Sure, it looks innocent enough…
Old American pickups like this 1959 Chevrolet Apache Fleetside represent down-to-earth hard work. Often used by small businesses and entrepreneurs for manual labor, these humble machines can be found all over the country today. That’s what makes this truck perfect for a sleeper project.
Another Chevy Apache build is low, sleek and super powerful - see it here.
We’ve seen plenty of sleeper pickup trucks in the past, including from AutotopiaLA, which has brought us this one as well. It’s definitely a trend in the restomod community and it’s understandable why. After all, most people don’t expect a classic workhorse to be quick, so the owner can just cruise through traffic unharassed, something you don’t get to do behind the wheel of a Corvette or hot Mustang.
Starting with a 2WD Apache, this was put on a 2500 chassis with 4WD. Of course, the wheelbase wasn’t the same, so the chassis had to be cut down to size. Detroit Trutrac axles were added to the front and rear, plus custom leaf packs were made and Fox shocks with remote reservoirs were added for all four corners. But wait, there’s more, because this truck has air shocks in the rear, also from Fox. That feature helps to balance things out when hauling or towing.
Speaking of towing, this thing even has a fifth wheel trailer hitch mounted in the bed, so it’s not a trailer queen, it’s towing the trailer queen. Built to be a modern workhorse, this sleeper restomod ’59 Apache is keeping the original spirit of the truck alive, just with up-to-date features.
Of course, once the driver drops the hammer the whole fly-under-the-radar nature of this truck is absolutely decimated. Under the hood is a built LS3 V8 pumping out 525-horsepower. You can hear in the video how loud this thing is at WOT.
The funny thing is Rob with RJ Fab, which did this build, said he initially had zero interest in doing it. It was the owner of the truck who talked him into it, constantly telling him how cool it would be, but it sounds like Rob was skeptical until things started coming together. Thankfully, the owner was absolutely spot on.
To learn more about the details of this build and to see/hear it in action, check out the video.
