Our friends in North Dakota are at it again! They just found another Canadian built Ford truck, this one is a Mercury M68 and it is a beast of a truck. Classic trucks are a hot commodity right now and truck collectors are looking for rare models with odd specs. While this one doesn’t have any rare features, think extra long cab with short bed, it is a fairly rare rig. When you take into account the fact that Mercury didn’t sell trucks here in the States, it’s easy to see the appeal of this one. You can find it here on eBay in Cavalier, North Dakota with a current bid of $4,250 and no reserve!
Having sat on a farm up in the harsh Canadian climate, this M68 is showing its age a bit. Overall though, it’s in solid shape. If you are into the patina craze and have been looking for a vehicle with the right look, this one might have it. It’s rusty with worn paint, but it doesn’t show any holes in the cab corners. The wood bed is pretty much rotted away, but a trip to the lumberyard could remedy that. Oh and the bed is hydraulic, so this could prove to be a handy truck to have around!
It’s powered by a 255 cui flathead V8, but there’s no word on it’s current condition. It’s best to always assume an engine doesn’t run unless there is proof otherwise. These are stout engines though, so as long as it isn’t seized it should be easy to get running. The 3-speed flathead combo won’t blow any doors off, but it will do the job to get you around town with a full load of lumber in the bed.
This truck might essentially be a 3/4 ton Ford F68, but there is just something cool about having one that has a Mercury badge on it. Of course, if you prefer to have a Ford badge, it wouldn’t be difficult to put the American version trim on it. Given the current look though, I could see this truck being turned into a bit of a rat rod! It has the finish, it would just need a set of airbags, custom rims and an upgraded engine to fit in at the local rat rod shows.
It doesn’t seem right to convert this to a Ford.I’ve learned, from this site, that the Mercury is the rarer of the two. Lets not make it less rare.
Keep it a Mercury, a lot of Fords out there but these are rare and should be kept original. I wish I could get this one and restore it but my time is limited to buy and drive it.
You said a 3 spd. manual? I’d bet serious money that it’s a Warner T-9 crash box 4 spd. In fact I don’t think I saw a Ford Tonner with anything else until ’53. It would be then that the T-98 replaced the T-9.
If this one were to come my way, I’d probably lose the hoist. Maybe it’s because I saw too many small farm operations with trucks similar to this but the hoist, while having served a good purpose, just won’t be needed anymore. Definitely a restoration. I wouldn’t do up a truck like this any other way.
Nice article, thank you.
However, near the beginning, the writer writes: “…the harsh Canadian climate…”.
By now, many of us in the US are very familiar with the different provinces in Canada.
With a land mass greater than that of the US, Canada has a tremendous amount of variation in climate from region to region. i.e. : Vancouver rarely gets snow whereas Quebec gets more snow than any other major city in North America).
Imagine a writer writing “the mild American climate”. You’d think he was nuts if you were reading it here in the US or if you were a reader in Canada who knows better, and basically the entire population would know better.
If one of your readers has never heard of Saskatchewan (where this cool Mercury truck is likely from), maybe they’ll Google it and learn a good thing about a nice part of the world, and one not so far away either.
Again though, thank you, I enjoyed it.
I’d say they took a garden hose to the interior before they took the floor pics. still wet!
Been around too long to rat rod it or chop it up. I would leave it with a flat head but would add performance parts on it for both appearance and added go. Never been into the patina thing so a nice paint color of that era. The Mercury badging has to stay.
I agree. The fleathead is the heart of these trucks, some period correct speed treatment would wake it up just enough. Lack of overdrive though would bother me, what pumpkin ratio was typical in these?
What happened to all the tailgates on these Canadian pickups?
Farmers are notoriously hard on tailgates…..
The same thing that happens to any pick-up that actually gets used for work. They get smashed into, loads dropped on them and bent to the point where they won’t close and it’s easier to just take them off. I had a 72 GMC that actually still had its original tailgate and regularly got comments on it from guys who had finished theirs off. MY 05 Tundra is suffering the same fate. I just keep hammering it back into shape enough to close and wait for someone to run into again with a forklift.
https://youtu.be/3T3MgIRUwj0
As a Canadian I find it disappointing that the sellers up here aren’t Trying to sell to fellow Canadians. Soon we will be picked over and a piece of our heritage will be gone. If I was in a financial position I’d be buying these up to keep them in Canada.
I’m trying bro. Can you meet me at Timmy’s? I need a couple more loonies to keep this one at home :)
(we already gave up Wayne Gretzky and Mike Meyers,one more truck might be the straw that breaks our Canuck culture for good)
Now Gordie’s gone ,too.
True. Although I think Howe’s passing had a bigger impact on me than Downie’s.