Build a Killer Truck with Deboss Garage Apache Stroker 1955 Chevy Pickup Parts Combos

Rich Bosch of Deboss Garage is a genius when it comes to turning piles of parts into cool vehicles. His projects span the gamut from restoring 1940s-era Chevys to LS swaps in GTOs and Audis to Caterpillar diesels in—well, almost everything. Oh, and Chevy squarebody trucks on tank chassis.

His latest creation is a 1955 Chevy Apache pickup with an LS swap and an altitude adjustment. Rich found the well-patinaed truck through his buddy Mike Burroughs from StanceWorks. Problem was, it lived in California and Rich lives in Ontario, Canada.

No worries, Rich said. He built a 415 cubic inch LS engine in a friend’s engine shop (Northtown Machine) in Ontario and shipped it to California, made three trips to Cali to build the Apache in a driveway (courtesy of Johnny and Manuel at Dirt Cinema), then drove it 4,000 miles back home with a stop at Summit Racing’s Ohio facility. You can see the epic tale from start to finish on the Deboss Garage YouTube channel.

We put together Deboss Garage Apache Stroker 1955 Chevy Pickup Parts Combos that can help you put together a ’55 Chevy truck similar to Rich’s. We do suggest watching the build videos so you can get a good idea of what is involved in a project like this as there is a good bit of fabrication involved.

Long Block
The 415 is based on an aluminum block from a 6.2L L92 with a SCAT rotating assembly. Our combo includes a SCAT Modern Muscle rotating assembly. The fully balanced assembly has a four-inch stroke, 4340 forged steel crank; 6.125-inch long forged 4340 steel H-beam connecting rods; forged flat top pistons with two valve reliefs; a ring set; and bearings.

The crank comes assembled with a 58-tooth reluctor wheel. If you use an aftermarket engine management system that can handle either a 24-tooth or a 58-tooth wheel, you should be good to drop this kit in a Gen III or Gen IV LS engine.

The camshaft is a custom-ground COMP Cams hydraulic roller that specs out at 238°/254° duration @ .050-inch lift and .634/.622 inch of valve lift with. 115° of lobe separation. Our combo also includes COMP High Energy roller lifters and a COMP double roller timing set with a nine-keyway crank sprocket. That lets you advance or retard cam timing up to eight degrees in two-degree increments.

The cylinder heads are AFR Mongoose LS3s. Rated at 380 CFM of intake airflow at 0.700-inch lift, the heads are designed for engines with a four-inch or larger bore running at or below 7,000 RPM. They have CNC-machined 260cc intake runners, 95cc exhaust runners, and 69cc combustion chambers with 2.165/1.600 inch valves. The PAC Racing 1.270-inch valve springs are rated to .650 inch of valve lift.

The AFR heads are fitted with a set of COMP Cams Max-Lift BSR shaft rocker arms. The rockers increase valve train stiffness and reduce deflection under extreme loads. That allows the use of more aggressive, higher lift cams while keeping valvetrain motion under control.

Oiling is handled by a Melling high-volume/standard pressure oil pump and a factory ‘batwing’ oil pan for a C5 Corvette. Our combo includes an ACDelco replacement pan.

Rounding out this combo are COMP Cams Magnum pushrods, a Fel-Pro head gasket set, ARP Pro Series head studs, and a Summit Racing™ Bracket Racer SFI Harmonic Damper.

Air and Fuel Systems
The induction system features a Holley LS mid-rise intake manifold with a Holley Sniper 92mm throttle body. Designed for big cubic inch and high RPM applications, the intake has a mid-rise top plenum that will clear most hoods without compromising performance. The manifold is fitted with Holley fuel rails housing ACCEL 80 lb.-hr. fuel injectors. Deboss Garage used a Flowmaster Delta Force universal cold air intake kit to build an intake that pulls air from the driver side front fender area. 

The Apache’s fuel system is based around a Holley HP Billet gerotor-style electric fuel pump rated at 105 GPH of fuel flow. Deboss Garage used HP Billet fuel filters before and after the pump to keep the gasoline gunk-free. A return-style Holley adjustable fuel pressure regulator keeps fuel pressure in line.

Deboss Garage fitted an under-bed fuel tank in the Apache. Our combo includes a Classic Performance 20-gallon under-bed steel fuel tank set up for a flush-mount filler.

Deboss Garage used a Holley Terminator X engine management system to control the 415. The self-learning system features boost and nitrous controls, a one-bar MAP sensor, wideband oxygen sensor, and all necessary wiring harnesses. You can even do advanced tuning on a laptop using the included software.

Engine Accessories
Deboss Garage built an accessory drive for the 415 LS using a factory LS water pump, a Holley GM Type 2 power steering pump and pulley, and a Holley low-mount alternator bracket. Engine mount modifications were required so the alternator would clear the pitman arm on the steering box.

Our combo includes the Holley bracket and power steering parts plus a standard-volume Holley water pump and 150 amp alternator that is more compact than a standard LS alternator for maximum clearance in mid- and low-mount applications.

The headers are full-length Hooker Super Competitions for a 1971-74 Camaro with an LS swap. Deboss Garage built a three-inch dual exhaust system with turbo-style mufflers and an X-pipe fabricated from two 90° bends. Our combo includes a Summit Racing™ Universal Rod Builders Exhaust Kit with 409 stainless steel tubing.

We did not include mufflers so you can choose ones that have a sound you like. We do suggest a pair of these Summit Racing™ 409 Stainless Steel Mufflers as they are similar to the mufflers Deboss Garage used.

