Edmonton Dodge Ram

Mother Nature’s furnace is cutting winter heating costs

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:30:33 +0000

Temperatures in Milwaukee hit a record high Thursday, as the winter that nearly wasn’t delivers more savings on home heating costs.

Record warmth this winter means the typical We Energies natural gas customer will save about $120 this winter on heating costs compared with the winter of 2010-’11, the utility said Wednesday.

Combined with low natural gas prices, the warm winter in southeastern Wisconsin prompted We Energies to revise its heating forecast for the second straight month.

A typical We Energies customer paid $391 between November and February, or $100 less than last winter. That’s less than any of the previous nine winters, the utility said.

If normal weather holds for the last six weeks of the winter heating season and the price of natural gas remains stable, the utility is forecasting a total winter heating bill for a typical customer of $540, down 18% from $660 last winter.

Until February, utility customers were told to expect a drop of 4% to 5% in heating costs this winter. Last month, the utility updated its numbers based on the warm start to the heating season and forecast a 15% drop.

For the 1 million natural gas customers of We Energies, the winter heating season runs from November through April. So far this season, only two winters have been warmer since 1891, according to National Weather Service heating degree days data compiled by the utility.

In Madison, Wisconsin Power & Light Co. customers have saved 11.5% between October and the end of February, spokesman Steve Schultz said. That translates to savings of about $62 so far for a typical WP&L customer.

A mild weather pattern that has been over the region since the snowstorm early last week sent temperatures to a record 78 degrees in Milwaukee on Wednesday. The previous high for March 14 was 76 degrees, set in 1995. Temperatures in Madison also hit a record 78 degrees, the Weather Service said.

Long warm spell

Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service office in Sullivan updated its assessment of the long spell of record warmth we’ve seen.

For the period starting Jan. 1 and ending Tuesday, this has been the warmest start to the year on record, the weather service said.

Above normal temperatures remain in the forecast for the next week.

“This certainly has been very unusual,” said Brian Manthey, a utility spokesman. “It’s a very positive one for customers to be able to take advantage of the warm weather and lower natural gas costs to have a winter that saves this much money.”

The low price of natural gas, linked to expanded domestic production from a process known as hydraulic fracturing, comes as the prices of oil and gasoline remain high, with regular unleaded prices around $4 per gallon.

The gas price tracking site milwaukeegasprices.com on Wednesday indicated the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline stood at $3.97 and was continuing to climb.

AAA says the prices at the pump in metro Milwaukee are now about 25 cents a gallon shy of the record set in 2008, and nearly 50 cents a gallon higher than where prices stood a year ago this week.

http://www.jsonline.com/

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Yahoo Part Of Dodge Ram’s Digital Country

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:22:58 +0000

Yahoo Music this week launched its latest concert series on its first-ever branded music channel, Ram Country on Yahoo Music. The quarterly series of four concerts backed by Chrysler Group’s Ram truck brand kicked off with an invite-only, eight-song set on Feb. 29 at the Sound Kitchen in Franklin, Tenn. The artist was Kellie Pickler, a charismatic singer/songwriter who toured as a finalist on “American Idol” and has become a marquee name in the genre.

Yahoo, which handled just about every aspect of the production and its filming for the March 14 digital launch on its Ram Country channel, has gotten a lot of miles on the odometer in recent years by putting brand-supported content on its multifarious verticals: Yahoo Music launched Nissan Live Sets in 2006 with a concert by Incubus and Christina Aguilera; the channel also hosted “Pepsi Smash”; and Yahoo News launched a “Weekend Edition” channel for Buick in 2010.

“Nissan Live Sets sort of established our reputation and gave us the experience and relationship with artists to pull this kind of program off,” says Anna Robertson, who heads Yahoo Studios. “Artists love working with us; they build up that trust, and they know we have the background and experience.”

What’s different about Ram Country is that it’s Yahoo First genre vertical “owned” by a brand. Robertson tells Marketing Daily that it serves both the automaker, which needed to reach a core truck constituency in country music fans, and Yahoo because “we realized we weren’t reaching them the way we wanted to.”

Ram Country isn’t a competitor with, say, Pandora or Spotify because it isn’t so much a music channel as a digital version of a country music lifestyle magazine, she says. “We have lots of musical performances like Pickler, so you can watch and listen to music, but it’s more a lifestyle experience, and wrapping music into that larger experience,” says Robertson.

