Rod Authority was fortunate enough to catch wind of a truly special and inspiring story. The result is the double truck feature that you see before you. Luke Merrill, an intelligent and driven 21 year old, made initial contact with the magazine through our social network–it was decided then and there that this was a story that needed to be preserved and diffused to the public.

From the stark differences between the build style of his and his father’s truck, to the personal challenges each works day in and day out to overcome–most inspiring is the tenacity that Luke’s father, Dave, has instilled and Luke’s own fire to stand behind his personal aesthetics.

This feature is unique because readers will be getting a double dose of classic truck in one. The article is divided up into two sections–a spotlight on Luke Merrill’s 1966 C10 and another on Dave Merrill’s 1941 Chevy Pickup. Make no mistake, the beauty of this particular feature lies in the polar difference between automotive execution brought together by the transcendent quality of a father-son relationship.

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Luke Merrill And His Street Sweeping ’66 C10, “CMESLAM”

As mentioned above, Luke is an enthusiast through and through. At 21 years of age he certainly exhibits an inspiring spark and sense of hope for the next wave of kustom kulture and classic car enthusiasts.

Luke is currently attending the University of Minnesota as a full-time senior college student. Along with pursuing a double major in Economics and Psychology, Luke also runs his own automotive restoration business, Tinman II Kustoms. The name is an homage to his father Dave, a metal fabricator, who used to own his own business named Tinman.

Aside from a heavy day to day list of priorities Luke still managed to get down on the build of his ’66. This is a testament to ambition and drive. An individual’s life certainly cannot be measured against another’s, but Luke’s apparent sense of time management is definitely a source of inspiration for those who simply “can’t find the time.”

Rod Authority had a couple of questions for both Luke and his father, check out the Q&A with Luke below:

Rod Authority: You mentioned that you were disabled, if you don’t mind could you explain to us a little about your condition?

Luke Merrill: I have already had two carpal tunnel surgeries, but carpal tunnel has come back due to my large amount of hand usage with school and automotive.

RA: What was your first auto-related memory?

Luke: I remember watching my dad build his truck and riding in it every weekend. Also, going to “Back To The Fifties”–it was the highlight of my year. I have never missed the show since I’ve been born.

RA:  What is the most important lesson you’ve learned since you’ve been involved with cars?

Luke: Anything can be figured out with a little bit of persistence/hard work. People have a very intriguing way of figuring out how to do anything they set their minds to.

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RA: What would you say to someone who has an interest in our culture but has no prior experience–what can they do to get their feet wet and hands dirty?

Luke: Build a network of good friends and contacts that you can get to teach you how to do stuff in exchange for either money or something that you are good at. The internet is the best free resource nowadays.

Before you get your feet too wet, try and help a friend that is building something, that way you don’t get too overwhelmed with your own project. Don’t get in too deep either. If you have never worked on a car, you probably don’t want to rip out the motor, interior, glass, etc. I have seen that go bad, overwhelming, and to junkyards far too often.

Planning the entire build is also very important. I like to sit down with a notebook and make a comprehensive to-do list, parts list, junk yard list, etc.

Wise words from Luke, and we know that the best way to build a wealth of wisdom is through experience–a builder’s successes as well as failures are fuel for personal development. One of the last things Rod Authority touched on was what Luke’s perspective was on the current state of classic car culture–people’s attitudes, trends, and the general atmosphere of the scene.

Coming from a young man as passionate as Luke, it’s important to put stock in what the next wave of builders sees and gravitates towards. After all, years down the line it will be him and others like him who will be charged with preserving tradition and pushing boundaries for the generation that follows.

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Photos Courtesy Of: Chad Truss

Luke had this to say, “There is a wide array of people in the car scene. No matter what the build style of the person is, I always appreciate creativity and hard work. I personally am not impressed with the way some of the older crowd judge me and my buddies at car shows. That is something that needs to change if people want their hot rods to continue to grow in value, after all the next generation is what determines the value of our rod investments. Just because we are young does not mean we are dumb or less knowledgeable about cars.”

