This 1948 Mercury M-68 is an impressively clean survivor that will grab plenty of attention wherever it goes. It is ready to be driven immediately, with the new owner needing to do nothing but enjoy the ownership experience. It has a known history, which should give anybody who is interested, some confidence that what they are buying is a healthy classic with the potential to provide many years of faithful service. You will find the Mercury located in Camas, Washington, and listed for sale here on Barn Finds Classifieds. The owner is asking $29,900 for this beautiful old pickup.
The M-68 is finished in a classic combination of Vermillion and Black. Including its current owner, the Mercury has only had two owners during its entire lifetime. The first owner had the vehicle repainted in its original color scheme around 15-years-ago, and apart from a few very minor chips, the paint is in good condition. That owner then used the vehicle for parades until such time as he passed away. The M-68 sat unused for some time before being purchased by its current owner. The Mercury’s working life was as a grain carrier, and a small “grain dump” has been cut into the tailgate. This is a neat and tidy modification, and it still functions perfectly. The timber in the bed appears to be nice and solid and has been painted to match the rest of the exterior’s shade of red. The next owner might choose to leave it as it is, although I wouldn’t be surprised if they chose to strip the timber and refinish it in a water-resistant clear urethane. The owner admits that this Mercury has a few faults, but none of these are particularly bad. The weatherstripping is functional, although it is tired. He suggests that replacing this would probably be a wise move. The glass also wears the sorts of marks and scratches that you might expect from a workhorse of this age, although none of it is cracked. The exterior trim and chrome are original, and while it isn’t perfect, its condition is perfectly acceptable for a daily driver.
Powering the Mercury is the venerable 239ci flathead V8, producing 100hp and 180 ft/lbs of torque. This power finds its way to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission with a “granny” first gear. The owner indicates that the engine has received a rebuild at some point in the past by Ford of Canada. When the current owner purchased the vehicle it hadn’t been running for some time, so he went through the process of returning it to sound mechanical health. This included replacing the distributor, plugs, plug wires, belts, and hoses. The radiator has also been replaced with an aftermarket aluminum unit, although the original radiator is in a box, and will be included in the sale. The owner identifies a small oil leak from the rear of the engine where it mates to the transmission, but otherwise, it sounds like everything else is fine. The M-68 doesn’t get a lot of use, with only the occasional jaunt around the block at around 30-35mph. He believes that this is probably the sort of speed that it would have seen when it was performing its grain-carrying duties, but if it is actually mechanically sound, then speeds above this on the open road shouldn’t present a huge challenge.
The interior of the Mercury remains just as presentable as the rest of the vehicle. There is wear on a few edges, the headliner has a slight sag, and there is a piece of trim missing near the ignition switch. It also appears that there is a piece missing from the radio blanking plate, and the kick panels are looking a bit dilapidated. Otherwise, it has a new rubber mat on the floor, while the cover on the seat also looks relatively new. It didn’t come fitted with a radio, but a correct radio is being included in the sale. It will be a matter of personal preference as to whether or not the next owner chooses to fit this. One really positive feature, especially given where the Mercury has spent the majority of its life, is a working heater. The owner states that everything else inside the pickup works as it should, and when you combine this with the apparent mechanical health of the M-68, it looks like it is a classic that is ready to be driven and enjoyed.
With the Mercury M-68 only being marketed in Canada, they are nowhere near as common on US roads as the equivalent Ford models. This one is a clean and tidy example that seems to offer ample opportunities for enjoyable motoring. It isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t appear as though it would take a lot of money or effort to take it to the next level. From a price perspective, it does seem to be competitive, because it isn’t that unusual to see these classics selling for $35,000 or more. For me, that would seem to make this a pickup that would justify a personal inspection if this type of vehicle is high on your wish list.
This one is a real cherry. Nothing to do but put gas in it and put it to work, albeit a little easier than the majority of these were subjected to in their prime. Kind of interesting to see the truck lacking the bright trim strips along the outside of the front fenders. Mercury trucks came from the factory with deluxe cabs so Ford offered a series of ‘Delete Options’ if the customer decided he didn’t want all that fancy stuff. I do admit that I never saw a Mercury without the strips except for some of the large 2 and 3 ton trucks. I’m a little surprised to see an 8RT engine under that hood. A lot of the CDN Ford/Mercury trucks in ’48 still sported the 59AB engine with the 8BA/RT/8CM being included in the ’49 models. Looking at the wear on the pedals I’m going to guess that the engine was swapped out later in the truck’s life.
