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Canadian Farm Fresh: 1950 Mercury Truck

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?

Comments

  1. Avatar Pa Tina

    Why are all these 1950’s trucks showing up all of a sudden? I think someone has re-opened an abandoned truck plant somewhere in the Mid-western Rust Belt and is pumping these things out like fried dough at the county fair.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Bob

    I already have a 67 Mercury 1 ton, so no takers here. I have never looked into production numbers, but before 1967, it was common to see as many Mercurys on the road as Fords. It was the auto pact that meant the end of the Mercury truck.

    Like 0
  3. Avatar glen

    I don’t think “repatriated” is accurate. I believe they were built here in good old Canada! Does the paint (patina?) have a polished look to it?

    Like 1
    • Avatar Bobsmyuncle

      They were but how would you convince an American of that LOL?!

      Like 1
  4. Avatar Rex Rice

    I Drove my F-3 for many years. A great truck that is fun to drive & will haul most anything but the 10 mpg was tiresome.

    Like 0
    • Avatar David

      Hi Duff,

      Thanks for your interest!

      The previous auction unfortunately ended with the high bidder dishonoring their bid, resulting in the need to re list it. It always baffles me why people would bid if they have no intention of committing to it! But, alas, it is one of the perils of eBay!

      Hope you like seeing the trucks we find!

      Thanks,

      David

      Like 0
  5. Avatar geomechs Member

    Nice project truck for sure. I first looked at this and thought it was gray but a closer look shows that it’s white, a trifle off, kind like Ford’s ‘Wimbledon White.’ I don’t think I’ve seen any Ford or Mercury trucks with the deluxe paint scheme having black hoods. Black fenders but that was it. If this has the original motor it should be the 255 Mercury power plant. The 255 was optional in the Ford tonner and up, but the Mercury had the edge, again. Oh, the whine of that old T-9 transmission….

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Mark S

    Like Ford and it’s Canadian Mercury,Dodge had its Canadian Fargo which was exclusive to the Canadian market.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Rod444

    An exceptionally good looking version of this truck:

    Like 1

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