Robertson says Yahoo chooses the artists for (obviously) their talent, and also for the serendipitous alignment between “anchor events” in their careers and the open dates on Ram Country’s calendar. In Pickler’s case, putting her in the first slot made sense, given that it aligned with the release of her album, “100 Proof.”

“We think this model is a great way to meet audience needs and help advertisers align with their demographic,” says Robertson, who adds that Ram Country, which launched in October 2010, has garnered some 500 million impressions. “It’s year by year, and we will be adding more to it every time we renew. We are constantly thinking about ways to make it better and bigger, such as adding these quarterly events in 2012.”

Randy Ortiz, who heads up media, social media and CRM marketing at Ram Truck division, says the Yahoo Program is part of a broad attempt by Ram to cultivate social media clout. “Social and digital programs are the future partly because of their potential to reach people in real time with fresh content,” he says. “What we pride ourselves on at Ram trucks and all Chrysler Group brands is providing fans and followers exclusive content they can share with their friends and followers. Social media is one of the most important forms of communication for that.”

Ortiz tells Marketing Daily that the brand more than doubled its fan base on Facebook from December, when it had about 108,000 fans, to 275,000 by late February. The brand’s growth in fan base on Twitter went from 6,000 followers in December to over 22,000 by the end of last month.

“It’s a great place for owners to be advocates for us on their behalf. If we post a story on Facebook, we notice a lot of our current Ram owners will come and make positive comments about what we are doing. For us that’s priceless advertising because they are telling the world how great Ram trucks are.”

Last year, Ram ran a social-based sweepstakes wherein the automaker gave away about 5,000 prizes, mostly inexpensive items tied to truck-friendly lifestyles (including things like Mossy Oak outdoorsman products, Skil tool gift and gasoline cards, and Ram-branded accessories.) Ortiz says that the focus on offering a lot of prizes instead a handful of big ones helped build the brand’s fan numbers. “In the month of December alone, we gained almost 50,000 new fans,” he says.

Ortiz says that because truck drivers are avid smartphone users, mobile advertising will be a big part of what Ram does going forward. “We will do media buys that involve mobile ads, because truck owners use their trucks as mobile offices, and rely on smartphones when they are on the job.”

http://www.mediapost.com/

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Quick Update: Hot Rod U Project a Success

admin — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:53:16 +0000

Remember the pile of rusted parts and half-chewed body panels we showed you when we introduced the Hot Rod U 1935 Dodge pickup project vehicle? We wanted to show you a few of the most recent shots sent to us from the floor of the Detroit Autorama, where students supported by the Jackson Area Manufacturing Association got to display their pride and joy.

The project is far from complete, and we’re told the vehicle does not exactly run just yet, but it continues to provide the class with invaluable hands-on custom restoration experience. We’re guessing it won’t be too long before we’ll see this winning a best-in-show ribbon at one of the many car shows around Ann Arbor, Mich. Regardless, we know there will be several proud students and teachers standing behind the classic Dodge no matter where it ends up. Great job, team.

Our only piece of advice is that when that truck really starts to look good, you guys might want get a professional photographer to take a few sunrise, sunset and action shots. We’ll keep in touch.

BEFORE

AFTER:

http://pickuptrucks.com/

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Chrysler Group LLC Launches Diversified Certified Program

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:45:18 +0000

First of its kind in the industry

Gives dealers option to sell variety of certified pre-owned makes and models

Warranty backed by Chrysler Group LLC

Chrysler Group LLC today announced the launch of Diversified Certified, a new program that enables Chrysler Group dealers to certify and sell competitive-make, pre-owned vehicles backed with a Chrysler Group warranty.

The 140 FIAT studios now open in the United States are the first to launch the Diversified Certified program. Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram Truck dealers will join the program in about 60 days.

Consumers looking for the security that a certified pre-owned vehicle offers now need only look to Chrysler Group dealerships and FIAT studios for the widest selection and one-stop shopping.

“Today is a new chapter for certified pre-owned vehicles,” said Eric Swanson, Head of Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles at Chrysler Group LLC. “Just because we didn’t build the vehicle, doesn’t mean we won’t back it with a Chrysler Group warranty. Of course, we always want our customers to visit our dealers and purchase a new or certified pre-owned Chrysler Group model, but now we have given them another option to consider.”

All competitive-make pre-owned vehicles will be subjected to a thorough certification process and come with a 5-Year/60,000-Mile Maximum Care (full mechanical) Warranty from original in-service date, as well as Certified Pre-Owned program benefits such as towing, roadside assistance and more.

