It is hard to believe that a cool classic pickup like this 1959 Chevrolet Apache could be left to sit forgotten in a barn in Montana for more than 35-years, but it is the truth. It has now been dragged out into the light of day, and after a lot of hard work and not inconsiderable expense, it has been returned to a roadworthy state once again. This is a vehicle that is absolutely loaded with character, and it is a blank canvas for the next owner. They might choose to complete the full restoration process, or choose to leave it essentially untouched. Regardless of which path they eventually choose to follow, they will find the Apache located in Frankfort, Illinois, and listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has reached $3,900, and with the reserve now met, this is one old pickup that is destined to head to a new home.
It is really hard not to love a vehicle like this one because it wears its age like a badge of honor. The Turquoise paint is worn and baked, and I even like the fact that nobody has made the effort to fix the hole in the hood where the vehicle was accidentally shot at one point! It does have the typical sorts of rust that you will see in an Apache of this vintage, including some in the bottoms of the fenders, and in the lower cab corners. The great thing about this type of rust is that because it is so common, patch panels are now readily available to address the problems. The panels look nice and straight, with no significant dings or dents. The majority of the glass looks like it might be in good condition, although the windshield and passenger-side vent glass are both badly cracked, and will need to be replaced. The Chevy rolls on the factory optional 16″ steel wheels. These have been sandblasted and freshly powder-coated. They have also been fitted with new tires and new hubcaps. The timber in the bed is said to be original, and while it is essentially solid, there are some areas of deterioration. Regardless of whether or not the next owner is planning on undertaking a full restoration, replacing the timber would probably be a wise course of action.
The generally weathered exterior of the Apache means that lifting the hood provides a pretty big surprise. What you will find is the 235ci 6-cylinder engine, which is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. After sitting for close to four decades, the vehicle needed a lot of work to return it to a roadworthy state. The owner really pushed the boat out on this, and all I can say is that it must have cost a pretty penny to get the vehicle to its current state. It appears that the engine has been pulled, the cylinder head has been rebuilt, and the whole engine has been detailed within an inch of its life. In addition, the engine has received a new water pump, new generator, new starter, new thermostat, all new belts, and hoses, while the carburetor was also rebuilt. The entire braking system, from the master cylinder through to the wheel cylinders, shoes, drums, and hoses, has been replaced. The fuel tank and sending unit have also been replaced, along with the fuel pump and fuel filter. The suspension was checked from top to bottom to ensure that there were no issues, and the rest of the drivetrain was gone through, with any suspect gaskets being replaced. Phew, that’s quite a list, and believe it or not, that isn’t everything! The owner says that the Apache is now in a running, driving state, and given the scope of the work that has been undertaken so far, I would expect that it probably performs both of those tasks quite well.
As is the case with the exterior, the interior of the Apache is showing all of the signs of a hard life. The big issue is the seat, which is missing padding and also needs a new cover. It would be possible to replace the padding and then cover it with a blanket, but that is a matter of personal choice. The radio is also missing, leaving a hole in the dash, while the heater core will need to be replaced, as it does leak. In reality, fixing the seat would be a priority before the Chevy could be driven any distance with anything vaguely resembling comfort. Everything else comes under the heading of non-urgent and could be fixed as time and circumstances allow.
I love old pickups like this ’59 Apache because they are vehicles with so much character. With the amount of mechanical work that has already been completed, I would fully understand it if the next owner would want to complete the process by treating it to a cosmetic restoration. Equally, I would understand if they wanted to simply fix the seat, and then head out and enjoy this old classic basically untouched. I’d be very tempted to treat the interior to a full and meticulous restoration, replace the timber in the bed, treat the existing rust to ensure that it can’t deteriorate any further, and then drive and enjoy it largely as-is. Of course, that’s all theory, because I’m not actually buying it. The big question is, will you?
Great find, my favorite style. The AD and Task Force were still kind of crude, these seemed to turn a corner in trucks the whole family could use. I’m sure many doubled duty on the family farms. Bullet hole does nothing for me, just paint it already.
An LWB pickup like this is what a lot of farms had out west back in the day. I would love to bring it back west and pick up where the project left off. I would fix what needed to be fixed in the bed and interior then fix the rust and give it a full repaint. Then I would have some fun with it. Use it and play with it. A lot of people might frown because it’s a long-wheelbase but that wouldn’t slow me down a bit…
If the last picture in the eBay listing is an example of what “restoration experts” can do to “restore” the truck for sale, I’d hate to see what an amateur would do.
As an amateur I’d do something completely different and significantly better. Leave that ride height alone.
100% agree. Skip the west coast slammed look, thank you.
We used to see ’em all over the Midwest too Geomechs. In fact,
before Dad and I did a ’55 Chevy stepside, our neighbor drove to
work Evey day in a ’59 like this one. So when the ’55 came up for sale, Dad jumped on it. Seeing this truck reminds me of what we started with when we got that truck. Worn out paint,
rust in all the usual places, and a mangled left rear fender that
needed a complete replacement. And oh yeah, a new seat put
together by my Mom and my kid sister. Mom was very good at
upholstery work back then and they did a really nice job of covering those old seat springs with new foam and a 2-tone seat cover to boot. We really didn’t do a full resto on that truck,
we just fixed what was needed and drove it for awhile and citified it a bit more with 15″ rims, car wheel covers, a new ice
blue metallic paint job and a whole lot more. A friend of Dad’s
liked it so much he finally bought it off Dad for $2K in 1970.
Underneath it all was the original 235 straight 6 and a 3 speed
tranny. If the truck were mine, I’d do the same things to it that
we did back then to our ’55. Then enjoy it for what it is–a great old truck you can really use.
those old seat springs
We used to see ’em all over the Midwest too Geomechs. In fact,
before Dad and I did a ’55 Chevy stepside, our neighbor drove to
work Evey day in a ’59 like this one. So when the ’55 came up for sale, Dad jumped on it. Seeing this truck reminds me of what we started with when we got that truck. Worn out paint,
rust in all the usual places, and a mangled left rear fender that
needed a complete replacement. And oh yeah, a new seat put
together by my Mom and my kid sister. Mom was very good at
upholstery work back then and they did a really nice job of covering those old seat springs with new foam and a 2-tone seat cover to boot. We really didn’t do a full resto on that truck,
we just fixed what was needed and drove it for awhile and citified it a bit more with 15″ rims, car wheel covers, a new ice
blue metallic paint job and a whole lot more. A friend of Dad’s
liked it so much he finally bought it off Dad for $2K in 1970.
Underneath it all was the original 235 straight 6 and a 3 speed
tranny. If the truck were mine, I’d do the same things to it that
we did back then to our ’55. Then enjoy it for what it is–a great old truck you can really use.
I vote for cleaning up the interior & bed, then let it keep being a truck! I’d love to use it for basic transportation and picking up a load of hay now & then.
Nice looking truck that would stay pretty much the way it is if it were in my garage!! The only upgrade I would do would be disc breaks so it was safer to stop!!
I like these old trucks, GMC more than Chevy but to each his own. What I don’t like is fauxtina of which both trucks have a lot of and not particularly well done. I’d have to repaint, and that would involve a lot of metal work to make it come out nice. Wonder what it looked when it came out of hiding.
Probably some gun-handling lesson there on that hood shot too. Id leave that part as is. Great truck.
NO COMMENT, I have said enough.
An ex-girlfriend bought me a truck just like this back in 83. It needed a lot of work that I never did get finished. Both are history now, just memories best forgotten.
God bless America
If I had a girlfriend that bought me a truck, I would never let her go, my hope being, I would own allot of trucks.