Team-Work Truck

“Teamwork to make the dream work,” I love that saying, and in Chris Driscoll’s experience teamwork with a builder he had never met has yielded one of the best Taskforce Era Chevy Apaches to run the streets. The Chevrolet Task Force series was Chevy’s successor to the Advanced Design series which ran from late 1955 through 1959. The series featured standard options and add-ons such as 12-volt electrical systems, Chevrolet’s first V8 engine since the 1917, Fleetside beds along with a host of Commercial trucks and various other heavy duty models. Chris’s restomoded 1959 Apache 3500 was originally a heavy duty dually fitted with a utility bed used by a plumber back in the 60’s. Being on the front edge of a trend isn’t easy and when Chris started the project in 2016 utility bed restomodded trucks weren’t all the craze…

The story starts like many builds by checking out what everyone else is building online. Chris stumbled upon a slammed C60 that was being built by Brian Zaccardi at GSI in Arizona and fell in love. Chris found a similar truck in West Virginia, a 1964 C60, and planned to build something similar. After speaking with Brian and finding out that pretty much everything on the build was a custom one off parts, Chris decided to pass up the build and sell the truck which is where the Hershel story begins. Brian along with his son Scott were on the verge of breaking off and starting their own shop. This is a very important part of the story and like many who commission a build, the understanding and trust that owner and builder give to each other is everything. Chris gave some good tips during the podcast for anyone who is choosing a builder and had nothing but great things to say about his relationship with the Zaccardi’s. Without ever meeting face to face Chris put full trust in Brian and his skills based on the C60 build he saw online.

From Chris’ perspective he had a builder but no truck. After selling the C60, Chris still wanted something unique to build and after searching Facebook, Craigslist etc, he finally found a very unique 1959 Apache work truck fitted with a utility bed! The truck was located in Ukiah, California procured from the original owner to a part time flipper who was simply passing it along. It was sourced from a family who’s father owned and operated a heating and cooling business in California. By trade Chris is a plumber and once he heard the story of how the truck was used he knew this was the truck for him! Once Chris bought the truck he called Brian who immediately picked it up for Chris and started tearing into it at his Mesa, Arizona shop.

Brian’s first task was to get the truck sitting on the ground as Chris historically has owned many of the slammed mini trucks from yester-year and still loves the lowered look. The old frame was thrown out for a fully custom Porterbuilt piece that would allow the 5500lb mammoth to ride on air in comfort with an updated driving experience. The 24” custom wheels started life as 24.5” semi wheels and were worked over to accept a low profile tire instead of the heavy duty 18 wheeler type done by Todd out in Arizona. The 24” tuck so nicely under the body which was widened 4” in the back to accept the massive wheels. Chris chose the big holes in the wheel to show of all of the beautiful custom work and breaks behind them. The axel has been narrowed and the entire rear subframe is a work of art and coupled with no bed cover shows off all of Nate at Porterbuilts hard work.

Chris wanted to keep the original body as stock as possible as the patina and original sign painting gave the truck the period look that Chris was going after. Some of the original lettering was starting to fade, remember this was a tool in 1959 and not a boulevard cruiser, and Chris wanted to preserve the original owners legacy. After a lot of research and some keen eyed Instagram followers Chris and his painter had about 95% of the words figured out. There were still 2 words missing off the side of the utility bed that no one could figure out. After a flashlight trick used by the painter to find the low and high points from the previous sign, the words “Beer & Water,” appeared! On the doors of the truck “H Wong” was painted as this was the previous owners name. After looking through some original paperwork located in the glove compartment Chris found the original owners first name was Herschel…this is where the naming of the truck came from…i’m not crying you’re crying.

The interior of the truck similar to the outside where it looks original with all of the updated creature comforts. Dom in Arizona recovered the seat which includes a fully custom bucket filled with lumbar support and even heaters…I’m jealous as my Apache seat is uncomfortable and ugly…I sat in the truck after the podcast and let me tell you its like sitting on your couch at home. The large cab stays comfortable all year round with the Vintage Air system which allows Chris to drive with his family all over the city. Power steering matched with the large original wheel makes sure the comfort of driving the truck is as good as it looks.

The power train is from a 2009 6.0L LY6 motor back by a 6L90 automatic transmission. The motor was put together by Jason Bowman at Big 10 Garage and has long tube headers a cam with a few bolt ons. Chris optioned for reliability over speed with this truck and wanted more of a cruising experience over racing from point A to B. The full custom exhaust runs all the way to the back and exists behind the utility bed.

In the future Chris would like to do some minor upgrades to Herschel. He has always been drawn to the big back window trucks from the era, with this being a work truck style was not of any importance when they originally built the truck. A big point of contention is the bed, like many of us with slammed vintage trucks the struggle of covering up the suspension work is always a topic. Chris is looking for options for some type of removable system that wouldn’t add weight while still being able to showcase the hard work. On the interior, Chris coming from the big stereo era, would like to add some tunes that are hidden away so he can enjoy the full Herschel experience!

The teamwork of Chris and his builder Brian Zaccardi have created one of the most recognizable utility bed restomods in the world. The truck has been featured in magazines and online and is the template for many of the utility bed builds. Chris loves to talk about the truck during car shows and when out driving and is not afraid to have a conversation with anyone about Herschel. You can find Chris online on instagram @cdriscoll28 and is one of the best follows as he highlights more than just his truck. A plumber by trade he like to keep it fun by asking questions like “what is this” with random plumbing tools and parts and gives away stickers and swag for the winners. You can also find him at local Pittsburgh car shows and cruises where his club Evil does things like toy drives and fundraisers for those in need. Herschel does make it to some national shows like Good Guys where like everywhere else he goes pulls in all the attention. If you have any questions for Chris hit him up via instagram or email the podcast and he can get you any info you would ever need!