The timing is perfect for this Diversified Certified program, said dealer Gary Brown, of Brown’s FIAT and Brown’s Jeep Chrysler Dodge, both in Patchogue, N.Y. With Chrysler Group sales up 26 percent in 2011, and up 42 percent so far this year, “we have never seen so many conquest opportunities,” Brown said.

“Diversified Certified will give our used car team a great opportunity to bolster and sell our pre-owned inventory,” Brown said. “We are really excited about it.”

Vehicles eligible for the Diversified Certified program will have less than 48,000 miles on the odometer and will be a 2008 model or newer.

About Chrysler Group LLC

Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 to establish a global strategic alliance with Fiat S.p.A., produces Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Mopar, SRT and Fiat vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler Group’s culture of innovation, first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat’s complementary technology that dates back to its founding in 1899.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group’s product lineup features some of the world’s most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300 and Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Durango, Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Fiat 500. Fiat contributes world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-size cars, allowing Chrysler Group to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

http://www.marketwatch.com/

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Chrysler 300 Makes for Edgy Choice on 10 Best Family Cars List

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:19:02 +0000

Chrysler is quick to point out the style and power of its large luxury flagship, the 300, but Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com recently saw a softer side of the bad-boy sedan. The automotive-information group recently featured the 2012 Chrysler 300 available at Chrysler dealershipson its 10 Best Family Cars of 2012 list, proving that the Town & Country minivan isn’t the brand’s lone family-friendly product.

Kbb.com based its 10 Best Family Cars of 2012 list on a range of factors, including safety, comfort, child-friendliness, strong consumer ratings and low cost of ownership. The 2012 Chrysler 300 was the only full-size sedan on the list, earning praise for its distinctive styling, premium standard features and outstanding comfort. Kbb.com editors also noted the 300′s fuel-efficient yet powerful V6 powertrain and class-exclusive eight-speed automatic transmission.

“Chrysler’s 300 is a great vehicle for families that refuse to give up style and driving enjoyment just because they have one or two little ones onboard,” said Richard Gill, owner of Brigham-Gill Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, a Natick, Massachusetts Chrysler dealer. “Some family vehicles are just glorified boxes on wheels, but Chrysler has proven that kid friendly doesn’t have to mean bland and boring.”

It was the Chrysler 300′s stylish appeal that came into play in its victory over the 2012 Hyundai Genesis sedan in Autoblog’s recent luxury-sedan comparison test. The online automotive publication chose to compare the 300 and Genesis because they are the only full-size, rear-wheel-drive luxury sedans available with base prices at less than $35,000, providing premium features without a premium price.

Powered by Chrysler’s Pentastar V6 engine, the Chrysler 300 has 292 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque on tap, offering ample acceleration while returning 31 mpg on the highway, two more than the Genesis sedan. The Chrysler also sports more trunk space, 16.3 cubic-feet compared to 15.9 cubic-feet for the Hyundai, which means there is plenty of room for groceries, golf clubs or luggage for a family of four.

Autoblog editors praised the Chrysler 300 for its style both inside and out, while criticizing the Hyundai’s interior for being “bland.” Chrysler designers focused on soft-touch materials throughout the 300′s cabin, including optional soft-leather upholstery that is available in classic Black or a vibrant Radar Red for those looking to spice things up. Glossy piano-black trim pieces on the doors and dash add to the sense of sophistication, while the acoustic windshield, wheel liners and underbody closeouts ensure a quiet driving environment.

“Thanks to the Chrysler 300, you don’t have to spend $70,000 to get a complete full-size luxury sedan,” Gill noted. “The Chrysler 300 is the democratization of luxury: You can get the silent ride, the soft-leather upholstery and the innovative technology without having to be a millionaire.”

http://readme.readmedia.com/

2012 Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG Starts at $47,500

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:05:47 +0000

Dodge has released pricing on their 2012 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Compressed Natural Gas pickup truck, starting at $47,500 including a $995 destination charge.

The Dodge Ram 2500 HD CNG will go head-to-head with the recently announced Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD Pickups with CNG capability. The Ram 2500 HD CNG will be available as a crew cab 4×4 model in either SL or SLT trim level.

Chrysler also announced that the CNG-only range on the Ram 2500 HD will be around 255 miles and the backup supply of gasoline will allow it to travel an additional 367 miles. Under the hood of the Ram HD CNG is a 5.7L Hemi V8 with compressed gas storage tanks and an eight-gallon backup gasoline tank. The truck will automatically switch from CNG to gasoline once the CNG tanks are emptied.