A Frostbite four-row aluminum radiator with two 14-inch electric fans and shroud keep the 415 cool. The radiator is built with an aircraft-quality aluminum core, fittings, and tanks with billet aluminum filler necks. The fan and shroud kit is designed to fit the radiator snugly to direct airflow into the radiator core for maximum cooling efficiency.

Rounding out the combo are MSD Street Fire coils, ACCEL Extreme 9000 wires with ceramic spark plug boots, and Holley valve covers with a black crinkle finish.

Mounts and Transmission
Deboss Garage installed the LS using Holley clamshell engine mounts with polyurethane inserts and a pair of Hooker Blackheart LS swap mounts. Rich modified the Blackheart mounts to move the engine closer to the firewall for more oil pan and alternator clearance. He also recessed the firewall with a wheelbarrow tub. That’s genius.

The transmission is a Tremec T-56 Magnum six-speed transmission with a QuickTime bellhousing, an ACT Heavy-Duty clutch kit, and a Holley hydraulic throwout bearing with a Wilwood clutch slave master cylinder. The ACT clutch has 20 to 50 percent more clamping load than an OEM clutch, significantly increasing torque capacity. Our combo also includes a Summit Racing™ Transmission Crossmember.

Suspension and Rear Axle
Rich’s buddies at StanceWorks grafted a 1971 Camaro front subframe to the Apache and upgraded the suspension with QA1 GM 2.0 Street upper and lower control arms, double-adjustable Pro coilover shocks, and a stiffer sway bar. The control arms provide increased positive caster compared to OEM arms for better handling, and have QA1 Ultimate ball joints for smooth, bind-free operation and preload adjustability.

The rear frame was C-notched and the stock leaf spring suspension was replaced with a Heidts Classic Truck four-link kit; QA1 Proma Star double-adjustable coilover shocks with 250 lbs./in. springs; and a QA1 sway bar for a 1965-72 Ford F-Series pickup. Deboss Garage built custom mounts for a panhard bar from one of QA1’s Ford F100 suspension kits. That part is not available separately, so we included a Heidts panhard bar designed for use with their four-link kit.

The rear axle is a Ford 9-inch rear axle from a 1965 Ford F100 with a 28-spline differential and 4.11 gears. Deboss reused the gears and did a 31-spline conversion using an Eaton Trutrac differential, Allstar Performance cut-to-fit axle shafts, and Timken side bearings to fit the differential in the 28-spline carrier housing. 

Our combo includes a Currie Enterprises third member with 4.11 gears and a 31-spline Twin-Trac differential and the Allstar Performance 31-spline axle shafts. An axle housing from a 1965-72 Ford F100 is the same width as the one Deboss Garage used, and has the correct ‘big bearing’ (3.150-inch) flange pattern.

If you want a ready-made 9-inch style rear axle with 31-spline axles, Currie Enterprises offers packages just for 1955-59 Chevy pickups. A housing and axle shaft package ready for a differential and gears is part number CE-GMP5559X. A custom-built assembly with your choice of gear ratios, differentials, and rear brakes is available under part number CE-GMP5559. Your Summit Racing rep can help you special-order either one.

Tires, Wheels, and Brakes
Deboss Garage shoed the Apache with 20-inch Rocket Racing Boost Hyper Shot wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes Sport A/S tires. The tires are a high-performance all-season design that delivers excellent wet and dry braking. The wheels are no longer available, so we included a set of Ridler 69 Series Gloss Gray wheels that have a similar vibe.

The brakes are Baer Brakes Baer Claw Pro+ discs front and rear. They feature 14-inch diameter slotted and cross-drilled rotors, six-piston forged billet aluminum calipers, pads, stainless hose, and hardware. The front brake kit also includes a pair of stock-height spindles with billet aluminum hub/bearing assemblies installed. The rear brakes have backing plates that act as caliper mounts and house one-piece parking brake shoe assemblies. Deboss Garage got their calipers with a special-order Arizona copper finish; our combo includes kits with red calipers.

Deboss Garage modified an aftermarket brake pedal assembly to fit a master cylinder/brake booster assembly. Our combo includes a Classic Performance master/booster kit for 1955-59 GM trucks with four-wheel disc brakes that uses the stock brake pedal assembly.

Completer Parts
Deboss Garage installed a Borgeson Street and Performance Series power steering box with a 12.7:1 steering ratio. It’s attached to a Summit Racing™ Floor Shift Steering Column topped with a Scott Drake Corso Feroce wood grip steering wheel. A Summit Racing™ Steering Column Drop Mount and Steering Column Floor Mount hold the column in place.

The Apache’s inoperable gauge cluster was replaced with a Classic Instruments Tach-Force cluster. A drop-in replacement for the factory cluster, the Tach-Force has a white face with a combination speedometer/tachometer, water temperature, oil pressure, voltmeter, and fuel level gauges.

You need comfy seats when you’re on a 4,000-mile-long trip. Deboss Garage installed a pair of Procar Rally Series 1000 seats on custom-made, four-inch tall risers. They also installed a Silver Sport STX shifter that places the lever in the forward-most position on the Tremec T-56 six-speed transmission.

Rounding out the combo is a Painless Performance 21-circuit wiring harness, Holley RetroBright LED conversion headlights, and an OER windshield to replace the cracked and scratched original.

SEE THE PARTS LIST FOR THE DEBOSS GARAGE CHEVY APACHE