When it came time to smooth out a couple decades' of North Woods from the body, Ron did most of the work, including chopping 3 inches out of the top, and farmed out the finish work and paint to Mark Jeffries of Concepts & Designs. We really dig the color combo, and asked Ron about its origins. Turns out Ron didn't feel he could improve on what Henry originally sprayed: "Those are as close to the factory colors as I could get," he told us. Living the old adage that less is more, Ron made a big impact by keeping things subtle. All of the stock trim was retained, including the rare Merc hood badges and stamped moniker on the tailgate, while the rest was visually punched up with two extra teeth in the grille, '55 Buick headlight rings, '49 Plymouth car bumpers, '49 Mercury taillights, and '52 Merc hubcaps. The bed is finished with spray-on bedliner on the sides, stainless steel strips, and owner-fabricated Cyprus planks, which Ron says holds up to Florida's weather better than any other wood. Being a professional carpenter, we'll take his word for it.
Ron applied the same subtle factory look to the interior, using a Chevy van tilt column topped with a Lokar wheel and '36 horn button he found in his brother's barn in Maine, a recovered Chrysler K-car bench, and a stock dash fitted with an aluminum panel to hold the Stewart Warner gauges. Window cranks and door handles are '49 Ford, with armrests being donated from a '49 Chevy. Front and center on the dash is a light grafted in from a '57 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, while a new radio with CD player is hidden inside the glovebox. Custom storage pockets were fitted to the kick panels, and the battery and speakers were stashed behind the seat.
Ron's had the M-truck done for seven or eight years now, and has racked up a ton of trouble-free miles. From upstate New York to Florida, the old boy is enjoying retirement the right way.
The truck is doing pretty well, too!.