mark Jones

 

any pics of the drivers side?

 

Or you could set up a mobile bowling alley in it . Cool truck I am glad you were able to rescue it!

 

wow....too cool - appears to be in pretty good condition considering age, exposure to elements, hard use, etc. Best of luck on your quest to acquire information, history and small parts for restoration. Beautiful rig...thanks for saving it

dj

 

Very cool project. This will take a week just to chop........Keep posting the plans and build. Good luck.

 

Very cool! I just noticed in the pic of it being loaded that the driver's side has just the one std. door! That's even cooler! This would be a great rig for hauling a whole car club to events!

 

It always blows my mind to see those limo truck /cars of the day.A guy here im my area has a 58 Chevy car that has 4 doors on each side.He told me it was originally used to transport passengers at an airport .The wierd part is that its soooo long and still and "X" frame car .I dont believe i have ever seen a 59 truck version like you have .It looks neat ...

 

Neat truck! looks like they made the 3 rear doors, eh? They don't look like modified original doors.

Gonna be fun to drive with the extra long wheelbase

 

Now that is different.....Love it!!
Good luck on doing what you want with it...
Me, I would raise the roof about two feet, haul my Harley in the back, and fix the rest up for camping......
You got a real jewell there...
Good luck, and keep us posted...

 

Yeah Airport limos. Used to trans port people and their luggage (they all had special roof racks) to and from the airport.

Younger relatives of the 1920s Depot hacks and the 1930s Station wagon that did the same thing to the train depots and railroad stations. Destination resorts used them for their customers.

 

You will go broke upholstering all the seats needed to fill that up!

 

I would appreciate that greatly, it may seem weird but I am collecting photos of these things too!

Thanks, this is what I love about Montana, there is no rust in this thing!

LOL, the thought has crossed my mind just for absolute redundancy...

Crazy, I would have expected a perimeter frame, or frame connectors or something like that, I wonder how much it flexes?

they did, the 3 side doors are hand made but use modified 55-59 GM latches and strikers, they have hand made hinges too. I like long wheel base, it's what I grew up with driving this...

Well put, and I heard that this might have been an airport limo when it was new, but I have no way to tell because the previous owner is deceased.

I really like the roof rack and am keeping it on, most people tell me to lose it and put a 55-57 clip on, but I like it as it is.

Ugh... I know, I figure it will get done a bit at a time, I can salvage more then 90% of the headliner at least, it has no rot or stains, just a rip in the back.

Here are some cool original brochure photos.

 

This is some cool stuff. I didn't know they made this much of a variety for stageway coaches. Very cool.

 

make it a gasser ryan! detroit 12v71 plopped right in front of rear axle!

 

Get that thing lower with a nice stance, leave the exterior stock and put a hopped up motor in it. What a party machine!!!

 

the big daddy 18 passenger unit! really cool project dude! can't wait to see this hit the road.

 

LOL, yeah, it would wheel stand and then more or less wilt and look like a banana!

Hell yeah!

Thanks, same here, with any luck it will be on the road this summer, all I require is good weather, as last summer was a total bust...

I would love a better drivers front fender if anyone is interested in donating or trading one, mine have no rust at all, but the drivers side is crushed at the door post, what a pin that was to pound out in tight confines, had to use my jack-all inside it for the structure to be moved back in position.

 

The chopped and lowered one is pretty damn funny.

 

Wow you have a great project there. It's very cool that you got to save it. Please keep us posted on the build. That thing is going to be alot of fun

 

There's one of those around Tucson here. Very cool, have fun block-sanding it!

 

That's f*#@kin cool!

I used to drive limo's for a buddy of mine. It sure was interesting. He had a 8 door Checker wagon I would borrow every now and then. That rig was awesome!
The only problem I had was walking from the back of the car. I always seemed to open up the door right behind the drivers door. Just about every time. I must have looked pretty foolish...

 

You want to join our club?

 

Hmmm... wonder what an 18 passenger woody would look like?

Seriously, that's a nice find. Looking forward to seeing what you make of it.

 

I just saw one of these on one of the Craigslist here in Northern California (I don't remember which one) I thought about getting it but figured finding/modifying parts would be a nightmare.