I have wanted a 58 or 59 Chevy Apache for quite some time now. Besides square body Chevy trucks, apaches are my favorite truck out there. My interest in off road trucks had been dwindling for awhile. I've always loved old cars and trucks. I have a 1952 Dodge Coronet that I've been working on and cruising for the last 4 years. My heart is in vintage vehicles and that's where its staying.
The 52 dodge is unique and I don't want to replace the powertrain with new aged stuff, so that limits me on where I can drive. This Apache will be a different story.
I knew I wanted something for long trips. I plan on driving all of route 66. Then eventually I want to try and make it to every state possible. I'm going to own this truck for a very long time. A long bed is what I wanted because I either want to put in a slide in camper or a vintage bed topper. I absolutely love the fleetside beds from 58 - 59. So the search was on.
I looked all over Craigslist and facebook for 6 months. I probably had 10 different friends sending me every link for an apache they could find.
Rough plans for the build:
58-59 Chevy apache body
87 C10 chassis
5.3 LS motor with overdrive trans.
9" rear end
Some sort of bed camper set up
Lowered suspension
15" astro supreme wheels with thin white walls
Cool late 50s / early 60s style paint job
I actually picked up the chassis before I even got the body. Friend of mine was selling an 87 C10 long bed chassis. So I went down to Missouri in early 2017 and picked that up
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- Year:
- 1959
- Make:
- Chevy
- Model:
- Apache
- Engine:
- 5.3L LS from 2005 Chevy Tahoe
- Transmission:
- 4l80e from Chevy Express van
- Steering:
- 1987 Chevy truck
- Suspension:
- Front: 2.5" drop spindles and 2" lowered coil springs
Rear: 4" drop leaf springs and lowering shackles
- Axles:
- Strange Engineering 9" housing, narrowed 2 inches
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