If you didn’t know already, there are two brothers that roam the mountains and plains of Canada looking for old Ford and Mercury trucks. They purchase these relics and get them repatriated back to the good old US of A. They specialize in Mercury trucks, which are basically Ford trucks with extra trim that were sold at Lincoln and Mercury dealers in Canada. The trucks are always restorable, and evidently they have a lot of happy customers. This time, they have found a 1950 Mercury M68 fresh from the farm, and it is for sale here on eBay in Cavalier, North Dakota. It is a little rougher than some of the others we have profiled, but the price reflects that.  With a current bid of $1,455, this one could be an inexpensive way for one of you to get into a Mercury truck.

Looking at this truck, I am trying to figure out what it would have looked like new.  If the paint, or what is left of it, is original, then the white bed and cab would have probably looked good with the fenders and hood in black.  With one white wheel and three black wheels, your guess is as good as mine as to the original wheel color.  It would also be nice to see a tailgate, but the bargain price has to be justified somehow.

As stated, this one has some rough spots that need to be addressed.  There is rust at the bottom of the bedsides, and the wood bed has all but disappeared. The metal slats that hold the boards in are still there, but will likely need to be replaced. The rear fenders have some bumps and bruises, but they are in pretty good condition for the age of the truck and the jobs that it was purchased to do.  Add to the list pounding out some dents in the solid appearing running boards, and I think you could get the back half under control.  Oh, the trailer hitch would have to be replaced with a bumper if it were mine.

From the front, the good news is that it has most of its Mercury trim.  The bad news is that the chrome piece that wraps around the fender on the driver’s side is probably still somewhere on the farm.  The brothers state in the ad that you could make a replacement piece, but I wouldn’t know where to find a correctly sized and shaped piece to bend into that shape.  If any of you readers have done such a thing before, please let us know in the comments how you did it.  As for the rest of the chrome, the new owner will be spending some time getting that and the bumper straightened out.

Inside, we see that the white cab itself is in pretty good condition.  The gauges are all there, and so is a heater.  Unfortunately, the seat needs to be recovered after spending a few decades as a mouse Hilton, and the steering wheel will need to be repaired or replaced.  There is some rust to address on the driver’s side door pillar, and all of the glass will need to be switched out.  Given that it is all flat glass, that shouldn’t be too large an obstacle.

The bad news is the passenger side floor, or the lack of a floor.  Replacement panels are available, and they are not too expensive.  If you decided to just use it as a fun, running around truck and had no intention of restoring this truck to perfection, then cutting it out and welding the new one back together from the top would be fairly easy.  If you ordered the proper reproduction mat for the floor, then it would be doubtful if anyone would ever even see the repair.  They would just be glad they couldn’t see the road through the floor.

Under the hood rests the tried and true Flathead Ford that the sellers tell us still turns freely.  The rest of the parts look to be correct for the time period, and easily restorable.  Of course, a full cleanout and/or replacement of the components in the cooling and fuel systems would be required, but chances are good that this engine is still useable.  These were good motors, and there are a lot of people still out there to help you get a project like this going again.  Any buyers of 1932-1953 Fords should do themselves a favor and join the Early Ford V-8 Club of America.  The dues are greatly offset by the magazine, information, publications and forum they offer for owners of these vehicles.

If this one were mine, and I am really thinking of snagging one of these Mercury trucks if the prices keep edging lower, then I would probably get it running and drive it until I opened up space in my garage for a proper restoration.  Given my choice, I would paint the cab, hood, and bed Washington Blue, with black for the fenders and running boards.  The engine would get a dual carburetor manifold with two Stromberg 97s, Eldelbrock aluminum heads, and a general freshening up.  Adding a spare tire to the side of the bed, a set of aftermarket chrome bumpers, and a reproduction tailgate would round this one out.  Of course, fixing the floor would be the first thing done, no matter what.

So, is the price low enough yet for you to bid on one of these?  What are you waiting for?