Photo: Craiglist, San Fernando Valley
There are two types of people out there. People who'd decline spending extended periods living and sleeping in a mobile home mounted to the back of a pickup truck, and those who'd do it at the drop of a hat just for the fun of it. We don't expect this 1959 Chevrolet Apache and its accompanying bed-mounted camper to get people changing sides along those lines. But for the people who are into this kind of scene, this might be one of the coolest truck and camper combinations you've seen in a long time.
It's for sale via a Craigslist advertisement out of the San Fernando Valley in California, and you can sort of tell just by the fresh disposition of this truck that it's been a California car for most of, if not all, of its entire life. Most of this truck's brethren in the Chevrolet Task Force line of light and medium-duty trucks built from 1955 to 1959 have already rusted back into the Earth from which it came. But, according to the sales literature that comes with the online advertisement, the owner of this truck has driven it on and off for the past 21 years. On the face of it, you'd never know this truck was ever more than lightly used, judging the look of its exterior alone.
In its day, Chevy Task Force trucks, the Apache line included, left the factory sporting at least six different options of straight-six and V8 engines ranging from 235 cubic inches (3.9 L) up to 348 cubic inches (5.7 L). No word on whether this particular example comes with the NAPCO (Northwestern Auto Parts Company) "Powr-Pak" 4WD conversion kit, as 1959 was the final year this was offered by General Motors straight from the factory before the Chevy/GMC C/K-Series replaced the whole lineage in 1960. What we do know is this old truck's engine's been swapped for a 307 cubic-inch (5.03-L) small-block Chevy V8 at some point in the distant past.
Other goodies under the hood include a new aluminum radiator, rebuilt engine heads, and an aftermarket Edelbrock carburetor for an engine bay that looks more appropriate for a late 60s muscle car than it does a late 50s light truck. As for the bed-mounted camper included in the price of this truck, the owner states it was custom-built to match the specifications of this Apache's rear bed back in 1959. There's no word on whether the late 50s-vintage stove and oven combo or any of the interior light fixtures are in good working order, but it shouldn't be too much of a hassle getting everything in working order.
For an asking price of $25,000, you might want to include a 4G/Wi-Fi hotspot in the budget for acquiring this truck. Is it worth the coin? Well, only the new owner can decide. Will it be you?
In its day, Chevy Task Force trucks, the Apache line included, left the factory sporting at least six different options of straight-six and V8 engines ranging from 235 cubic inches (3.9 L) up to 348 cubic inches (5.7 L). No word on whether this particular example comes with the NAPCO (Northwestern Auto Parts Company) "Powr-Pak" 4WD conversion kit, as 1959 was the final year this was offered by General Motors straight from the factory before the Chevy/GMC C/K-Series replaced the whole lineage in 1960. What we do know is this old truck's engine's been swapped for a 307 cubic-inch (5.03-L) small-block Chevy V8 at some point in the distant past.
Other goodies under the hood include a new aluminum radiator, rebuilt engine heads, and an aftermarket Edelbrock carburetor for an engine bay that looks more appropriate for a late 60s muscle car than it does a late 50s light truck. As for the bed-mounted camper included in the price of this truck, the owner states it was custom-built to match the specifications of this Apache's rear bed back in 1959. There's no word on whether the late 50s-vintage stove and oven combo or any of the interior light fixtures are in good working order, but it shouldn't be too much of a hassle getting everything in working order.
For an asking price of $25,000, you might want to include a 4G/Wi-Fi hotspot in the budget for acquiring this truck. Is it worth the coin? Well, only the new owner can decide. Will it be you?
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