At most car shows, early sixties pickups like this 1961 Ford are a dime a dozen. However, when you add accessories and options like a vintage camper and four-wheel drive, you get an attention-getter. This truck can be found here on eBay with a current bid of nearly $9,000. Located in Three Lakes, Wisconsin (a completely perfect setting), this truck looks like a nice vintage camper. Take a look.
As you can see, the interior of this truck is very utilitarian. In 1961 most trucks hadn’t yet started to get the creature comforts that passenger cars had. The steel dash, minimal gauges, rubber floor, and vinyl seat were all meant to be durable and functional. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the Alaskan camper’s interior. The seller says “…camper needs a full restoration but does not leak and has most of the original interior intact…”
The engine is a 292 y-block that the seller says runs well. The carburetor was rebuilt and is fed by a new fuel pump, tank, and lines. The ad says it runs and drives as it should “around the shop” so I’m guessing it may not be too reliable for long trips. The engine is backed by a 4-speed transmission in the 4×4 driveline.
As you can see, there are a few areas of rust. The seller said the truck has been repainted once, and overall, the rust isn’t an issue. Hopefully, this truck will see some camping time in the future. It looks like a really fun truck to hit the fishing spot with and enjoy. What do you think of vintage campers?
Pretty cool. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen this style of camper for a long wheelbase Flareside. I’m sure this would be a very “truck-y” camper. The old Ford isn’t perfect but isn’t bad. I chuckle when I see Fords of this era and their “Custom Cab” trim, which included such niceties as the white-painted steering wheel (the white eventually wore off). If the designers of the day could have time-travelled forward to see today’s pickup interiors….
I think besides the white wheel and badges, the Custom Cab included upholstery with car-like sew patterns and woven inserts (here presumably long ago worn out and redone in plain black vinyl), fiberboard headliner and a second sun visor (here out of the shot).
Really need some picts of the camper interior…has to be on the small size.
Even on Flea Bay ad no camper pics what up with that??
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99612687@N05/albums/72177720307349105
I have a question for the Ford guys .. why is the left side exhaust manifold facing front? And to have a exhaust pipe running in front above water pump and below radiator hose? The camper looks like a after thought. The truck is cool looking. .it must be fun going off road. Good luck to the next owner..🇺🇸🐻
That’s how they did it on those engines – never knew why.
Thanks Todd.. 🐻
The ran them that way when the vehicle had single exhaust. They used a different set of exhaust manifolds for dual exhaust.
It made for the easiest crossover pipe replacement in automotive history. All on the top side. Less chance of rusted fasteners and they’d be a breeze to deal with anyway.
Ha! the $64,000 question( conjured up when $64,000 was a lot of money) We called it the “arm burner”, and I read, it was a clearance issue. The firewall was too close, and the steering linkage was in the way too. I remember, those pipes would rust easily, and blow hot exhaust causing overheating and fumes in the cab. The introduction to the Windsor motor in ’63( although Ford never officially called them that) eliminated that.
I’m pretty sure that the steering box and linkage were directly in the road of where the crossover pipe would be- additionally there was no room to maneuver around it because of large bell housing and low firewall design. The front crossover pipe was an unfortunate solution -it put a lot of heat in the front of the engine and dumped the left side exhaust into the right side exhaust stream just as it was coming out of the engine… independent exhaust manifolds with dual exhaust is certainly the way to go with a Y block !
Most definitely not a good candidate for dual exhausts unless you were running Center outlet manifolds. Found that out the hard way…
Don’t like the rust but I love the truck and the camper. We had an Alaskan when I was a kid. It was a real step up from setting up the big canvas tent every night in our travels. It must be pretty narrow to fit in this bed. I priced new Alaskan campers last year at Overland Expo – they’re $37K. Dad paid $600 for ours (in nice shape) back in the early ’80s.
Hi Todd, well, due to the enterprising spirit of N. Wisconsiners, this is what happens when you cobble a camper made for a full size box onto this,,,with plenty of “refreshments”. I don’t buy the story, as usual. 4×4 pickups were unheard of in 1961, especially red ones in this condition, leaving me to believe it was also a fire dept. vehicle. You’d be the laughing stock of any campground with this, provided you make it there. ( That was a pretty sharp curve back there) Far as the truck goes, I don’t gloat on others misfortune, or try not to, but the persons face upon the 1st drive would be priceless. YouTube worthy. We’ve come a long ways in pickup trucks.
All of the documentation since new is in the Flickr photo set, including the original window sticker and order sheet in the owner’s name.
Very akin to my dad’s ‘64. His was a 3/4 ton 2WD, step side “Custom Cab” in washed out red with a Gold Line brand cab over camper. A real battle wagon! Remember the driveline whine and the click of the shifter. I busted the windshield with my five year old head. JC Whitney seat belts went in soon afterward.
Don’t forget the bright grille and bumper on that Custom Cab!
A non fitting camper from where I sit. It’s just too long for the bed. I’d remove it immediately if it became mine.
That’s how it’s supposed to fit – it’s a 10 ft. camper. It fits with the tailgate down – that’s how ours was.
Neat time capsule.
Do you want to lock the cab?
1. Push down on the inside door handle on the driver’s side.
2. Slide across the bench seat and get out the passenger’s side.
3. Shut the passenger door, insert the key and turn the lock.
Those were the days when you didn’t have to lock everything up.
Thanks for the memories.
Fun comment Matthew. When I thought about it, I’m pretty sure my dad never locked his F-100 work trucks, starting with a 1966 model. Small town Ohio, even though they were parked on the street, it makes sense. Though he did have some valuable and specialized tools he kept in a large heavy homemade bed mounted tool box, on which he kept a padlock.
shot!, kaput!, broken!== the cab and the bed are structurally breaking apart! the camper is also too heavy for that frame. remember the f250 4×4 ford truck that broke in 2 pieces on the highway? and that was a new truck.
adam- u.s. army retired
laredo, texas- gateway city to old mexico………
Adan Maldonado, Such a cool looking truck without that ill fitting horrendous looking camper jammed on to it…
The underside of this truck is spectacular for the total lack of rust. If the camper is too much for some folks to handle (too heavy, too ugly, doesn’t fit, laughing stock, waa, waa, waa) simply remove it.
This 1961 Ford F250 4×4 is rare, only 1671 were made. I’ve never seen one in person let alone at a car show, except for the one that I own.