Geomechs you’re absolutely correct. The engine is an Edmonton Alberta Ford factory rebuild with the original stamp on it which I believe shows 1949
Am I crazy to say that in the current market this is reasonably priced??? It’s a dropdead gorgeous truck IMHO and I doubt that what they’re asking covers what they’ve got in to it financially, blood sweat and tears notwithstanding..
As an aside another outstanding feature it’s still usable as a truck and not just a mobile decoration.
GLWTS
I think it’s a little on the upper side but then, it’s always a lot easier to come down than to go up. All I can say is that it’s beyond my budget, but it might well be withing someone else’s…
I’m all about restomod…but I wouldn’t change a thing on this babe.
Nice to see a wood bed properly painted in body color. I’d be inclined to take off the body and clean up the rear of the chassis and wheel set.
I can’t state for certain, but other than the deluxe cab, one of the other differences between the Ford and the Mercury trucks was that the Mercury trucks came with a 255 cubic inch engine.
Nice looking truck, but if the truck was going to be driven daily, the straight cut gears on that transmission would grow old really quickly. I am familiar with them, becuse I back in the late 50s and early 60s, I regularly drove the 3/4 and one ton models. They were a good reliable truck, but that transmission noise would get to a person after a long day.
Bob
I forgot to add, that the engine colour of the Mercury trucks was green.
Bob
Hi Bob. The 255 is what I saw in Mercury trucks too although the ‘48 models were always confusing. I saw a few of them, pickups, sporting 59ABs. There was a strange engine in the ‘49 M47 models. It had aluminum heads and about 5 HP more than the 8BA but it was still a 239. The basic Meteor car had the same engine. From ‘50 onwards Mercury trucks ran 255s.
I had a 53 Mercury pickup, and knew about the aluminum heads, but I have never seen anything more than a picture of them.
The only reason I knew as much as I did about the Mercury trucks, was because they were the only truck my boss would buy. He always thought they were better.
It affected me, because I ended up owning three of them over the years.
Bob
Apparently the aluminum heads were quite troublesome. I never saw them myself but my friend said that they were bad for coolant leakage, somewhat worse than the aluminum heads in the 30s. From what I was told they were eventually replaced with 255s.
You can easily tell that was a farm truck. Note the hinged door in that tailgate. When a farmer needed a bit of cash, he loaded up the truck from his grainary, usually by hand. Arriving at the grain elevator a hoist raised the front wheels and the grain flowed out that door in to a floor grate. The small door gave more control over the flow. There were always many “No Smoking” warning signs in those elevators as grain dust is extremely explosive.
Many farmers installed a heavy “U” shaped reinforcing bracket around the back of the box to resist spreading when loaded with grain, etc. This one does not have one, which says to me that it did not make that many trips to the elevator.
That sure is a bunch of spring leaves in the back, can’t imagine how it rides.
I learned to drive on my uncle’s 1949 F-1 green Ford, with a four speed, non syncro grinder. Brings back many memories seeing this one.
I bet the owner has a lot more than the asking price in it. Rare find.
It’s worth over $35k and priced very affordably at $29k which allows the new owner to customize as they see fit. Great ideas like sanding and urethane finishing the bed. Replacing original clutch/brake & accelerator pedals trim etc to make this a rare show quality truck.
I’ve actually driven this truck. It is as nice as it looks! Good luck finding another Mercury pickup. The owner is super meticulous, and this pickup spends its time in a nice garage. The few things that the truck needs are super easy to take care of yourself. I grew up on a farm in Minnesota. We inherited a 49 Ford F3 from my grandpa after he retired from farming, so I know how to double clutch.
This truck’s transmission is tight, and shifts perfectly..( providing, that you know how to double clutch!) It’s a smokin buy, I would say!
Bid now on Hemmings if you want this gem!!
https://www.hemmings.com/auction/canadian-market-pickup-1948-mercury-m-68