We’d be quick to tell you that it’s better to restore than to restomod a classic car that’s still in a relatively good condition, even better if you’re dealing with a true number matching car. That’s solid advice right there, but we’ll dump our own counsel in the trash can if the restomod should look as gorgeous as this vintage Chevy pickup truck.
This is the purest form of combining the old and the new using modern vehicular components and technology without losing an iota of what counts in terms of classic car styling. We wouldn’t even care if the old truck is in “mint” condition, complete with its original parts and components. We prefer the custom house takes it apart and make us one like this.
What you see here is a restored and modified 1955 Chevrolet 3200 NAPCO 4×4 Pickup. Yep, the truck that flexed around with the then-new 145-hp Taskmaster V8 unit is now powered by a 300-hp GM Performance 350 cu-in V8, with power going to either all four wheels or the rear wheels only. Impressive, but what got us spellbound about this vehicle is just how beautifully made it is. Your only dilemma is whether to display it in your man cave or wheel it around the neighborhood every darn day.
The Modified 1955 Chevy 3200: Who Would Have Thought A Task Force Can Look This Good?
Task forces like the FBI and LAPD do look pretty cool when they want to, but there’s nothing menacing about this restomod 1955 Chevrolet 3200 NAPCO 4X4 pickup. The truck’s quiet, nostalgic beauty is, we dare say, more fascinating than the original Task Force in 1955. So, what exactly is this Task Force we keep bringing up?
The Task Force is a truck model line manufactured by GM’s Chevrolet division from 1955 to 1961, although 1959 marked the last year the trucks could be ordered with the NAPCO (Northwestern Auto Parts Company) “Powr-Pak” 4WD conversion. The model line would then be replaced by the Chevrolet C -Series. Task Force had other names such as Cameo Carrier, Suburban, and Apache.
The platform and design blurred the lines between a work truck and passenger vehicle, complete with wraparound windshields, V-8 powerplants, 12-volt electrics, two-tone paint, and a truckload of available chrome trim. General Motors redesigned its family of trucks for the second half of 1955, but sold both the old and new designs that same year as well. The older design was then dubbed ‘1st series,’ while the later design was designated ‘2nd series.’
The Task Force fell in the 1st series 1955 GM truck model line, while GMC’s Blue Chip (also known as Blue Chip Money Makers) fell in the 2nd series GM trucks, and it was built on the New Design platform. The Task Force may have been relegated to 1st series, but that’s just because it came first, not that it was inferior to the Blue Chip models. It was introduced that same year and featured a new design and the NAPCO-sourced factory-installed 4WD, which were hallmarks of the uber-popular Task Force haulers.
The unique styling and Advance-Design platform are why the trucks are a favorite of collectors, light-duty truck enthusiasts, hotrodders, and now restomodders.
An Overview Of The Incredibly Gorgeous Vintage Chevy Pickup Restomod
NAPCO kept busy making conversion kits to turn 4X2s into 4X4s at a time major American automobile manufacturers hardly bothered to offer 4X4 as an option. Therefore, the company has been converting Chevy 4X4s since 1942, and it has the capacity and know-how to finish an easy conversion in a matter of hours.
This time, the NAPCO conversion added a new front axle, front differential, front driveshaft, and a two-speed transfer case. More features include 16-inch Wheel Vintique wheels mounted with 305/70 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires, soft ride springs, white and brown vinyl-upholstered bench seat with cloth houndstooth inserts, rubber floor covering, body-colored dashboard and door panels, class IV trailer hitch receiver, Vintage Air climate control, power front disc brakes, and ceramic coated headers.
Take note that this truck has changed hands at least thrice in the recent past, including the latest Bring-a-Trailer auction last May, with the first two owners adding some modifications to the truck. The wood bed, for example, was refinished during current ownership.
Looking at the finished work painted in beautiful ivory over white, it’s incredible that someone found this vintage truck on a farm and sent it to the shop to be fixed for the purpose of pulling horse trailers. But that explains why it was fitted with a 330-hp GM Performance 350 crate engine fueled by a Holley Sniper EFI with a touchscreen controller. A 700R4 transmission delivers all that power to the ground via all four wheels.
Since all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, the truck was also fitted with a period-appropriate Bluetooth stereo with aftermarket speakers along with a period-correct wood-lined bed, power steering, a trailer braking system, LED taillights, and more. At the end of the day, we are faced with a restomod truck that represents an embodiment of nostalgia and yet right at home in the 21st century.
Surviving NAPCO 4x4s are currently worth considerably more than their 4X2 peers, which explains the $76,500 splashed on this truck at a Bring-a-Trailer auction this year. So much for a horse trailer truck.
