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Make Offer Questions?GR Auto Gallery is proud to offer this unique and desirable NAPCO Chevrolet Apache conversion for world consideration. Northwestern Auto Parts Company (NAPCO), of Minneapolis, MN, began offering its “Power-Pak” 4x4 conversion kits for General Motors trucks in the 1950's. Eventually, NAPCO kits were supplied directly to GM and installed on the assembly line as a special-order factory option.
The 1959 Chevrolet Apache NAPCO 4x4 offered here was ordered by the US Department of the Interior, according to the identification plate affixed to its dash. This truck is powered by its 3.9 liter inline 6 cylinder engine, 4-speed manual transmission including creep gear, and NAPCO Power-Pak 4-wheel drive and lifted suspension system.
Prior to our recent acquisition, this truck was in long term family ownership where it was used and driven and enjoyed quite often under their ownership. The acquired the vehicle from South Dakota where it spent the majority of its life under government ownership and eventually private usage.
The truck has recently benefitted from an extensive ground up cosmetic and mechanical refurbishment under the most recent ownership. The body panels were replaced or refurbished as needed. They were fully stripped to bare metal and masterfully re-fit into place before the painting process. The cab corners and steps were all replaced with quality steel, along with the weather stripping, fender welts, and rubber stops. The full size 8 foot bed received new wood flooring and the interior was disassembled, repainted and refinished accordingly. The engine work includes a full top end rebuild to include milling the head and replacing all the valves and new valve seats. The cooling system has been refurbished to include new water pump and radiator.
Today, the truck stands tall and presents itself in its original special-order color, Yukon Yellow with Bombay Ivory trim. The engine bay remains very clean and tidy and also retains original factory markings under the hood that was preserved in the refurbishment process and what appears to be the original paint of the firewall. The frame and underside of this Apache has not been refurbished and remains mostly in its natural state. It is rock solid with nothing to hide. Mechanically, the truck is spot on. It recently was driven over 125 miles to our facility in Grand Rapids with out issue.
The classic truck market remains red hot. Rare, special order examples as the Apache here stand head and shoulders above the crowd when it comes to collecting, investing and just plain cool factor.