My father-in-law owns a '61 Ford Custom pickup. I understand that it maybe somewhat of a collector's item as only about 2500 were made. He is a retired mechanic who made several upgrades to the truck over the years, including power steering. The truck has 160K miles, original engine. The body has deteriorated since it was hit while parked in front of his house, but it still runs great. Is there a market for this truck, or its parts? Thanks for any reply!

 

You need to be more specific as certain models were indeed low productions. Is it an F100 or? Is it a flareside or styleside (I am assuming it is a pickup)? Two or four wheel drive? One or two piece styleside? If it is a F100, two-wheel drive pickup in any box style, someone is mistaken as Ford's minimum build number was 3361 for one of those models. Ford built some 213,000 light trucks in 1961. Come back with some specifications and then we can see what you may have.

 

I am waiting for more details on this truck, but
he did tell me that it is a one-piece body, and
that's what made it unique and now, maybe rare.
Does that help at all?

 

OK, I got more info. It is a 2-WD, 3-speed with
overdrive. It is a one-piece body with a styleside
box. Anything else?

 

Harvey , you have a unibody. One fixed up is worth some money but is not a real collectors item. The uniboby had some problems and was not one of Ford's better ideas. If you can get it and paint it without spending a lot then go for it.

John

 

Jowilker,
I am not trying to buy this truck. I am trying to
help my father-in-law find a way to sell it. He has no computer, so no access to the Web. If there
is no value for the truck itself, might there be
for parts? The truck was cared for meticulously,
as my father-in-law is a retired car mechanic who
ran his own shop in San Francisco for 40 years.
I appreciate any help you can give us.

 

Harvey, Start it at $1995.00 OBO, and if he isn't in a hurry He can keep it until it sells. Someone interested in restoring one will still spend a lot of money before he gets it to his liking, and can get way too much money in it. I have one like that now. I would suspect that about half on the above is what it will sell for, but who knows.

Good luck

John

 

John,
I'm curious. How many of this model were produced?
Where is the best place to advertise? Is it worth more in parts than as a whole? Any other suggestions?
Thanks for the help.
Harvey

 

Assuming it is an F100, Ford built 62,410 unit-bodies in 1961; not exactly rare. In fact, it was the most popular model of the light truck numbers that year. If it is an F-250, 10,008 rolled off the assembly line; F350s aren't shown with any numbers for unit-body stylesides. A rare model would be a F100 4 x 4 styleside as only 255 were produced. I don't have any further breakdowns by model or equipment level but it sounds like a basic garden variety pickup with a custom cab John is right, there is little following today for unit body models probably because Ford dropped it by 1964. CPI values 61s at $1850 for fair, $3050 for good and $5650 for excellent condition Be careful, John buys all of his trucks very cheaply so he always has low pricing.

 

There's one thing for sure that I have learned. It is NOT what it is worth, it IS how much can you get for it.

John

 

 

how many were mercs?

 

Harvey take some digital pics and run a classified add here. You said the truck had been hit. How bad is the damage. Where are you or more importantly is the truck located. I doubt you can get over $1000 if the truck is wrecked and needs alot of work regardless of how well it runs. Things to remember are, 1)all unibody owners are looking for a good tailgate-not rusty in the bottom corners, 2) chrome bumpers, 3) aluminum grille. Good luck Rich

 

i have a 61 unibody with the custome cab.it has the big back glass,do all the custome cabs have that glass or was this a rare option?

 

Tom the big back glass makes the truck worth $1000 more than a small window truck on sale day.

Is your truck a long bed or short?

Shortys with the big glass were the lowest production numbers but there is no record of just how many were produced with each option.....

Garbz