VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION New User Forum 1961 Chevy Apache

Hey all!

New user here. I recently acquired a 1961 Chevy Apache from my late great uncle. It was always kept in a barn and is in great shape. Problem is it definitely needs some maintenance done to it.

I have tried to search all over Youtube and other areas, but the 1961 seems rare or not very much info. I have three main concerns to start off with.

1.) Brakes
2.) Speedometer cable (clanking sound super loud when driving and speedometer goes nuts)
3.) Oil bath

I am a jack of all trades for the most part, but mechanical is the one thing I have not really got into. Any help is appreciated as a starting point!

Here is a few photos of my truck~

Welcome!

That truck is in great shape!
One of the best things to do is find manuals for servicing your truck. They are very detailed. Jim Carters Trucks, The Filling Station or Chevs of 40s may have. They cover all the servicing details you are looking for.

Brakes are easy but you need to address the whole system. Easy enough to replace shoes if needed but the rubber hoses should be replaced and the wheel cylinders and master cylinder rebuilt or replaced. Everything adjusted and steel lines inspected and flushed. Not hard but a full Saturday. Many of the parts and rebuild kits can likely still be found at NAPA.

Disconnect the speedo cable at the back of the dash and add some oil down inside the cable and drive it for a few minutes before reconnecting it. This will smooth out the cable and you can see if the speedo is then ok or needs more work. Make sure the cable has no tight bends.

Oil bath filters work very well if maintained. Clean it with something like varsol or paint thinner (gasoline was originally recommended), add 10w30 oil to the marks and away you go. Manual would help with this.

Have fun!

Tim's suggestions are good but I will add that if you repair or replace any of the brake hydraulics do the lot especially if it has been parked for a length of time. The wheel cylinders will collect the most of any contaminants that are in the system and therefore be in the worst condition.
Tony

Appreciate the responses guys! I would love to do it myself, but like I said I am very new to mechanics and definitely do not want to mess it up. I will take a look at some kits and see if I can find a reputable shop. The first of many things I want to restore this and keep it original.

If you do the brakes right and complete, it can actually be a straightforward project for you. Just take one step at a time. You can probably do a better job than a shop and obviously cheaper. Plus the satisfaction of doing it yourself on a family truck.

Some people do the mechanical parts swapping work themselves and then have a shop bleed the brakes and adjust them. There are some mobile mechanics out there.

Kits are available to put new innards into the master cylinder on the firewall and new innards into the 4 wheel cylinders.An "older" shop is your best option to get this done. Alternatively, the master cylinder and 4 wheel cylinders can be replaced. I have seen kits on Ebay with all 4 wheel cylinders, master cylinder and 3 fresh rubber brake lines. Some kits are from overseas so cheaper made than others. If you do replace the parts, keep your originals and oil them up as you can keep them for repairing later if needed.

I originally got the impression it had been off the road for a LONG time? If it's only been sitting a couple years, you might only need to get the brakes serviced and a fluid flush.

When it was at my great uncles house it was in a shed for quite a long time for sure. When I took ownership I would drive it maybe once or twice a year, but you could tell it needed a tune up and things needed to be swapped out due to age. It starts right up which is amazing.

I might have to look at some kits and see what I can come up with. Talking with some people locally they advised to swap out the drum brakes for the newer pads, but I am not sure if that is the right approach. I am both excited and scared to take this on haha. I am not sure why. I know a ton in the computer business field, troubleshooting, electronics, art, tons of cooking, wood working, etc. For some reason mechanics seems hard to me and I am a visual learner. With very little information or say videos as a starting point, I think that's what is causing me to be so cautious. Time to get over it and get dirty!

That truck is in extremely great condition. All it needs is some attention to basics (brakes, cooling, fuel and ignition).

I know lots of people have different ideas about updating or retrofitting newer style components to older vehicles.

Given the great condition and heritage of this truck I suggest you start with getting it going again with the existing systems. See how it runs as designed and how much you use it. Then you can decide if you want to make any changes.

Some people want to update parts as they want modern. This can get very complicated and expensive.

The original brakes when serviced correctly will provide very good braking as the factory designed. These trucks were used for heavy work for years, so Sunday driving is easy. If you were to change the motor and transmission and start driving at higher speeds then that would be reason to look at going more modern but not for your current purpose.

Have a look at these videos to get yourself more familiar with the brakes. Worth knowing even if you pay someone to do the work. Many of us watch these videos even though we know how to do this work but we don't do it very often so a refresher is good when starting a project.

Thanks @Rusy! I agree I want to try and keep this as authentic as possible including when its time for the paint job keeping it the same colors.

@Canadiantim those help a ton!! After watching those videos pretty sure I can accomplish quite a bit if not check on them to see how they are.

Welcome to the VCCA Forum. We go to Jerome every time we visit my 93 year old aunt in Oak Creek Village. Two years ago we found a really nice 36 town sedan at Larry Green Chevrolet in Cottonwood. The SW area had an early 6 tour through there last year. Art

Welcome to the forum Nathan. I totally understand where you are coming from when being hesitant about mechanics work. But, as I learned a few years ago when I first purchased my '25, these older vehicles are much easier to work on than anything current. There is such a wealth of information on this site and through it's members, most all of whom are willing and ready to share their knowledge. Just jump in and get your hands dirty, fun times are about to begin. I'm looking for a C10 in the 64-66 range myself, love these old trucks. Have fun and ask questions

Thanks guys! @Beachbum may be a different Jerome. I am in Jerome Idaho~ Guess I should update that :)