A ‘59 Apache by Stafford’s Garage

IF you have been a long-time reader of Street Trucks magazine, there’s a good chance you have seen the name Chris Stafford from Tylertown, Mississippi in past issues. Whether it is his multiple truck features, cover articles on his past builds, or even articles about him and his shop, Stafford’s Garage. You may even remember this exact truck from our July 2019 issue where we featured it in its unfinished form.

Fast forward to the 2024 SEMA show, when we were able to catch up with Chris and finally check out his now finished 1959 Chevrolet Apache that was displayed in the Toyo Tread Pass between the Central and South halls. Chris had an Apache years ago and sold it before he built his 1966 C10 known as Clyde, which was a previous cover truck for us. Seeing how much the C10 scene has blown up since that time, Chris knew he had to pick up another Apache so he would have something that would stand out at shows. He always loved this body style, and now that he had the ability to buy a new project truck, he jumped on it. Being that his ‘66 had graced one of our covers, it was time to let it go and make room in the shop for his newly acquired ‘59 Apache. Finding the room for it was the easy part, trying to find the time to work on it was harder.

Seeing how much the C10 scene has blown up since that time, Chris knew he had to pick up another Apache so he would have something that would stand out at shows. He always loved this body style, and now that he had the ability to buy a new project truck, he jumped on it.

At the time, Chris was still serving full-time in the Army while running his shop on the side. Time was super limited for not only customer vehicles, but especially for his own builds. That meant this truck wasn’t going to be a turn and burn kind of project, but more of a slow build, which took about nine years to get it to what you see here.

He always loved this body style, and now that he had the ability to buy a new project truck, he jumped on it.

Knowing he wanted to start the build off with a solid platform, Chris reached out to Cody Stoute at Popeye’s Rod Shop to build a custom frame for the truck. He started with some Art Morrison frame rails and a Long Shot Fabrication crossmember in the front. At the rear, he added a custom built 4-link and Watt’s link, and a Speedway 9-inch housing with 3.73 gears. Chris wanted this truck to lay flat on the ground so he chose to add an Air Lift Performance 3H air management system with two Viair 480c compressors and a couple of FLO tanks. Firestone 2600-lb air bags and QA1 single adjustable shocks make sure the ride is always smooth. Once completed, the entire chassis was smoothed and painted GM Flame Red by Chris. A full set of CPP drilled and slotted brakes were added, as well as CPP rack and pinion steering. Next, 20×8.5 and 20×10 Raceline Desperado wheels were wrapped in Toyo Proxes and bolted on.

With the rolling chassis done, it was time to find the right power plant to make it move. For this, Chris chose a 6.0L LQ9 LS from a 2006 Silverado SS—complete with a polished Vintage Air Front Runner system and Doug Thorley ceramic-coated headers. That was followed by a custom driveshaft by USA Driveline and a Flowmaster 3-inch stainless exhaust system. The engine and transmission were smoothed and painted to match the chassis as well. A Painless harness and PCM ensure the electrical current is right. The custom fuel rail covers from Big Willy’s Garage and a custom air intake by Brent Kelly tie it all together.

Now that the base of this build was complete, it was time to dive into making the body look as good as the chassis. The body was massaged and worked to make it as straight as possible, and the gaps were adjusted for the perfect fitment. The drip rails were molded into the cab, the hood and fender emblems were shaved, and a set of Kindig It door handles were welded in. Once the body was perfect, Scooter Modica and Eric Alexander of Scooter’s Paint Works in Slidell, Louisiana laid down the RM Paint Zyrilliant S076 grey and flame red with DC5335 Glamour Clear. Joe Vincent of Vincent Dezigns then handled the red and black graphics. The Auto Metal Direct chrome bumpers, trim, and glass bring the exterior to a show finish. Inside the bed, a Mar-K wood kit makes it just as nice as the rest of the truck.

Moving inside, Chris knew he wanted an all-red interior to tie it all together flawlessly. All cab seams were welded up, the glove box was shaved, and the Air Lift controller was integrated into the dash. He even added a custom under dash extension to clean up the dash lines before the Ididit steering column was added. The Dakota Digital RTX gauges and Custom Autosound USA-850 head unit round out the electronics. Apex Leather supplied the material for the truck, including the red square weave carpet and red leather hides. A splash of 1963 Impala textile was added to break it up a little. The seat frame and foam came from Snowden Custom Seats, and Michael Sullivan from Sully Stitches handled the upholstery—including the one-off door and kick panels.

Since the truck was wrapped up for the 2024 SEMA show, you can now expect to see Chris and his truck all over the country at other shows. He does have a couple small additions he wants to add to the truck, but nothing more than small cosmetic upgrades. We know this won’t be the last build you see in our pages to come from Stafford’s Garage, so keep an eye out for more cool projects coming soon.

 

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TRUCK SPECS

 ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN

• 2006 GM 6.0L LQ9 LS
• Painless wiring harness and PCM
• LS6 intake
• Doug Thorley headers
• Custom 3-inch stainless exhaust
• Custom fuel rail covers
• Polished Vintage Air serpentine system
• Tucked wiring
• Engine and trans smoothed and painted
• Lokar shifter
• USA Driveline custom driveshaft
• Speedway 9-inch rearend
• 3.73 third member

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• Custom chassis by Popeye’s Rod Shop
• Art Morrison frame rails
• Long Shot Fabrication ‘55-’59 front crossmember
• Firestone 2600-lb air bags
• Custom rear 4-link
• QA1 single adjustable shocks
• Air Lift 3H controller
• Dual 5-gallon FLO air tanks
• Two Viair 480c compressors
• Custom fuel cell
• CPP steering rack
• All chassis work by Popeye’s Rod Shop

WHEELS, TIRES & BRAKES

• 20×8.5 and 20×10 Raceline Desperado wheels
• Toyo Proxes tires
• CPP brakes

BODY & PAINT

• Shaved emblems
• Molded drip rails
• Kindig It door handles
• RM gray and red paint
• AMD chrome bumpers, glass, and trim
• Holley Retrobright LED headlights
• Paint by Scooter’s Paint Works
• Graphics by Vincent Dezigns

INTERIOR

• Apex Leather red square weave carpet and leather upholstery
• 1963 Impala textile fabric inserts
• Custom door panels
• Smoothed cab seams
• Shaved glove box
• Molded Air Lift 3H controller
• Snowden bench seat
• Upholstery by Sully Stitches, Baton Rouge, LA