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Username Post: 59' with 4 speed - hand brake mystery        (Topic#376262)
doubleE 
Valued Contributor
Posts: 3935

Loc: Eagan MN
Reg: 06-02-03
01-19-25 06:03 PM - Post#2877229    

I posted about this a year or 2 ago but never received any replies. The subject concerned the hand/park brake on my Dad's 59 Chevy fleet side pickup. It started life as a State of Minnesota DNR truck, was fitted with a water tank and used to transport fish to stock lakes through out the state.

My dad operated a Shell station and his old 50' F1 was no longer up to the task to run service calls. Thus he purchased the 59 Chevy at auction around 1961, I had always thought was a 3/4 ton (Apache 36?). Well I was always perplexed that it had a floor mounted handbrake like the larger trucks (drive shaft brake) but all 55 - 59 1/2 and 3/4 ton pickups with 4 speed I have seen at shows and pictures were equipped with the dash mounted handbrake (to rear wheel drums).

Well the other day I ran into a 59 Chevy Pickup truck brochure on line that included specs. Turns out you could get pickups with 1/2, 3/4, and 1 ton chassis. Never thought it could have been a 1 ton as it did not have dual rear wheels. But turns out my dad's old 59 was an Apache 38 fleet side. I have one old pic of the truck but it's to far away to read the fender emblems.

Can't say I have ever seen another old Chevy pickup of that vintage that was a 1 ton or with the floor mounted hand brake. Anyone out there that has one?



Proud owner of My Blue 62 Impala SS


 


Shepherd 
Valued Contributor
Posts: 3692

Loc: Lake George, NY
Reg: 11-11-15
01-20-25 11:30 AM - Post#2877255    
    In response to doubleE

1 ton 53 flatbed dually I worked on had driveshaft brake.



 
someotherguy 
Senior Moderator
Posts: 29841
someotherguy
Loc: Texas
Reg: 08-01-03
01-21-25 07:18 AM - Post#2877286    
    In response to doubleE

Haven't had one but there were plenty of non-dually 1 ton trucks. In this era if it was a dually it would only come as a chassis cab, not a pickup, from factory. So a 1 ton with a pickup bed (factory) would be a non-dually.

Other than the fender badging a little hard to tell the 3/4 and 1 ton apart as they would both be 8 lug wheels.

Richard

93 C3500 dually / 94 C1500 ecsb / 06 Silverado SS / 06 300C SRT8


 
64ss409 
Senior Member
Posts: 1082

Loc: Montana
Reg: 12-04-02
01-21-25 02:55 PM - Post#2877304    
    In response to doubleE

I looked at the GM Heritage site, 1959 Chevrolet Truck. Lots of info covering from 1/2T step to Heavy Duty tandems.
It looks like the single tire 3800 and some heavier had a driveshaft band hand brake, lever to the right of the transmission shifter. The heavier series above these had a dual shoe hand brake, also the the right of the transmission shifter.
I have never seen one of these pickups with the driveshaft brake.
Ron

1964 SS 409/340 4 spd, bought new Oct '63 from Ken Boggs Chevrolet, Geraldine, Montana
1962 SS convertible, 327/250 4 spd
1956 IH pickup, 327


 


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