While CNG does offer significant savings, it’s worth mentioning that there are only about 1,500 CNG fueling stations in the US – and only half of those are accessible to the public. If you think remembering which local gas station has diesel is a pain, CNG might not be a great option for you.

Comparatively speaking, the base 2012 Ram 2500 ST crew cab 4×4 with a 5.7L Hemi V8 starts at $36,300. So there is over a $10,000 premium to fetch yourself a CNG variant, while you’ll save about $1.25 per gallon equivalent of gas when using CNG. Worth it? That’s up to you.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The top three Chrysler vehicles in Canada

admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:03:51 +0000

Chrysler Canada started off 2012 with a bang. Sales in January were up 21.9 per cent and, for the first time in memory, Chrysler was the No. 1 car company in Canada by sales. Market share hit an astonishing 16.9 per cent, well ahead of Ford of Canada at 15.4 per cent. In 2011, Ford was No. 1 in Canada by sales.

“Chrysler has been one of the fastest if not the fastest-growing brand the last two years and this has finally translated into Chrysler becoming the number one seller of light vehicles in Canada in January,” said auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers in a note to clients.

“[Chrysler] displaced Ford from the number one position even though Ford had a pretty good month with sales up 4.6 per cent from a high base a year ago. Last February, they did this and were not able to maintain the position all year but it is a fantastic start to the year for Chrysler.”

Until new models with big sales-volume potential arrive – cars like the 2013 Dodge Dart – Chrysler remains dependent on a small handful of vehicles for the bulk of its sales. About two-thirds of all Chrysler Canada sales came from just three models: the Ram pickup, the Dodge Caravan minivan and the Dodge Journey crossover wagon.

“Chrysler had a great year (in 2011) with light trucks with the Dodge Ram and Dodge Caravan finishing the year as the second- and third best-selling light trucks in Canada and the Dodge Journey was in the seventh position,” says DesRosiers. “Both the Ram and Journey saw sales increase while Caravan fell back just a little.”

Chrysler’s heavy reliance on three models will only start to ease when the Dart and a raft of other Fiat-based models go on sale. The Dart will arrive by the middle of this year, followed next year by a number of other Fiat-based models:

Chrysler brand:

compact car and a replacement for the current 200.
Dodge:

the Dart, a subcompact car and a mid-size car.
Jeep:

subcompact and compact vehicles are coming, along with a replacement for the Liberty SUV and perhaps the debut of a Grand Wagoneer.
Ram:

the Ram pickup will be re-engineered, and small and large vans are coming.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

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Chrysler launches luxury model of Ram Truck

admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:42:56 +0000

Ram Truck will expand its model lineup by adding the new, top-of-the-line Ram Laramie Limited.

Featuring full-leather seating, piano-black interior components and under-stated exterior badging, Ram Laramie Limited offers a refined luxury alternative to the southwestern-themed Ram Laramie Longhorn edition pickup, according to the vehicle maker.

“Ram trucks are the longest-lasting most durable pickup trucks in Canada…,” said Ed Broadbear, vice president of marketing, Chrysler Canada, in a statement. “Adding the Laramie Limited to our Ram lineup will satisfy the demands of the truck buyer looking for an upscale, refined version of our extremely capable Ram truck.”

The new Ram made its debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show.

http://www.carpages.ca/

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2012 Laramie is Ram royalty

admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:40:04 +0000

Guts, glory, the tang of diesel fumes, enough torque to tow medium-sized mountains, a step-in height that just about requires you to go on oxygen, a driver’s seat vista that makes you feel like you’re at the wheel of an open-pit mining truck, mass pushing four American-style tons and enough premium-grade leather to re-upholster a herd of Texas cattle – welcome to the Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4×4.

Oh, and a price tag on the unit driven of $74,310, the ante for a North American pickup truck, a vehicle most associate with scuffed work boots rather than glove-soft Gucci loafers and the high-falutin’ foreign luxury sedans that more often come to mind when you’re talking that kind of coin.

But this is no ordinary member of the triumvirate of ruling North American pickup truck families – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler – which between them accounted for 244,822 of the 263,269 large pickups sold in Canada last year. The 2500 Laramie Longhorn is Ram royalty, only out-ranked by the even more massively steroidal 3500 in the heavy-hauling hierarchy.

