This LS-Powered 1959 Chevrolet Apache Is The Perfect Patina Restomod

There are many different reasons people choose to restore classic vehicles. Some folks want to actively preserve history or recapture a certain time or feeling in their life. For others, the idea is as simple as creating something head-turning or outrageous. The cool thing about this 1959 Chevrolet Apache is that it strikes a fine balance between both preservationist and hot rodder mindsets. The truck doesn’t thirst for attention through candy paint, flashy wheels, or questionable body mods. Instead, it lets some old barn wood and nearly seven decades of honest patina lure folks into what turns out to be a much deeper story.

A super clean, all-original ‘barn find’ that was purchased from its original owner, this Chevy still celebrates everything we love about glorious 1950s Americana. But thanks to the pros at Hale’s Speed Shop and Stoner’s Speed Shop, the truck, known in the community as Sioux, is anything but a stuffy original. That ideally weathered facade shrouds a modern foundation of performance that delivers the kind of driving experience Chevrolet engineers could only dream about back in 1959.

The Search For The Right Chevy

For owner Nic Curl, this build wasn’t some impulse purchase brought on by romanticizing farm trucks and small towns. Like many classic truck enthusiasts, he’d already experienced life behind the wheel of an early Chevrolet pickup. His previous project was a 1949 Chevrolet 3100, a truck he proudly displayed at shows and genuinely enjoyed. But while the ’49 had plenty of charm, it was the Task Force series that had always called his name.

“I’ve always wanted an Apache,” he explained. Specifically, he wanted one of Chevrolet’s 1958 or 1959 models that featured quad headlights. Who wouldn’t, right? The 1958 and 1959 Chevrolet Task Force and GMC Blue Chip trucks are favorites among collectors because they were created during, at least in this author’s opinion, a peak of both American design and GM design. 

The 1958 model introduced one of the most recognizable front ends ever fitted to a Chevrolet pickup, highlighted by styling that borrowed heavily from the bowtie brand’s passenger-car lineup. 1958 also saw the introduction of the requisite fleetside bed, which has since become a pickup truck standard.

Of course, simply finding a ’59 Apache wasn’t enough. Like most enthusiasts, Nic had a very specific vision. One of his biggest priorities was finding a truck equipped with Chevrolet’s desirable big rear window option. Compared to the standard cab, the panoramic rear glass dramatically opens up the cabin while giving the truck a more upscale appearance. 

As luck would have it, Sioux offered even more. The truck is what’s referred to as a Double Deluxe, meaning it carries Deluxe brightwork on both the cab and the bed. Double Deluxe Apaches were a 1959-exclusive trim that essentially replaced the iconic Cameo as Chevrolet’s top-option light-duty truck.

The Build That Made It Timeless

While the truck’s stylish body proudly wears decades of earned character, virtually everything underneath has been modernized. The project was built through a collaboration between Hale’s Speed Shop and Stoner’s Speed Shop, with Hale’s handling the majority of the fabrication.

Starting with solid, all-original metal, Hale’s massaged the truck’s firewall, fabricated a brand new transmission tunnel, and installed a full fitment of Dynamat insulation. With the front-half complete, they moved to the bed, where a raised bed frame nicely complemented fabricated mini tubs. Finally, they removed the bed floor and added metal slats for reclaimed barn wood that was milled into a new bed floor.

Sioux’s reimagined profile was then married to a C-notched chassis, which is steered by a Fat Man Fabrications front-clip that makes excellent use of drop spindles, tubular control arms, and power rack-and-pinion steering. A 4L60E 4-speed turns a Quick Performance Fab 9 rearend, which spins a Trutrac differential and 3.70 gears between 35-spline axles and a billet yoke. And naturally, the truck’s killer stance comes courtesy of a three-gallon stainless steel air tank, with a touch-controlled Air Lift 3H system commanding Slam Specialty SS-6 bags up front and Ridetech bags out back, along with custom, built-to-length Ridetech shocks.

Hale’s and Stoner’s certainly didn’t skimp on the truck’s details, either, with Wilwood hydraboost braking clamping four black calipers around four two-piece rotors. All hardlines are stainless, the truck’s front hubs are Wilwood billet units, and go juice lives in a fully kitted Aeromotive tank that’s finished with a billet cap and filler neck. Everything rolls on powder-coated Mobsteel Artillery wheels, sized at 20×10 at the drives and 20×8 at the steers.

The Power That Makes It Epic

We all know what the best powerplant is for basically anything, and as you might expect from being an astute reader of this website, the Sioux Apache is motivated by a rowdy LS V8! To be exact, that engine is a six-liter L96 that promptly shed its DOD and VVT tech before being paired with a set of 823 LS3 heads and a custom Texas Speed & Performance LSA cam. The 823 heads were rebuilt with titanium Texas Speed retainers, GM Performance rockers, hardened Texas Speed pushrods, and a Texas Speed trunnion kit before being paired with Johnson lifters and ARP studs. Everything was topped off with a cable-operated FAST LSXHR 103 mm intake, which breathes through a custom air tube.

That air ignites thanks to a steady stream of fuel that’s supplied by FAST fuel rails and GM LS2 injectors. A GM Performance F-body oil pan, pickup, and windage tray work well with a high-quality Melling oil pump. An F-body radiator, complete with an electric fan, fronts a full Holley accessory drive. MSD coil packs and plug wires trace Holley valve covers, and a Holley Terminator X system keeps everything in check with the help of a standalone screen.

The Character That Makes It Cool

It’s obvious that, instead of building another trailer queen, the shops’ goals were to create something an enthusiast could actually enjoy. The truck feels authentic because, in many ways, it still is, with every scratch, faded panel, weathered surface, and hand-picked modification telling part of its story. According to Nic, the truck “runs and drives like a dream.”

Essential to that drive is a stylish cockpit by Joel Mattix of Boss Interiors. The driver spins a familiar Forever Sharp wheel between a tilting Ididit column and a Snowden Custom seat. The doors are fully kitted with Lokar door handles, Lokar window handles, and Altman bear claw latches. A Painless wiring harness lights attractive Dakota Digital RTX telemetry, and the passengers stay comfortable thanks to Vintage Air climate control.

Nic is quick to admit he can’t take credit for building the truck himself. Instead, he focused on finding the right truck; one that already checked every box on his wish list. “It had the perfect look, and it runs and drives great, so it’s exactly what I was looking for.” That’s really what makes this Apache so appealing. Instead of screaming for attention, the truck earns attention. 

Sioux is equally at home parked on a show field or cruising down the interstate, delivering all the charm of a 1959 Chevrolet pickup without the usual compromises that accompany a decades-old classic. At the end of the day, that’s really what the restomod movement is all about. While some restomods impress because they’re over the top, this one impresses because it never even had to try.