Rebuild of 59 fleetside

[LukeNuke]

Hi y'all. New guy here. Finally getting around to rebuilding my old 59 Apache fleetside. This truck was my very first set of wheels! After turning an old "Sanford and son" look alike truck into something a 16 yr old wanted to be seen in, sure was nice! But after wrecking it in the late 90's the old girl sat in the barn for 17 yrs. I found a donor truck to sit with her for about 15 yrs. so now is the time to start the project again. I will be needing some advice from time to time so your knowledge is greatly appreciated. The first time I did this there was no internet, so less magazines to clutter the table! I am going to start with asking the question on IFS. Not sure I want to shell out the cash for the nice fancy kit to bolt or weld right on, but I'm not sure what other salvaged vehicles will be easy to to put right under my 59 either. Also how much could I look at spending for let's say an old Camero suspension that would convert, also if I have to replace bushings etc. would I be money ahead if I just got the nice kit premanufactured? More questions to follow on other topics, but we will start here. Hope to get some pics up in a few days. Some of the original project in the 90's, and some of the current mess! You input is appreciated!

[LukeNuke]

Here are some current pics. I'm looking for the pics from the first restoration.

[LukeNuke]

More pics

[Softpatch]

do not discard that cab there are still a lot of sheet metal that can be re-purpose.

first off you need to think about how much money you want to put into this project
with a budget in mind you can go from there.
what do you want and what can you afford.?

My thinking is there a lot that can be used off that truck
by the looks that truck it will never go back on the road.....

Unless money is not an issue then anythings possible
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[OrrieG]

What does the donor look like?? That Fleetside bed trim is out of style, send it to me for a proper burial!! Since you did it once you have some idea of what you are getting into.

[LukeNuke]

The donor truck might turn in to the build, depending on the frame situation. What I want to achieve is getting better performance in an IFS of some kind. The 283 (with a .90 over bore) is coming out, 396 is going in, haven't decided on the trans. Would like to hear some suggestions. All the original chrome is going back on, but not sure about paint, will not be high gloss. And the wood is going back in the bed. This is the donor.

[Kim57]

Welcome.
Should be an interesting build.
As softpatch said there should be some usable metal off the first truck.
Kim

[ricott]

I'm with the others. You might have all you need (as far as cab parts) on the wrecked cab. Good luck on the project, and please post plenty of pictures.

Ricky

[joe70]

A very hearty welcome.
looks like a nice project, a mustang II or a front clip would be nice. Where u from I'm in St. Peters, MO. Just outside ST. Louie.

[OrrieG]

Looks very doable. Opportunity to build the new chassis, then pick the best of the body parts to hand on it.

[Bad Apache]

Welcome aboard! Tons of great information here as well.

Here is an informative link to doing a Camaro clip install. It should give you a pretty good idea about what's involved.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/t...ne-day.148978/

Good luck on your project and keep us posted. Maybe start a build thread.

[dsraven]

if you are going with some big power consider boxing the frame. check out the aftermarket frames for ideas and pricing on the parts. it all depends on what you have to shell out. sometimes the upgrades are more than you think. a frame swap I am considering doing on my truck is an envoy or trailblazer. there is one built by lingenfelter online. notice though that the front wheels are quite close to the fenders even with little offset on the wheels. I think the 58-59 has wider front fenders so you may be in the clear. check out this site for info because there are a couple of guys doing that. the good thing is the brakes etc are already set up with larger, modern systems and some of the envoys/trailblazers come with v8 ls engine with fuel injection etc, if you are into that drivability and fuel mileage thing. dug224, rustymarco, ricott all have build threads. I haven't started one yet due to ineptness in the it dept.....plus I am still doing cab repairs and sheet metal work before I start the frame section. I have the envoy sitting there if I decide to go that way.
good luck, keep us posted with pics as you go (I know, hypocrite right? soon, very soon there will be a build thread. just gotta figure it out one day).