And serious haulage is what it’s all about with 79 per cent of buyers citing towing as a major consideration in their purchase, and the test truck was equipped to drag around no less than 10,320 kilograms. Those buyers, incidentally, are 90 per cent male and 50 per cent of heavy-duty models are purchased for work, although the Ram folk claim 100 per cent of them do double duty as fun and family vehicles.

This – or one of its Ford or GM heavy-duty rivals – is the kind of truck you want to be at the wheel of when you’re towing an enclosed trailer full of race-car, tires, tools and gas to some distant track. Not, on the other hand, when you’re trying to squeeze into a mall-sized parking spot.

It’s all very well to talk about driving one of these things for fun, but in reality it isn’t, at least for someone used to manoeuvring something smaller. Real pickup-driving guys and gals probably don’t notice – they just drive – but I’ll admit to finding it a tad intimidating.

More confidence would naturally come with additional time behind the wheel, but initially driving in traffic your awareness of how much space you’re occupying and how that reduces the distance between you and other road users is definitely at a much heightened level.

The test truck topped a lineup that starts with the $31,395 2500 ST and moves up through SLT, Outdoorsman, Lone Star, Big Horn, Power Wagon and Laramie to the $58,845 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4×4.

From across a parking lot, the Ram 2500 doesn’t look much different from a mere Ram 1500 – although the 17-inch alloy wheels actually look a little undersized – but the scale seems to expand until it fills your visual horizon by the time you’re reaching up for the door handle.

Styling is mainly differentiated from Ram 1500s by a bigger grille and higher hood line, and a small-condo-sized four-door Crew Cab roofline that tops out at 1,973 mm, or about the same as a six-foot cowboy wearing a Stetson. Overall length is 6,030 mm or just a tad less than 20 feet, and width a just within the street legal width limit at 2,009 mm. A Texas-tall cowboy, without his hat, could stretch out lengthwise in the box out back.

But he’d be much happier and feel more at home in the leathery-luxury found inside where just about everything on the Ram family comfort and convenience feature list can be found, including Parkview camera and rear sensors, heated seats all round (ventilated and power adjustable up front), power sliding rear window, power pedals, remote start, touch screen display and navigation, plus a high-end audio system and optional rear-seat video system.

All the trappings of a luxury car or sport-ute, but swathed in home-on-the-range, high-grade cowhide. In fact, to quote the label, genuine full-grain Natura Plus leather, each hide bringing unique markings and assuring the owner he has purchased a vehicle that employs the same hand-crafted materials as a horseman’s saddle, and that will age to a one-of-a-kind appearance.

This interior must be the “glory” Ram commercials tout, but the “guts” are definitely found under the hood.

That’s where, for an extra $9,345, you can replace the standard 5.7-litre, 383-hp/400-lb-ft Hemi V-8 with 6.7 litres of Cummins inline-six-cylinder High Output Turbo Diesel. This was boosted to its current output of 350 hp and 800 lb-ft of torque for 2012 in response to a three-way pulling-power arms race with Ford and General Motors. Bragging rights are taken seriously in this segment.

This slogging monster makes its full power at just 3,000 rpm and all of that prodigious torque is available from 1,500 rpm to 2,800 rpm, fed to the wheels through an optional, $1,900 six-speed automatic and a rugged four-wheel-drive system.

This latest generation of Cummins diesels is said to be 50 per cent quieter as well as more emission-efficient and fuel-efficient, although the latter numbers are still likely rather daunting – no ratings are published for heavy-duty trucks. It’s also expected to be long-lived with (best case scenario, of course) an anticipated mileage of 560,000 km before a major overhaul is required.

It may not rev much, but this big six sure pulls, accelerating this massive vehicle with surprising rapidity. But the Hemi V-8 would likely make a better choice for those who drive a Ram 2500 because they want to, while the diesel would obviously be the powerplant for those who drive one because they need to.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

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Rare 4X4 pickup given new lease on life

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:30:44 +0000

After 40 years, Brian Beard’s cousin called him to say he wanted to give him back his 1967 Mercury 4X4 pickup.Beard had loved that truck but when he went to university, he had left the rare ¾ ton behind, for his cousin to use on his farm. It received rough use on the farm north of Edmonton, where it worked for a number of years before being parked by a shop for the next three decades in 1979.

Beard had been 18 years old when he “factory ordered” the truck. “In those days, four wheel drives were a very rare commodity,” he recalls. But a neighbour who used a Dodge Power Wagon 4X4 to go hunting year round had introduced Beard to four wheeling when he was 14.