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Dave Merrill has been into hot rods for years and he has done a tremendous job keeping that fire lit within his son Luke. One of the reasons this was such a special feature for us was because Luke wanted to surprise his dad with it.

Luke informed us that his father is currently awaiting a lung transplant. “Dad has severe COPD and emphysema, has been on oxygen 24 hours a day the last 6 years, so hasn’t been able to do much metal work since. He has been on the lung transplant waiting list for 2+ years and I applaud him for his courage,” said Luke.

In a life where things can always take an unexpected turn, times may certainly be tough for the Merrill family but the bond father and son share is certainly a potent fuel to have in order to keep on pushing forward, remember to still take things a day at a time, and appreciate the things that have always made us happy in life.

Dave’s first hot rod was a ’57 Chevy 210, he recalls only being 13 at the time and not being able to take it out of the driveway. Although Dave did not get the same introduction into hot rods and kustoms as Luke by way of his father his first influences were George Barris, Don Garlitz, and other great kustomizers and racers of that era.

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When Rod Authority asked Luke to tell us what his father’s build philosophy is this is what he responded with, “They’re never really finished even though you paint them. Sometimes you paint them just so you have a reason to stop working on them.”

One of the most beautiful things about this culture of cars is the vehicle’s ability to grow and evolve with the owner over the years. The desire to upgrade and update a car occurs throughout all genres of the automotive world but Rod Authority will proudly show its bias by saying that hot rods and kustoms create a much deeper bond between car and owner, those who contribute to a project, and the community as a whole–Dave and Luke are prime evidence of that!

Dave Merrill’s Kustom ’41 Pickup, “The Hot Rod”

Dave found his truck in a field in Ham Lake, Minnesota. “He is the first owner that has not gotten a divorce while owning it,” according to Luke. The original cost of the truck was $1,500. Dave spent more than 18 years working on the truck, from 1980-1998, 1998 probably being the year he decided to paint it.

The ’41 sits on 15×7 Billet Specialties wheels in the front and 15x8s in the back. 205/60/15 and 245/60/15 Cooper Cobra Radials compliment them. The chassis features a subframe graft–the independent front suspension from a Nova was installed. The rear of the frame is c-notched, features monoleaf Camaro springs, drop blocks, and an axle flip with adjustable shock mount positioning.

Every part of the truck’s body has been reworked except the rear window opening size. The roof has been chopped 3-inches, headlights are custom fabricated, and the grille opening has been modified and shaved. Along with the shaved front end  the door handles and stake pockets on rails have also been smoothed to give the ’41 that kustom flair.

In fact, almost every part of the truck got some sort of smooth job: tailgate, box sides, cowl vent, drip edge, side curtains, roll pan, and running boards to name just a few–there’s nothing cleaner than a ride as tight as tumbled stone.

For brightwork, ’62 Mercury taillights have been frenched into the rear fenders and hidden front turn signals have been installed. To maintain the recessed theme, there are also two frenched and flared openings for antennas, hidden door poppers, and a shaved firewall all performed by Dave Merrill.

Luke would like to extend a thank you to “all of my friends and family for the help and support on my truck. I had a lot of help with the heavy lifting after my surgeries and want my friends to know that I appreciate their help. I actually started building this truck a week after one of my wrist surgeries and had a lot of great friends that came over to help with the big stuff.”

Dave would like to thank his wife for, “her support over the many hours lost away from family and for enduring the expensive 18 year build.” He also extends a thank you to his friends that helped with the project: Roger Theisen, Don Bohnenkamp, Dave Olenchek, Paul “Guido” Christens, and Luke for keeping it clean all these years.

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This feature represents everything that Rod Authority loves about classic cars–the variety and the ability for people to come together and appreciate different tastes. In a world were opinions run high and everyone has a knack for becoming centric these two trucks built over two generations are great examples of passion, tradition, and individual interpretations being superior to following a mould for the sake of not raising a few hairs.

You can check out Luke Merrill’s YouTube channel for updates on both trucks, to stay up to date with Tinman II Kustoms, and to see what next projects him and his buddies take on.

Check out the gallery of Dave and Luke Merrill’s trucks below: