Ford has always been an innovative company that blazed its own trail in the domestic vehicle field.
The Blue Oval boys even built their one of their marketing campaigns around a theme that proclaimed; “Ford has a better idea”.
Jim Sutherland
The company’s bold ideas included a Unibody pickup truck built by Ford between 1961 and ’63. The idea was simple: build a truck where its cab appeared to be connected to the box, thus enhancing the pickup’s overall style. However, the 1961-63 Ford trucks were body-mounted-on-full-frame vehicles that were labeled “Unitized” (not Unibody) by the Blue Oval people.
The concept was neither fish nor fowl in a pickup sense and 1961-63 Unitized model Ford trucks developed a reputation for twisted metal under heavy load, including poor door fit because their pickup beds were welded to their cabs.
Nevertheless, many of these pickups were used for hard work, including Marty Bortman’s family farm. Their 1961 Ford Unitized pickup was used on the farm until it was eventually retired from active duty.
The good news is the truck was worked hard but managed to escape the major door issues typically found on a 1961 Ford Unitized truck, a factor that was important to Marty because he became a licensed body man and wanted to resto mod the retired family pickup.
The process took 9 winters, according to Marty, a time frame familiar to farmers, some of whom manage to find some precious spare time during the cold months.
The donor vehicle was a 1989 Dodge ¾ ton with the famous Cummins diesel connected to a 3-speed automatic transmission. The project was not easy, given the ’61 Ford truck was shorter than a 1989 Dodge ¾ ton, so Marty had to shorten the Dodge frame to accommodate the Ford’s cab and box.
Marty’s sizable body and fabrication skills played a pivotal role in the project, an important fact since this resto mod challenge was not for rookies or the faint of heart.
He wanted to build a reliable performer that combined the retro style of a 62-year-old pickup with a modern era Cummins diesel and the basic engineering advancements of the newer pickup. Marty also added modern creature comforts like aftermarket tilt steering, front disc/rear drum brakes, AC, and even power windows to the vintage truck.
Marty is an old school builder because he used Pontiac Sunfire seats in his ’61 Ford pickup, a feature that makes road trips even more comfortable for Marty.
A solid argument about Marty’s high level fabrication abilities could be put forth about a few of the truck’s amazing custom features because he created every one of them. The list includes a custom center console in the cab and a frenched antenna, along with a custom-built tailgate and rear lower valance on the truck that really enhance its cool factor.
Another unique custom addition to the pickup is what appears to be a jockey (tool/storage) box behind the ’61 Ford’s cab. It houses the cooling system for the diesel engine and includes a stylized opening for the radiator.
However, the most important addition to the ’61 Ford pickup is a small oval painting of the truck that was purchased in Mexico by his late son and travels with Marty whenever he drives the truck. His son was able to see the finished truck and knew the painting would be a home run with his dad.
It almost goes without saying the painting is the most priceless component of a very cool custom truck with a long history in one farm family’s lives.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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