“Every Sunday in the winter, my neighbour went coyote hunting in deep snow through ditches, plowed fields and bush. This was my introduction to the amazing things a four-wheel drive could do. After my first ride, I had to have one.”

When Beard got his driver’s license at the age of 16, he started a small oilfield hauling business after school and on weekends with an old pickup that eventually fell apart. Then in grade 12, he convinced his father that he should buy a brand new truck — a 4X4 — because used 4X4 trucks were usually worn out.

Dealers didn’t stock 4X4s in those days, so, with $500 of hard-earned savings and an agreement with the bank to make payments of $107 a month, he ordered his new Mercury M250. The cost was $4,000, twice as much as a regular ¾ ton pickup.

In Canada, Ford trucks were sold by Ford dealers, and the same trucks, re-badged as Mercury models, were sold by Mercury dealers.

The last Mercury truck was produced in March, 1968. Beard estimates there were only about 125 of the ¾ ton Mercury 4X4s built in the 1967 model year.

He ordered his to be as special and heavy duty as possible with the Custom Cab option, Spicer free-running front hubs, a 352 cubic inch V-8 engine, four speed transmission, two tone paint, cab lights, AM radio and a front bush bar.

The truck was built at the Ford Twin Cities truck plant in April 1967. As the arrival day got closer, young Beard would stop by the rail yard to see if his truck had arrived. One day in early May, it did, on top of a rail car, and just as he had ordered it.

“Wherever I went with my truck, people would remark that it was the prettiest truck they had ever seen. The truck and I went on many adventures.

“But working and going to high school was one thing. Going to university, with the cost of fees and books along with all the studying, made it impossible to keep my truck.”

The young engineering student worked out a plan to give his truck to his cousin to work the farm. When the battered and bruised Mercury 4X4 pickup was finally parked in 1979, it had travelled 69,823 miles.

“Over the years, I spent time at the farm and would always visit my old truck and feel sorry for the way she had ended up,” he says. “I promised that one day I would restore her back to her original beauty.”

But an engineering and project-management career that took him all over the world building pulp and paper mills, mines and refineries got in the way.

Then, in 2009, his cousin Buck called him at his Fraser Valley home east of Vancouver to say he wanted to make the truck new again. “Buck said that he wanted me to have it back the way it came to the farm and I could take her home,” Beard recalls.

Rebuilding the truck to new condition in Alberta took more than two years. Another 1967 Mercury pickup truck had to be purchased to replace the rusted and badly damaged body parts on the original. And the parts could only come from a 1967 Mercury pickup because of its many one-year-only pieces, and a truck in good shape was difficult to find.

Beard’s truck was completely disassembled, the frame sandblasted and painted and the original 352 cubic inch V-8 engine rebuilt, along with all running-gear components. The cab, box and front fenders were sandblasted and repainted the original Holly Green and Wimbledon White. Even the original bush guard was reinstalled after being repaired where it had been twisted and bent from towing tractors out of the mud.

Ivan Perry of Gibbons rebuilt all the mechanical components, engine, transmission, transfer case and front and rear differentials. The bodywork, paint and reassembly was handled by Bev Boudreau of Onoway.

The 1967 Mercury 250 4X4 pickup truck that Beard bought 45 years ago is now a showpiece that is often displayed alongside its garage mate, an equally rare 1966 Mercury 250 4X4 pickup that he bought from a Saskatchewan farmer who was the original owner and had restored it himself.

“Words cannot express the happiness I felt bringing my old truck home and being able to take her to car and truck shows,” Beard says. “It’s wonderful to be able to tell people how rare and special she is.”

The next story will detail Brian Beard’s fabulous Fraser Valley “fire station,” filled with one of the finest vintage fire engine collections in Canada.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/

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Edmonton Dodge Ram

Mother Nature’s furnace is cutting winter heating costs

Long warm spell

Yahoo Part Of Dodge Ram’s Digital Country

Quick Update: Hot Rod U Project a Success

Chrysler Group LLC Launches Diversified Certified Program

Chrysler 300 Makes for Edgy Choice on 10 Best Family Cars List

2012 Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG Starts at $47,500

The top three Chrysler vehicles in Canada

Chrysler brand:

Dodge:

Jeep:

Ram:

Chrysler launches luxury model of Ram Truck

2012 Laramie is Ram royalty

Rare 4X4 pickup given new lease on life