So often, we tend to get formulaic in truck feature stories. Instead of simply running down the list of who did what, where, and when to Jim and Donna Stach's '59 Apache, we thought mixing things up a bit might be in order. And because their excerpts of the build process better explained their personal what, where, and whens, that's what we're filling the following pages with. You'll find all the pertinent particulars at the end of the feature, as usual. Enjoy. -Ed
The truck itself established our design theme. In the late '50s and early '60s, our country was obsessed with all things Space Age-rockets, space travel, jets, and let's not forget that most famous of animated families, The Jetsons. In keeping with our obsession with space, Detroit automobile designers of the time appended sheetmetal wings, fins, and rockets to cars and trucks.
Koolant's styling elements honor these roots. True to the era, the original Apache design includes 6-foot rockets incorporated on the sides of the truck bed. To these we added embellishments that we imagine Chevrolet might have created in 1959 if they were taking the truck to the next level to promote their forward-thinking design.
The first six months of the project, the '59 was intended to be a nice updated driver. Three months, mounds of manufacturer's paint chip books, and two custom-made DuPont colors later, Koolant was born (named after the lower of the two-tone's resemblance to antifreeze).
One of the major design superfluities is the removal of the existing dashboard. In its place is a stylish '59 passenger car unit, perhaps the best to come from Chevrolet's design staff during that period. The structure incorporates five jet aircraft cockpit-inspired gauge pods with beautiful sheetmetal curves leading into the glovebox. The overall interior design also takes cues from various Chevy interiors from the early '60s, all the while retaining the rocket theme from the late '50s. Custom-fabbed knobs and the rearview mirror were created with bullet tips and rocket shapes to reinforce the truck's emerging theme. Other styling embellishments include custom-designed exterior mirrors and taillights that mimic the cylindrical rocket shape incorporated in the truck bed box, and chrome trim accents in the grille, interior door panels, and dashboard, all terminating with a nice bullet tip.