The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk My 1958 Chevy Apache 3800 1-Ton Tow Truck

Hello all,

I’ve recently picked up a 1958 Chevy Apache 3800 1-Ton tow truck. It’s in great shape for being almost 50 years old.

I was searching through eBay for used tow trucks and came across this listing for a 1958 tow truck. I was looking for something a lot newer but it turns out the truck was on Long Island so I decided to take a look. It was a little rough but it was all there. It didn’t run but I wasn’t too concerned. The owner had gotten it about a year ago and didn’t know any of the history. He didn’t have the time to fix it. I made a deal and went back with a flatbed later that evening to take it back to the shop.

We brought the truck into the shop and took a closer look at everything. Someone along the way had swapped out the motor (I don’t know if it was originally a 6 or 8) for a ’72 Chevy 400 small block was a 2 barrel. We quickly realized the motor was frozen solid. With a new battery, few quarts of Marvel Mystery oil, some patients and a little ingenuity, the motor was freed up. A compression test showed all cylinders were in good shop. 8 spark plugs, a set of wires, cap, rotor and points and we had ignition. The fuel pump was shot and the carb was clogged up. We changed out the fuel pump, blew out the fuel lines, rebuilt the carb and it fired right up. The motor purrs like a kitten now. So now the truck goes, but the brake pedal went straight to the floor. I actually did get to drive it around the yard for a little bit but not the attention is on the brakes.

Everything related to the brakes is complete shot and the biggest surprise was when I pulled off the wheels. The left rear brake drum, shoes, and wheel cylinder were complete missing. The other drums at all over limits. I’ve found most of the front brake parts but the rears are proving difficult. No one seems to have the rear drums. They are 14” x 2 ¾” drums. I’m waiting on some parts before I can continue.

I’ve started scraping down 49 years of grease. A few things I’ve learned so far is that it is a ’58 3800 but someone put ’59 3200 emblems on it. It has a Weld Built back. The wheels and tires are 19.5”x8”. There seems to be tons of parts for ½ ton and ¾ ton trucks, but almost nothing for the 1 ton trucks. And there’s a lot of work to do. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Check out these pictures and let me know what you think. http://picasaweb.google.com/hanch04/TowMin8r

Thanks,
Chris.

Nice truck!! Doesn't look in too bad of shape. If you find those brake drums, let me know. I need some similar sized ones for an International I'm working on.

Good luck with yours!!

I like it!

Great looking truck! Looks like some PO stuck 59' side badges on it.

Great truck. I think the rear axle is the same used in 3/4- and 1-ton trucks from '47 to '72. You might find brake parts on another truck if you broaden the search.

Great looking truck, older wrecker will do the job just as well and has more style. Good advertisement if you're in it for a business too!

Hy hanch04, the hood emlem is from a 58 and it shows that that hood came from a truck that was originally a V8, is the engine mounted off of the front crossmember on "stilts" or does it use side mounts?

That's a great looking TF! A few observations:
- I bet the original owner bought it as a VERY well appointed truck. You have a chrome grill. The big back window might have been a necessity due to the winch rig in the back. Spot light sure was a good idea. The speaker- was that for the AM radio? I doubt there was radio dispatch back in '58, but then again, that was before my time.
- It is possible that this was an end-of-the-year '58. If that is the case, it is also possible that the inventory of '58 fender badges was exhausted when your truck was built and they started using the newer '59 badges. Seldom does an assembly line have a point transition from one model to another- it tends to phase in.
- The lights and horn up top are perfect! I wouldn't change a thing!
- What is that box between the shifter and the firewall, that would be between where the starter pedal (if you have one) is positioned and the heater plenum? I see some small lights on it.

If I ever needed a tow, I'd hope to get hooked up to something as stylish as your rig, rather than the cookie-cutters out there nowadays.

Bill

Very cool truck!

Good looking truck! And I LOVE the name of it..LOL

You have a nice truck there. I am guessing that if you found a 3/4 Ton donor truck that you could take the rear backing plates and the brake hardware and mount it on your truck. If this is the case, you could buy brand new drums because I think that they are available for the 3/4 ton truck.

Try to find a rear out of a late 70,s truck,it will fit with a little modification.I used a dana 70 out of a 78 camper special.Should work fine with your 19.5 wheels.
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Floyd

I like your truck a lot. Look at this mirror, though:[IMG]http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/59/759/4/43/65/2005443650096215731KfeFXg_th.jpg[/IMG](click on the pic for a closer look. That's the only aesthetic I would change on your truck. Mine is a 1-ton as well, and has a bolted-in '72 pumpkin.I believe as OldSub said that parts to '72 are a straight swap.

I looked under a '72 3/4-ton yesterday that was a Dana instead of an Eaton axle. The pumpkin that will swap has to be the Eaton, so make sure you know what you are buying before laying down your money.

You may want to find some 13" brakes before you buy used drums. I had a real hard time finding 14" hardware for my '58 1 ton.

The engine is mounted on "stilts". I'm guessing it was originally V8.

The box infront of the shifter is for the light switches for the roof mounted beacon lights.

You're going to have some major headaches finding those brake drums, and when (if) you do, the 14" brakes mean that you're stuck with running 18" or larger wheels. I owned a 59 model 3800, and considered switching to a later-model rear axle with smaller, wider brakes so I could use 16" wheels and tubeless tires. I don't think new drums are available anywhere, unless someone has started making reproductions recently. I sold my drums to another bolter on this site a couple of years ago, and then traded the rest of the truck for a 261 engine.
Jerry

Seeing how I usually hang out in the "Big Bolts" section, I almost missed this one. Nice 'ol Wrecker, you have there. Looks to have a Weld-Built Wrecker unit, on it. Here's a nice '58 1 1/2 ton, with a Manley Wrecker unit on it, here in the "Gallery". http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/egan_brian_1958.html I'm a Wrecker collector myself. I'm into Vintage Ernest Holmes Wrecker units.You can see my stuff here, http://community.webshots.com/album/116208177WBeZZP

Chris, I did a little research, & your Wrecker is indeed a, Weld-Built model 5AS 3 Ton Wrecker Unit. I have a Brochure on it. Shows a picture of one just like yours, mounted on a 1957 Chevrolet 1 ton.