Ok, last year of what, Gilby? Last year of Chevy trucks? No, that can’t be it. Last year of people painting beautiful turquoise green trucks black? I hope it’s the last year for that, but no, 1959 was the last year of Chevy’s Task Force pickups before the C/K-Series came on board. The seller has this 1959 Chevrolet Apache 32 Fleetside pickup posted here on craigslist in Parker, Colorado, just southeast of Denver, and they’re asking $10,000 or best offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Mike F. for the tip!
Is this a truck that anyone else would refer to as “beautiful”? I know most truck owners shy away from flowery words like that when describing their tough pickups, but I think this one is great. Yes, even beautiful. Not in a Bugatti Royale way, but in an overall nicely-designed, well-balanced way. Beautifully designed is maybe a better way to say it. The earlier Cameo pickups are certainly beautiful, but this ’59 Apache Fleetside is rugged and just plain cool. An Apache 32 is a 123.25-inch wheelbase rear-wheel drive half-ton pickup with a six-cylinder engine, and they came in Stepside, Cab & Chassis, and Fleetside styles, as with this truck. This one is officially a model 3234.
Dang, you can see some of the original color under the glopped-black tailgate. Why?! Seriously, why would anyone paint a nice Galway or Neptune Green (or, Tartan Turquoise?) truck this flat black color? Unless maybe some bodywork was done and it was easier than trying to match the original color? There is some evidence of bodywork on the driver’s side “spear” on the Fleetside box side, as shown in the first photo. The seller doesn’t mention rust at all in their listing.
Chevy’s Task Force is a light and medium-duty series of trucks made from 1955 through 1959 and they were quite different from the new, much more modern C/K-Series that would be introduced for the 1960 model year. This truck defines the 1950s to me, whereas the new C/K pickups in 1960 define the 1960s. GM was on top of its game in this era. The interior looks nice from what we can see, and this one is wearing a three-speed manual with a column shifter. The replacement seat cover looks nice and the padded dash… er… wait, if you hit your forehead on that thing we’ll be reading about you in the newspaper.
Ahhhhhh, that beautiful 1950s color, all painted over on the outside, dang. It can be brought back for sure, or just make sure everything is working great and drive it as it looks now. I don’t not like the current look, just for the record, I just like this greenish-turquoise color better. Since there’s no “V” behind the Chevy bowtie on the hood, this is a six, and it’s Chevy’s Thriftmaster 235-cu.in. OHV inline-six with 135 horsepower and 217 lb-ft of torque when new. It sends power through a three-speed syncromesh manual to the rear wheels and the seller says it’s a classic workhorse. Any thoughts on this Apache 32 Fleetside?
Don’t look too bad for an old truck. Runs and drives, great! Drive it and have fun! Have to see it up close and personal before I’d pay 10k.
oh yeh, how I mourn for the days when cars were fun and pickups were small trucks for us work’n folks. I miss those days but this old Chev would be perfect, hope it gets a respectful owner and keep the 6 and 3 on the tree.
Another one you knocked outta the park, Scotty G.Classic cool old school Chevy truck. I’m with Terry M-leave it be and drive it as the blue collar truck it is.
But not for $10k.
Scotty finds another one!!! The original turquoise color on this truck is one of my favorite colors on this generation. Mechanically I’d leave it exactly as is with the 6 and a stick. Keep em coming Scotty!!!
In 1978 or 79 my dad bought one of these off our neighbor except it was a darker red color. I loved driving it, it sat up so much higher than than other pickups that were around then. That thing ran very well with the 6 and the 3 on the tree. I do believe the price was 100 dollars
My Dad had the GMC equivalent to this truck back in the early 70’s 6 cyl. With a 3 on the tree.
He had new fenders put on it and had it painted Forest Green that’s the vehicle I learned to drive a standard on it was a great truck.
I like this one but I think $5,000 is as far as I would go
Anything beats shoe leather express, and if you must drive an old Chevy truck (like my dad always did) then this one looks like a good candidate.
God Bless America
I am another person who has always thought that these GMC and Chevrolet pickup trucks were pleasingly styled. And even though it’s not PC in today’s modern world; I dig the Apache name. The original color would certainly be preferable to the present one. But with what a good paint job costs it probably isn’t in the cards. But I like it. I would have to take a look at this if it were closer to me. GLWTS.
This pales in comparison to the two tone brown one on Hemmings that is an all original fully loaded option showcase, but they want $125k, so this one is attainable and usable!
When I first saw the headline, “Last year” I was thinking, “NO! that is NOT the last year of the Apache.” But, like so many things, such as “1 of 1” it is all in the details I guess. The Apache name continued on until 1961 before the actual “C/K? nomenclature was used, but this was the last year of the Task Force trucks. So, last year of this body, yes, last year of the model name, “Apache,” no.
I got a few of those. People ask me; “How Much?” … If you gotta ask? You don’t have enough. My region has been harvested over the last 20 years. I have the last of a whole lot of things that aren’t for sale. The old stuff finds me, I don’t go looking. Example: I found a 42 Washington license plate from Lewis county; 6 months later I bought the car it came off of…Random happening at a swap meet; bought a handful of 58 New Mexico plates, put a set back together, from different vendors. What are the odds? I bought hubcaps at a swapmeet a few years ago, Turns out; I sold them 35 years ago at a swapmeet in California. When you have restored something, you know your work. As they say; some things were meant to be, even decades later.