The 1955-59 Chevy/GMC Task Force: The Truck That Modernized the Pickup
When Chevrolet and GMC rolled out the "Task Force" pickup in March of 1955, it was the first real redesign of the light-duty truck since 1947 — and it's still one of the most commonly restored classic trucks on the road today. If you're working on one, or just wondering why "Task Force" and "Apache" get used interchangeably for the same era of truck, here's what actually changed year to year.
1955-1956: The egg-crate grille years
The earliest Task Force trucks are easiest to spot by their egg-crate grille. Between the two years the details shifted slightly — on 1955 trucks the fender emblem sits below the character line running down the fender, while on 1956 trucks it moved above that line, with the hood emblem sitting a bit higher as well. Under the hood, 1955 is also the year Chevy's new small-block V8 — the 265 cubic inch — made its debut in the truck line, alongside the existing 235 inline-six, and every Task Force truck got a modern 12-volt electrical system in place of the old 6-volt setup.
1957: A more open grille and Bel Air-inspired styling
1957 brought a more open grille design and hood "spears" that echoed the passenger-car Bel Air styling of the same year — a deliberate move to make the truck line feel visually connected to Chevy's cars.
1958-59: The Apache name, dual headlights, and the Fleetside bed
1958 is when the "Apache" name shows up on the fender emblems, alongside a second set of headlights (quad headlights becoming common across the industry that year) and other minor trim changes. It's also the year the all-steel "Fleetside" bed (Chevrolet's name — GMC called it "Wideside") replaced the earlier Cameo/Suburban-style bed, offered in 6.5' and 8' lengths. 1959, the final year of the run, carried over most of 1958's design with the most visible change being a larger, more ornate hood emblem and updated fender badging before the truck was replaced by the first-generation C/K series for 1960.
Why this era holds up as a restoration project
Five model years, one core body — which means parts interchangeability across most of the run, and a huge population of these trucks still out there to restore. The tradeoff is that, same as any 65+ year old work truck, the doors take the most abuse: door hinges wear and sag first, and the door seals go right along with them. That's the single most common repair pair we see ordered together for this truck — our 1955-59 door hinge set and its matching door seal kit, both still in stock, both correct for the full 1955-59 run.