Early on, when Chevrolet was simply building trucks to haul stuff, work was part of the name. Beginning in 1955, the Bowtie division’s version of a utilitarian hauler was simply called a “Task Force” truck, not the Chevy Apache moniker many attribute to it. Ironically, prior to 1955, the series of Chevy trucks from 1947 through 1955 was called the “Advance Design” variant. Cart, meet horse – but we digress.

So, let’s get back on track and focus on Lonnie and Mary Besser’s 1956 Apache, er, Task Force truck, with the Fleetside bed. Confused yet? We were also until Lonnie filled us in. This truck’s smooth-sided bed is one of the reasons Lonnie liked this truck so much when he found it online two years ago. But, practical, smooth-sided trucks didn’t come on the scene at Chevrolet until 1958, the same year Chevy started using the term “Apache.”

Prior to 1958, all regular light-duty “trucks” had step-sides, featuring a step between the cab and bulging rear fender. A quick look and it would be easy to see how this 1956 pickup could appear to be two years ahead of its time. To add to the confusion, Chevy did introduce the fiberglass-sided “Cameo” pickup in 1955. Being a 1956 truck, one look at this truck’s Fleetside bed and you could easily make the assumption that this truck was a Cameo variant, but that would be incorrect, as well.

Besides the distinctive taillights used on the Cameo trucks, peeking inside the bed is another way to decipher between a Fleetside Apache bed and a true Cameo. Cameo beds had fiberglass exterior panels mated to the much narrower step-side bed. That means there are no inner wheel wells inside a Cameo pickup bed. Fleetside beds are wider, and have steel wheel wells protruding up from the bed floor to make room for the wheels and tires.

While the Fleetside bed didn’t appear on Chevy trucks until 1958, somewhere along the way, Lonnie’s truck had been updated with the newer, more stylized bed. Lonnie reports that one look at this truck with the updated bed, and with the big windows fore and aft, he was hooked.

Until locating this truck, Lonnie had been scouring the Internet for four years, searching for that perfect truck to rebuild. The project had to have a big back window, which was an option beginning with the Task Force series of trucks. This generation also introduced the first wrap-around windshield for trucks. With the large front and rear viewing areas of Lonnie’s truck, you could say that blind spots are not much of an issue.

It didn’t take him long to start rebuilding the truck, and within two short years, he now has this pristine version of what Lonnie feels Chevrolet should have built for 1956. We’d bet it would have sold a lot more trucks if it did!

Some Things Old, Some Things Newer

When undertaking such an exhaustive project and creating a personal view of building the perfect vehicle, restraint is often the most important utensil in the toolbox. In the case of Lonnie’s Cardinal Red ’56 pickup, he has used a blend of many of the old styling cues that make these trucks so cool, but also integrated a variety of newer touches in such a way that they work with the design created over 60 years ago.

The interior of the truck is a nice blend of old and new. The soft goods are wrapped in light gray leather by JT Upholstery in Rice, Minnesota. Those Classic Instruments gauges are framed in that LeCarra steering wheel while Lonnie does the driving.

One of the reasons that both new and old blend so nicely is that everywhere you look, those OEM components are refurbished to a better-than-new appearance. Save for the obvious components, it gets quite difficult to distinguish between the new parts and those that left the factory when this truck was new. Lonnie filled us in on several of the areas where he deviated from factory stock.

To start, Lonnie and Mary didn’t want a six-decade-old truck that rode like a six-decade-old truck, so a ’69 Camaro subframe was swapped under the front of the truck. This also had a positive effect on the truck’s ride height. To equal out the ride in the rear, a set of leaf springs were prepared with a ’70 C10 rearend bolted between them. The housing contains a Positraction differential fitted with 3:36 gears; just the right match for the cruising that Lonnie and Mary are doing with the truck. A set of disc brakes were fastened at both the front and rear of the truck, for when the cruising duo needs to scrub some speed.

In an interesting twist, whereas the Cameo trucks used fiberglass bedsides in the rear, Lonnie’s truck has the steel-sided Fleetside bed but uses fiberglass front fenders instead. A modern twist of the “Apache” truck’s steel/’glass combination. Another combination that works quite well is the wheels and tires Lonnie chose to adorn those front and rear fenders. A set of American Racing wheels – 15×7 (front) and 15×8 (rear) – give the truck a vintage vibe, and those 215/65 (front) and 255/70 (rear) tires fill the wheel openings nicely.

More Modern Upgrades

When it came time to put some power to Lonnie’s pickup, he of course wanted to jump more than just two years ahead, opting for a modern under-hood alternative. He opted for a modern Chevrolet Performance ZZ4 crate engine and then, in his words, “chromed or polished everything on the engine.” There is an Edelbrock aluminum intake that has been buffed to a mirror finish and fitted with a Holley Performance carburetor. Behind all that goodness is a 700R4 overdrive transmission to make the most of the Besser’s smiles per gallon. The transmission has been beefed up by Monster Transmission in Brooksville, Florida before sliding behind the ZZ4 engine.

Under the hood is just as clean as the top side with a minimum of wires and hoses. Everything that connects to that ZZ4 engine got polished or chromed, but the tasteful blend of paint and shiny bits keeps it from looking over-chromed.

The area around that engine has been equally buffed and is just as clean and sanitary as the exterior of Lonnie’s ride. As those Eddie Motorsports billet hinges hold the hood up, the engine compartment is filled with matching red paint and equally-shiny bits but is devoid of any unnecessary, or unsightly wiring. Even the exhaust manifolds have been buffed smooth and flow the fumes into an aluminized 2 1/2-inch dual exhaust that is tamed by a set of Flowmaster mufflers.

Task Force truck aficionados will notice there are more differences to Lonnie’s truck than just the bedsides. There is a 1965 Chevy tailgate that was cut down to fit in the bed’s rear opening, and there is a rolled pan underneath to smooth out the body lines. Up front, the front bumper came from a 1939 Ford, which was then sprayed body color. Just above that, you may not have noticed that the hood on this truck has been shaved for a sleeker appearance as well.

When we first set eyes on Lonnie’s ’56 Chevy, we likely felt very much like he did when he first found that ad online a few years ago. We fell in love with it instantly. Although, we’re sure it looks a lot different now than it did when he first saw it. Either way, we’re glad he had the foresight to see what it would become. As you can see in these photos, while this truck uses parts that were not yet available when it left the factory, they all combine to make it the perfect ride in this day and age.