What are your thoughts on a 1964 Apache. I have an opportunity to get one and seeing as im getting rid of my 56 this may be the time to jump into a project that is more up to my skill level (which is 22 yr old beginner that knows very little but has the passion for cars) It has rust under the paint on the doors and a little on the bed. I didnt get a good look at the floors or the frame but the truck belongs ot an older guy that seems to have taken pretty good care of it. When anything has broke on it he has had it fixed. Thats actually where i saw it, at my uncles shop where it was having work done on it. It has an inline 6 and 3 on the tree. Im not gonna list the price because this is not one of those "Oh my God should i buy it" or the infamous "Im gonna fuck this old guy out of his stuff for half of what its worth" threads. Im just curious on your thoughts. Like I said I am a beginer and this project seems to be more my speed. Oh it runs and drives and has an awsome patina and a short bed.
Trucks up to the late 60's are pretty simple and basic to work on, especially since they are bigger and more roomier than cars and tend to have a lot less of the extras stuff to worry about. What you see is usually pretty much what you get. Easy to just take something apart, pay attention and just put it back together in reverse. Being a Chevy, parts will be pretty easy to get and cheap. For someone just starting out, a 60's Chevy pickup is about as easy as it is going to get. Then when you are tired of messing with that, you have a good parts hauler to keep and use and then get a more advanced project if you want. Or, just stick to trucks like I do and get a few more. If you like it and seem in decent enough condition for the price, I say it would be a good learner project. Just be careful to not over pay for it and then sink a ton of change in as trucks also doesn't tend to sell for big bucks even after a lot of good money and work has been sunk into them like cars can. People just don't like spending a lot for old trucks, at least not as compared to old cars. They are good low end projects, but quickly the pay back return will diminish and it will just be money out the window you will likely never get back.
In addition to stude's solid advice, these trucks also look pretty kool. There's a good thread going here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108866
check the door hinge pockets, back cab corners, rockers, and body mounts in the cab for signs of the dreaded rust monster. They are all fixable, some easier than others. These are easy trucks to work on, very straightforward. Gotta love that straight six three on the tree combo too! It may not be fast, but it'll keep the neighborhood crum-bums busy as they try to figure out your "automatic"...
I would say that if the price is right and its what you want go for it. The six cyl. are sluggish but dependable and I for one like to see them under the hood these days. That body style looks great sittn low and there are only going to get more popular. If you have been a car guy for very long you may have realized that 69-72 c-10 have been popular for a while and with in the past five years or so they have shot up in price and are much harder to come by. So once again I think that the body style that you are looking at is going to be on the rise with popularity and is most likley a good investment if you make some good improvements to it with dumping a bunch money into it that you will not get back like puttn 22s on it or a earl shive paint job. Oh and buy the way if its A short bed its well worth it. Long bed not so much. Well thats my rant good luck
22s??? no wagon wheels here LOL. Thanks every one for the quick responses. Im going to see my uncle tomorrow. Ill try to get a better look at it after i talk to the owner. I didnt want to crawl under somebodyelese's truck. I have worked on my Dads Blazer enough to know that trucks are a hell of alot easier than cars. I will proably keep the I6 and 3 on the tree. BTW what size is the I6 a 250?
......what are you gonna do with the 56? ..........I had a 61 Apache and it was a good truck. All kinda parts are a phone call /click away. Drive it and enjoy it.
All sounds like good advice there Spot - what does your uncle think of the deal? - no better way to get a feel for a vehicle's condititon than crawling underneath it & working on it, and obviously he knows your skill level. If he thinks you & the truck are a good match, go for it! CraigR
What Stude_Trucks says is solid wisdom. Just be sure it's not too rusty and that it tracks straight. Parts and parts trucks are plentiful and cheap, so your investment will mostly be sweat equity. It's a great learning experience on how to scrounge and fix, scrounge and modify, scrounge and repair...oh, and did I mention scrounge? After a while you'll be able to spot dead Apache's through solid brick walls. Give it a moderate lowering job and some wide steelies and you'll be good to go! Dropping a V8 in later will be no big deal. Sounds like a great project. Good luck!
Ill probably just clean it up a bit. New bed wood, clean up the interior a lil, dress up the engine and clean up the bay some. Get some hub caps. Fix the rusty bits and eventually drop it a lil. I dont want it to be on the ground just a bit lower, maybe 2 inches. Then on down the road give it a suede paint job and some scallops. i just want a project i can work on every day. I will try to drive it atleast once a week but it will not be a dailly driver, carbs dont seem too happy in bumper to bumper trafic and drum brakes and freeways get a lil dicey too, of coarse im a big pussy. Also i have a 4 hour round trip commute and i dont think i could make it in the Ga summers without AC, again im a pus.
My uncle is not really up to date with the hot rodding scene so he sees it as just an old truck(it may aswell be a 84 as far as he is concerened) So he is not a real good indicator as to wether or not it is a good deal, but i have seen enough trucks on here to know that this is a pretty good deal. ( Atleast i hope so LOL)
I'd HIGHLY recommend it. The '60-'66 trucks are GREAT vehicles for beginners. As has been said, everything is available for them, and most of it new. Ebay is also full of parts, and stovebolt.com is a fantastic source. I've seen a lot of them in the junkyard up here, and have picked several of them clean before they got crushed. Get a factory shop manual for it, and you'll be golden. I've got a '62 Suburban as a daily driver, and it's great. As for A/C in the Atlanta summer, I'll tell you what my son told me (he's 13, had it since he was 10). With vent windows and kick-panel vents, you don't NEED A/C! He's right. As long as you're rolling, it's fine. There may be a short period of time during the very hottest part of the summer, but it's bearable. Don't stress about no A/C. -Brad
Well, I spoke with my uncle, and he said the truck had a real bad case of cancer. He said the floors were completely gone(which wouldn't be that bad, i need a reason to learn to weld), but he also said the frame was nearly rusted through in 2 different place and the cab and fire wall were rusted real bad. So it looks like the search is on for another truck. I went to world of wheels today and saw a suede black 64 that looked super sharp, all it needed were scallops, LOL. I think i'm gonna stay with the 55-66 Chevy trucks for now, and maybe drap a Poncho or Olds in it. Oh yea thanks for all the great info.
i'm haven't heard of a 64 apache, i thought the apache models were before then. if it's the orig engine it could be a 250 or a 292. 64- very good year, i have one. first year for self adjusting brakes and the flatter windshield. sounds like a good deal.
I'm a younger guy too (20) and have the fever. When I was 16 I bought a 62 Chevy pickup SWB stepside and rebuilt it. Still have it today, still drive it everyday, still work to be done to her. Its a car you can depend on if you take somewhat decent care of it and has a lot of possibilities. If you get it and want help on it, let me know, I have worked on a few of them and know the layout pretty well.
Probably good to pass that one up due to excessive rust issues. There's always loads of them around in the south, you should have no problem picking one up. I've had a few in my day, pickups and panel trucks. Have a look at a replacement parts catalog for repair panels, this will give you an idea of what the normal rust-out areas are. Anything worse than that is something to avoid. Bob
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