1956 Chevrolet Apache 1300

Owned by Peter Crozon Restoration by Trent Lalonde and Warren Crozon "Farm56" Bolter # 19356 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada Talking about this truck in the DITY Gallery

More truck pictures of my old truck

From Trent :

This old Chevy Task Force truck is owned by my Father in-law, Paul Crozon. It was originally purchased in 1956 by his brother, Peter Crozon in Naicam, Saskatchewan, Canada. Peter's younger brother, my wife's Father, Paul Crozon was and is the second owner after inheriting the truck from Peter.

The truck was driven and used as a farm truck in Naicam until 1974, at which time it was parked in the bush. It was using oil and had no brakes. Peter had always intended to do something with it, but he died suddenly in 1981.

Throughout the 1960's, this vintage truck made the long trip up to Prince George, British Columbia where Peter worked in the logging camps. While being properly maintained, it has always been a work truck. It sat in the bush until 2001 when I discovered it. I couldn't believe its condition.

If you look closely at the pictures, you will notice the absence of rust. Why this truck survived so extremely well has to be because of the undercoating it received when new. There was a 1958 Biscayne, that had also been purchased new, parked in the bush not 25 yards from this truck and there was nothing left of it. Other vehicles in the same yard were also completely rusted out, as were similar trucks in neighboring farm yards.

At first, we pulled it out of the bush, cleaned the fuel system, rebuilt the master cylinder, put a battery in it and drove it. Later on we got a body shop to fix the cab above the windshield - it had rusted out from mice - and I did a bunch of work on the lights, exhaust, etc. to get it to the point we could plate it and drive it. I think when my Father in-law drove it down the road he decided he wanted to get a complete restoration. Easier said than done.

We went back to the body shop that had done the roof and asked if they would do the restoration. They said yes and it sat on a hoist in their shop for two years until a fire forced it out. The front driver's side tire burnt in the fire, as well as most of the shop, but the truck was spared. Luck.

Another body shop, another two years ... we all know the story. So it winds up in my garage and my Brother in-law, Warren Crozon, and I are doing the restoration. All things considered, I'm glad it has wound up here.

We are going to be doing a full original restoration and intend to drive it in parades, on Sundays and whenever Paul feels like taking his grand kids for a drive. We will show it, but only at an amateur level, no concourse. However, we are paying a lot of attention to keeping it as true as possible to factory original just in case plans change in the future.

The truck will someday belong to my Brother in-law, Warren Crozon, and then his son, Alexander Crozon. Hopefully this truck will remain in the Crozon family for over a century. I feel so very fortunate to be a participant in this story.

Trent Lalonde

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