1952 F-1 Has Been in the Same Family Since New, And Now It’s (Almost) Perfect
Denny Dahle paid $50 in 1968 to buy Grandpa’s 1952 F-1 and has owned it for 55 years. Along the way, he spent four and a half years turning it into a better-than-new, museum-quality, award winner.
Most enthusiasts lose touch with their first truck or car. Not Denny Dahle. He bought his Vermillion red 1952 F-1 in 1968 and has owned it for 55 years. Today, the F-1 is a museum-quality show truck worthy of magazine covers (and blog posts). But 71 years ago, it was just a work truck.
Here’s a look back at the journey Denny and his first truck have taken…
Grandpa’s 1952 F-1
In 1952, Alfred Dahle needed a work truck for his northern Wisconsin sawmill. So he went to a Ford dealership and paid $1,459 for this 1952 F-1 half-ton pickup. The base price that year was $1,361, to which Alfred added the upgraded Magic Air heater for $62.40. (Wisconsin winters are no joke.) And, since he wanted something strong enough for towing around the property, he also paid $35.60 for the 8RT truck engine option, which is the iconic 239 cubic-inch flathead V8. Good for 110 American horsepower.
The paint code for Vermillion Red was N.
Alfred’s F-1 spent over a decade in constant use on the 10-acre property, towing machinery, transporting gear and employees, and making deliveries through hot summers, frozen winters, and everything in between.
Garage queen, it was not.
Denny’s First Truck
Right around 1960, if our math is correct, Alfred’s grandson Denny, started working at the family business alongside his father and grandparents, who also lived on the property. At that time, Denny was a mighty 8-year-old who spent his childhood growing up around machines. Learning how they worked. How to fix them. How to maintain them.
Along the way, the ole ’52 became the first vehicle Denny ever drove.
One day, as he tells the tale, Denny was walking through the yard and saw the F-1 sitting there, tired and unused. So he asked his Grandpa if he could have it. To which Alfred Dahle said, “no.” But he offered to sell it to Denny for $50. This was 1968, and Denny was 16. He didn’t realize it at the time, but later understood Grandpa Alfred was teaching Denny an important lesson, “If you pay for something, you take care of it.”
Care for the F-1, Denny certainly did. But its rough life as a full-time work truck and first truck for a teenager had taken a toll.
The Frame-Off Restoration
Denny finished restoring his F-1 in 2017. The process took a staggering four and a half years. “Every nut, bolt, washer, and clip’s been sandblasted, primed, and painted. Everything. Rebuilt the front suspension, the rear end, the brakes, springs, everything.” Denny, with all of his machine shop experience from his sawmill days, did almost all of the work. This included reupholstering the bench seat after three shops turned him down. (He says it wasn’t too hard — sunshine and a good set of hog-ring pliers really helped.) He even makes his own rare Ford parts that have been discontinued for decades, selling them around the world.
In fact, the only things he didn’t do were the engine block’s machinework and the Vermillion Red paint job, which Denny wanted to have factory-like paint with orange peel and all.
The results? Denny’s 1952 F-1 is nearly perfect, according to the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA). Denny says it scored a 390 out of 400 possible points. The detail work is nothing short of extraordinary. Correct NOS (new old stock) glass headlight lenses, correct screws, a factory-optional fire extinguisher, NOS keys, a locking gas cap, you name it. The F-1 now even sports the underhood light, which was a $1 option in 1952. (Denny paid about $130.)
With everything just as it should be, what could possibly be “wrong” with this F-1?
Well, he had the wrong sparkplugs, for starters. But ended up swapping in the correct set. So problem fixed there. But there was one other feature Denny was proud to leave incorrect. Apparently, the bed boards are supposed to be painted body color or black, but Denny elected to keep them a natural wood finish because, “those boards, just like this truck, came from my Grandpa’s sawmill. My dad and I milled them together in 1970 in the milling portion of the mill.” Denny told the AACA judges that he was a third-generation mill worker and to ding him the 10 points, he didn’t care.
Denny also bored the 239ci flathead V8 up to 241ci, but don’t tell the AACA. (Wink.)
The result, which cost roughly $35,000, is a museum-quality show truck that has won over 65 awards, runs great, and remains a Dahle family heirloom. A truck that, for its seven decades on this planet, has only known two owners. Grandfather and grandson.
Well done, Denny. Well done.
Image Gallery
Denny Dahle’s 1952 F-1 on American Classics, Episode 2
Photographs by Denny Dahle
