A Rare, Clean ’59 for a First-Time Owner

WHETHER IT’S CUSTOM OR STOCK, OLD OR NEW, EVERY TRUCK HAS A HISTORY. And when we spend time with our vehicles, we grow attached to them, until it’s finally time for our custodianship to end. When that point comes, it’s important to most of us that it goes to a good home, to someone who will take care of the truck just as well as we did, if not better. That way, the legacy we’ve built into the rolling piece of art will continue on in some way, and hopefully, be respected.

THEY PERFORMED A FULL RESTORATION ON THE TRUCK, BREAKING IT DOWN TO ITS SIMPLEST FORM, AND THEN BUILDING IT BACK UP USING THE BEST COMPONENTS AVAILABLE.”

Recently, Dale Hinson from Midland, North Carolina, purchased this ’59 Chevrolet Apache with the intention of making it his first show truck. At 39 years old, Dale is a bit older than our usual first-timers, but that doesn’t mean that he was new to the show scene entirely. Previously, he worked on a ’12 Chevrolet Camaro, and after that experience, he decided to do something a bit simpler. He still wanted a show vehicle, but he didn’t want to put the labor into it himself, and would rather own something that was done and ready to go. When he found the ’59, he knew it was a match.

The truck was built back in the early 2000s by Lee Bumgardner and Zoomers Automotive in Denver, far away from its current home in North Carolina. They performed a full restoration on the truck, breaking it down to its simplest form, and then building it back up using the best components available. Throughout the next two years, they revamped the suspension to accommodate Baer brakes, 20- and 22-inch Billet Specialties Rat Tail wheels, and a set of airbags that set the Mustang II front clip down closer to the concrete, while still maintaining good handling. A 1966-era Chevy 327 motor was also built and detailed to the nines, including tuned-port injection, so that the truck functioned and drove just as well as it looked. After the body was shaved clean of unnecessary items, like the stock gas filler and stake bed pockets, and the tailgate was smoothed, they chopped the nose for a nice custom touch and sprayed it all with DuPont Green paint, giving the truck its distinctive name.

There are other unique touches that make the truck so distinct. The bed kit, for example, is the original wood, but restored to a glorious shine. The dashboard from a 1959 Chevrolet Impala fits perfectly to the curves of the truck. The seat is a modified bench from a 1985 Chevy truck, but it was modified to look a bit more old school. As a whole, the truck is a complete package and, as its years in the spotlight have shown, stands the test of time.

TODAY, HE TRAILERS THE TRUCK TO AND FROM THE SHOWS HE ATTENDS, USUALLY TAKING HOME MORE TROPHIES IN THE PROCESS.”

Throughout the ensuing decade, the truck was well maintained by various owners across the country. It won the 2007 Goodguys Truck of the Year award along the way, and eventually found a new home with Dale in North Carolina.

Today, he trailers the truck to and from the shows he attends, usually taking home more trophies in the process. He certainly has the show truck bug now. His father has an older C-10 sitting in a field nearby, and Dale has been considering what he wants to do with it. Sure would be nice to have another custom truck in his stable, right? Of course it would; that’s what building trucks is all about.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Dale Hinson
1959 Chevrolet Apache
Midland, NC

ENGINE

• Shop: Ridge Reamer Inc., Arvada, CO
• 1966 Chevrolet 327 V-8 bored .060
• Keith Black No. 156 dished pistons
• Crane cam
• COMP Cams Pro Magnum rockers
• GM 461 heads
• Stock 327 small journal rods
• Chevrolet tuned port injection
• Sanderson headers
• Chrome oil pan
• Vintage Air AC
• GM 700R4 automatic transmission with overdrive
• 2,400-rpm stall converter
• Transmission built by Zoomers Automotive, Denver
• Dutchman 9-inch rearend
• 4.11:1 rear gears

SUSPENSION

• Shop: Lee Bumgardner from Zoomers Automotive, Denver
• Bilstein shocks
• Stock leaf springs
• Baer 13.5-inch front and 10.5-inch rear cross-drilled rotors
• 1974 Mustang II front suspension with lower control arms
• Mustang II steering
• AirRide Technologies V3.0 Controlled by Ride Pro e2

WHEELS & TIRES

• 20×8.5-inch and 22×10-inch Billet Specialties Rat Tail wheels
• 255/45ZR20 and 305/30ZR22 Nitto tires

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Zoomers Automotive, Denver
• Shaved tailgate
• Shaved stake pockets
• Tubbed 3 inches
• Nose chopped and pancaked
• Original wood bed kit
• Custom gas filler
• Custom third brake light
• Custom DuPont Green basecoat with silver leaf pinstriping
• Paint by Color Works Auto Refinishing, Denver

INTERIOR

• Zoomers Automotive, Denver
• 1972 NOS Ford brown upholstery
• 1959 Chevrolet Impala dashboard
• Flaming River tilt steering column
• 1985 Chevrolet truck bench seat, modified

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER:“I really want to say great job to Lee Bumgardner and the guys at Zoomers Automotive for building one heck of a truck. ”

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