1952 Mercury trucks were a relatively common sight on Canadian farms and job sites but they were not a factor south of the border.
That’s because they only sold them north of the Canadian border.
They were hardworking machines, but these classic trucks never wrote “great family tie builder” in any of their sales literature.
Despite that omission, Dennis Boden saw the quality in his ’52 Mercury pickup as he explained: “I wanted to get into the hobby with my two boys, Dylan and Brandon because they’re hardworking guys and this would give them something to do when they’re not working”.
This old Merc truck was the perfect fit: “It was originally a farm truck. The boys got on the Internet and this was the one-I went and saw the guy and asked him to store it and I’d make payments and he’d keep it until it was paid off. We’ve had it for over five years now”.
Patience paid off and Dennis was the proud owner of a custom ’52 Merc truck.
This truck is a fairly mild custom but it works in many ways, “This is the second time this car was restored.It’s a 350 under the hood and I like the Hurst on the floor plus it’s got a custom bumper. We’ve done some changes to the exhaust because it was kind of quiet and now it rumbles”.
The Bodens are a work hard, play hard family so a bullet proof engine makes a lot of sense when spare time is at a premium.
Dennis was very clear on the role Dylan and Brandon would play with this Merc: “They rebuild big trucks from the ground up so it’s expected they’ll look after this truck. One of things you have to do with these old trucks is you have to drive them, otherwise the rubbers start to go”. Dennis has no trouble convincing his boys to take the truck for a run when they have some spare time because this is a strikingly nice truck.
Their experience is always the same as Dennis explained: “They love driving it because they get a lot of thumbs up everywhere they go. Truckers give them the horn too every time they go by”.
This ’52 Merc is the kind of ride that stretches out a stop at every gas station because it’s a mob scene full of guys with a lot of questions.
Dennis was clear from the start why this old truck was a family vehicle because he recognizes how hard he and his sons work to keep the family business alive and well. Their family business was founded on a basic theme-always do your best.
That’s why he bought this truck because he wanted to make sure his boys could pull back from the job now and then to recharge their batteries: “They have to drive it decent, that’s part of the bargain but I’d like to see them get more time behind the wheel. Brandon’s working today so he couldn’t be at this show”.
Dylan echoed his dad’s philosophy, “I only had 4 or 5 trips in it last year because of the weather or I’m working”.
Hopefully he gets a better season in 2015 for the family truck.
Jerry Sutherland
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