Memories and motors

There will be around 300 vintage vehicles in town Sept. 14 for the annual Nickle Dickle Day car and truck show — and each one of them has a story. The story could be about the era when the vehicle was built, special features and performance, work under the hood, a former driver, or some driving memories.

Steve Klaseus’ stories are in his dad’s 1962 Chevy panel truck. The area man recently completed restoration of the vehicle and will be showing it at the Nickle Dickle antique and collector show.

His father Dick Klaseus was a popular teacher and coach for many years in Waconia schools. He also was an avid gardener often delivering extra pickings from his garden in the panel truck to family and friends, so many folks might have seen it around town, the son said.

The truck also was used by the sons to transport canoes north for Boundary Waters excursions or gear for family campouts. Dick Klaseus and his wife got behind the wheel of the rusting vehicle one last time in 2007. He died in 2008.

The family couldn’t part with the panel truck and it sat in storage for some time passing the 60-year-old mark. But over the past year or so, Steve Klaseus took the time and made the investment to restore the vehicle to its former glory.

It was an extensive and expensive endeavor. The truck was basically rebuilt inside and out, under the hood and in the back storage/delivery portion. The engine has been overhauled, the frame torn apart and rebuilt, and the exterior sandblasted and powder coated to give it a lustrous finish. There’s even the special graphic on the side of the truck — “Dick’s Picks” that his Steve’s mom encouraged to mark her husband’s gardening obsession.

Klaseus is a truck and bus driver. He says some of the overtime money he earned delivering supplies for Super Valu during the COIVD pandemic went to help pay for restoration of his dad’s truck. Estimated cost roughly $30,000-$40,000, but the memories and having it on the road again are priceless, he said.

He calls driving the panel truck like “riding around in an empty pop can,” but says it’s fun to get behind the wheel, and looks forward to sharing the van’s story with others on Nickle Dickle Day on the streets of Waconia.