The father-son link runs deep in the car hobby.
Many Ford guys are Ford guys; Chevy guys are Chevy guys; and Mopar guys are Mopar guys for one reason—Dad drove one.
That’s the summary of the story behind this 1961 Ford unibody F-100.
Jerry Sutherland
Dave Casselman grew up in the front seat of a ’61 Ford unibody pickup because his dad Don was a travelling salesman who sold coal furnaces. Dave’s father used the truck to carry the stoves to demonstrate how they worked, so he bought his F-100 in Hanna, Alberta Canada.
Dave used to travel with his dad on these road trips across Canada and the States and remembers “doing schoolwork in the cab of the truck”. Dave remembered how his father upped the game when he bought a 9’ camper for the Ford truck, so he could take the family on some of his runs.
He also recalled how his mom Muriel would shove three out of the four kids down if she saw any law enforcement because six people in a truck cab was illegal. He added they also travelled in the camper by crawling through the back window.
Those were fond memories for Dave, so he went in search of an exact replica of his dad’s ’61 Ford truck. There wasn’t a pleasant ending for his dad’s original truck, because Dave sold it for 40 dollars in the early 80s. The truck was a basket case, but Dave had serious seller’s remorse—he still has the original bill of sale.
Dave’s search was very specific—it had to be a red and white ’61 Ford unibody with barebones options like radio delete, three-on-the-tree, and the basic 223 cubic inch six-cylinder engine.
He ended up owning six more ’61 Ford trucks to build one that he could call a tribute to his dad’s truck. Dave only swerved off the program once when he added an upscale chrome grille and bumper, because his dad’s truck had the lower-end, painted version.
The Ford’s power train and mechanicals are great, but Dave’s truck will never see a new paint job.
Dave also admitted the mirrors aren’t factory, but the mounts are just like the one on his dad’s truck. His dad’s truck was radio-delete, but Dave explained how his dad Don bought a then high-tech, battery-powered unit he could set under the dash. Dave said the radio worked off the truck’s battery power when it was locked in the holding unit.
Dave’s truck will never be 100% restored because he wants it reflect years of real-world life—just like his dad’s truck. Dave also likes to use it like his dad did, so his ‘61 Ford does haul stuff—it’s definitely not a show queen.
That wouldn’t fit in with the plot behind the truck—his dad didn’t buy his Ford for fun. He bought it for business. Dave wants to recreate that experience and he’s been very successful because he said the truck, “Even smells the same”.
Dave’s truck really sums up the car hobby because this old, beat-up, Ford pickup represents the essence of the hobby.
He explained it this way.
If people didn’t have memories, car shows would never happen.
Dave Casselman
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
- CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
Please re-post this if you like this article.
