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Starting restoration on a 61!

I

Iboh

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Hello all,
I found my dad's old 61 apache in the back the other day and decided to do an online search to find more info about it.

This seems to be the best forum available for late model chevys.
So here I go.

It's a 1961 Chevy apache and I'd like to keep it completely original, but with a wooden bed.

I was wondering what kind of options were available for this year, including power steering, brakes, engine, tranny, and axle.

From what I've been reading. I believe the engine is a 235, but i still have no idea on the tranny and axle.

I just finished high school so my budget is fairly limited to about a $150 paycheck every week. So I'd like to do most, if not all the work myself.

I have worked on my 1989 Camaro, so I'm not completely new to the experience.

The windshield is cracked, and I realized I should get this done professionally (after cracking three camaro windshields:o)

I've already started to mock up the truck bed on paper, and I realize I'm probably going to need to work on the chassis mounting.

Feel free to email me at [email protected], or just reply to the post!

all of your help will be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: My Camaro has a RPO sticker listing all of the options. Were RPO stickers used on these trucks?
 
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Welcome to Classic parts talk! We do like pics of what you are working on. My 61 has a Early Classic Enterprise dropped disc brake kit with power brakes. Still need power steering. The guys here can answer any thing you need an answer to.
 
Alright, here are some pictures I managed to take before the camera shut off on me.

Here's the motor. Is this a 235 with power brakes?
 

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Some more pictures.
I have more on my cardomain page Here
 

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By the valve cover it's a 235 and it looks like a fabricated power steering pump bracket. The dual master cylinder is not power brakes but one side is for brakes and the other is for the clutch. It has a few add ons but sure seems to be worth saving.
 
Some bad luck on my side.

Turns out the engine was leaking (probably some bad gaskets) and the engine ceased after 8 years of sitting in the weeds.:rolleyes:

I'll have to call up my friend and see if he can pull it with his suburban for me.

Might be a while before you hear back from me.
 
I wouldn't give up on that 235. I'd try Marvel Mystery Oil as mentioned or try transmission fluid, pull the plugs and try to turn over with a breaker bar on the balancer bolt.Try to move in either direction and maybe let sit for a day or two and try again. Once broken free or at least loosened up, drain and fill with oil, replace plugs with new;good gas and give it a try.
 
Alright guys, a new update.

I did what you guys told me and I got the engine to turn this morning after putting Transmission oil in it three days ago.

I replaced the transmission oil with about a quart and a half of oil laying around in the garage, and I took the battery out of the old boat we have to try and turn over the engine.

I put the battery in and I check the dash board for lights(headlights aren't connected) and I notice the red light for the generator is on. So I went ahead and turned the key.

As soon as I did that the light went out and nothing turned over.
Can I assume that a fuse is burned out?

or could there be anything else.
I checked the battery with a multimeter and it says 12 volts are coming out.
 
the battery will read 12volts when just sitting but what does it read with a load on it? thats what youll need to know to determine if its the battery. it sounds to me the battery is dead. ive seen those symptoms before, i swapped batterys and wala. give it a try anyway. let us know what happens.
 
Definitely check all your wires. Sitting in a field like that, who knows what mice have been chewing on. I wold also keep a fire extinguisher near by while trying to start it. You never know what is going to arc with old wiring and hoses.
 
Update

So you guys were right, it was the battery.

My friend came over today and we looked at it together and managed to turn the engine over, but after checking the spark plugs we saw that there was no spark.

We looked at the distributer and saw a lot of corrosion.
We also looked at the fuse box and saw that it was all pretty jumbled up. About half of the wires were either chewed on or reconnected incorrectly.

Before I put oil in the engine I looked the cap and saw that a pin was pinched between the gasket and the pan, so I put the pin back on and put some cardboard under engine bay to see if the oil was still leaking.

After checking it today I noticed that very little oil actually leaked over night, which is always a good sign.

We looked in the brake/clutch pan and saw it was bone dry as well, so we temp. filled it with fluid before we turned the key. I'm gunna need to replace that eventually, with the brake lines.

Question: After cleaning/replacing the distributer cap, what wires will I need to check inside the cab to get the engine running??
 
If you are going to leave power connected to the vehicle I would look at all wiring. If you are just worried about getting the engine running, then just make sure you ignition harness looks good to the fuse panel.
 
tiggamonsta said:
If you are going to leave power connected to the vehicle I would look at all wiring. If you are just worried about getting the engine running, then just make sure you ignition harness looks good to the fuse panel.
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Alright, I'll be sure to do that. I brought the battery inside until I try again.
Maybe not today though, hopefully I'll be looking at a 91 firebird for sale

(Too many projects:rolleyes:)
 
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