Hot Rods Official 1959 Chevy Apache Build Thread

What a great build thread you have here! I came across it tonight and started reading, but had to quit at page 19. I will pick it up again though. You certainly ran into some dandy sheet metal issues, which I can wholly appreciate! You are going to end up with a gem. Keep up the fine work.

 

I like the led's man. I may have to steal that idea for my build when i get to it

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

Thanks so much Red Ryder. Keep up on the reading.. 19 pages in you haven't event reached the good part yet (me driving it!) Thanks for the compliments, look forward to seeing your progress as well!

 

I have copyrighted them, you can't do it unless you pay me a substantial fee

 

Love the LED's... I was thinking "flames" from my bed-tubes there. Liquid propane..

 

Hahah well shit that sucks. But yea there pretty clean man and hardly noticeable. Where did you find them at ? I may have missed it in the thread

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

classicparts.com, where I get all my truck parts. I like them better than truckandcarshop.com

 

I have seen your flames, great work! They look amazing.

 

Little progress has been made because I have been stuck with my honey-do list on the house... booo. I actually have my second job interview with a company that works directly with Nascar, F1, Indycar, etc. for aerodynamics. Pretty damn cool. I am hoping I get it, they saw my build thread and shot me an email because they think I have what they need for the job. Thanks HAMB! This company also is the only operational wind tunnel in the US and they have a very large say in design work on cars that are being produced by every company right now to make the 50 mpg mark or better!

 

Thats great news, I'm rootin for ya!

p.s.
I finally got some good sheet metal so I hope to start some updates on my 58!

 

Hope you get the job Scott, would be awesome!

 

Good luck on the job hunt. If you need a reference, I'm here for you!

 

Sounds like a good job coming.. they are rare these days.

Flames? I am still practicing. I almost got the motorcycle front fender "right". People keep "touching it" cause it looks 3d. (old people and kids) I was thinking of blowing a twenty foot REAL flames out of my 57 bedsides. Right there at windshield level, it'd be a hoot.. well.. not on the receiving end. Perhaps some "isocyanate" would be almost as much fun? It smears on a windshield and makes it opaque like layers of mica. I used to carry a squeeze bottle in the leather saddlebags of the harley for tailgaters.

There are so many $500 cars running around here with no insurance, you are almost afraid to drive something you love.

 

Well I decided to do something different. I figured that the bed looks somewhat decent, the engine compartment looks somewhat decent, the truck goes around the block and feels pretty decent, but the interior still looks like absolute crap... So I am going to change that. Since I have a bunch of parts for the dash I started to install some of it to clear up some space.

I plan on replacing the center hole with the oldsmobile dash clock and removing the other two on either side of it. I am using where the choke was located for the new windshield wiper switch. I may decide to add something to the sides of the dash clock at some other point, but for now I will remove them and weld up the holes. I installed the radio (AM/FM) to see where to put the dash clock and then couldn't find any of my tools... so it was time to clean up the garage again...

 

Well I got the dash clock in, I drilled out the right hole to a half inch for the left hole of the radio portion of the dash (makes sense...), and routed out the left radio hole to prepare for me removing the other portion and welding it in its place. I am kind of thinking of putting something on each side of the dash clock, but cant decide yet on what to do.

Here are some pictures.

 

So I need to defrost my nuts, it is ice cold outside. It is definitely in the 30's here and my garage doesn't have any insulation or heat...

So I got my other two holes removed and ground down the other parts of the holes. In addition, I went ahead and made my patches, so tomorrow I can weld them in and finish that part of the dash. Yay progress!

After that I think I will go ahead and tackle the immense amount of surface rust in the cab. Then I will work on the upholstery. I have made a choice long ago that this will be a driving restoration... At least I can be comfortable

 

lookin good. love the clock idea too

 

Nice work on the dash Scott. Love the rear view mirror pic, awesome!

 

Those almost look like circle track wheels!

 

Thanks! Yeah I always loved the look of the olds dashes, but really liked the clocks. Really there wasn't another place to put it other than where I did. Glad you like it though, I was unsure even while cutting the hole thinking that it was going to be a bitch to reverse what I am doing

 

Thanks, just trying to steal some of your thunder that's all

I can't wait to throw some decent interior into it.

 

Yeah, they didn't look very good either, but they are good project wheels, so I will keep them around

 

i like the dash dude. different, very cool. i thought about an early 50's chevy car clock with the tapered bezel up on the top of the dash but decided not to. keep it up man !

 

Well I started grinding on the dash and got some work done. I decided to put it together too because I am getting tired of spending time on that part of it. I want to do something else to the dash (starting off by removing the toggle switch I have in the heater delete hole. so I am going to remove the seat next and start working on the floors and get everything cleaned up with some CLR and water.

Here are some pictures

 

Well I decided to remove the seat to try and find out what is wrong with it... turns out a lot. So I said way early in the thread that this truck was hit in the front drivers fender and scraped all the way down the side... well I can see the impact that it may have had on the driver. I looked at the bottom of the seat and everything is bent... big time. Also parts of the cab floor are broken (not bent, but torn) around the rear cab mounts. So I have a little bit of work to do.

Here are some pictures of the seat.. I am considering just getting a new one from another source since this one is going to take a lot of effort in fixing it (all of the rails are bent, bottom is bent, etc.)

 

Here are some more of the seat

 

good work on the dash dude. cool steering wheel too. im gonna shoot ya a pm about that seat......

 

doesnt look too bad, but pictures may be doing it justice

 

I also used the shop-vac to remove about 1/4 of an inch of dirt that was under the seat and behind the seat. Much to my surprise no rust, just some surface rust or just crap that will come off with a wire wheel and some light cleaning (CLR).

 

Thanks! I still have a bit more to do, but at least its together in one piece.

Yeah pictures are definitely doing it justice.... all seat rails are bent, the bar that goes across the bottom to lock it into place is trashed, the bottom of the seat (flat steel with vent) its caved in, I have no idea what it looks like underneath the crappy plastic upholstery, etc. Its a hot mess