Appearing mostly complete, this rarely seen counterpart-to-the-Ford F-series, Mercury M-47 is being offered here on eBay where bidding is at only $1,250 with less than a day remaining. For those of you who don’t already know, up until 1972, Ford badged a portion of their Canadian trucks as the Mercury M-Series. This was to ensure that small rural towns, which only had a Mercury-Meteor dealership and were not able to sell Fords, could get their hands on these revolutionary trucks.
The truly remarkable thing about this truck is how little rot there is in the body. There are no holes that I can see in any of the seller’s pictures, which by the way are well taken and give a good idea of the trucks condition. In the top of this photo you can spot the add-on heater and what is left of the paper ductwork under the dash. While still an option on this era truck, I am sure heaters were a necessity on these Canadian marketed vehicles.
Here’s a picture that really shows how rust free this truck is. Being such a common spot for corrosion, it is truly amazing how this rocker panel and cab corner area has stood the test of time in the harsh Canadian climate. I am thinking this truck was kept in a town that did not use salt on the roads!
Here is the correct but possibly not original flathead V8, sporting a rebuild tag from Western Engine Works LTD., a Canadian company. The motor was presumably removed from its home near the same time the transmission and driveshaft went missing. With parts being still fairly common for these truck due to interchangeability with Ford, sourcing a good used transmission and driveshaft should not be a big deal.
No rust holes to be seen here either! With the great patina this truck has, and the absence of holes and dents, I think this would be a good candidate for mechanical restoration, and to have the body left alone! That’s just my take on the truck, what would you do with it?
Nice truck. Restoration all the way. A genuine Mercury tailgate, especially one in that good of shape, is about as easy to find as a hooker in the Vatican. The P-word is just allowing the deterioration of the metal to continue. Looks like someone has removed the stainless trim from the outside of the fenders and attempted to fill the holes.
As mentioned in a previous feature, Mercury trucks had an edge over its Ford counterparts. The deluxe cab, with heater, was standard on the Mercury but optional on the Ford. The body-coloured fenders would have been a delete option because Mercury had black fenders otherwise. That’s a typical 8BA motor. The original type would be difficult to find because it had aluminum heads which were troublesome. They did offer five more hp though.
If I got this truck it would be a full restoration and I would likely do what was typically done: install a 255 motor.
That’s what clear coat is for, to preserve patina! 😉. But in all seriousness, everyone has their opinions of what looks best and I agree that a full restoration would make a killer truck out of this already solid Merc.
Sealing the P-word off with Clear drives the decomposition inwards, accelerating the process. The best way to deal with surface rust is to spray it and wipe it down with WD-40 or equivilant. It won’t halt the process but will slow it down. Of course the best way to deal with rust is to remove it, either by sanding it out or chemically treating it. I was taught this in an auto restoration course and have had it confirmed by a couple of professional bodymen. They all say the same thing: ‘If you like rust, keep it on the surface where it will do the least damage; do NOT cover it.’
You know, we see so many of these come through here looking like this, but this is what it could look like for someone with deep pockets. Sharp looking truck. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a9/d6/09/a9d609bab0ca88498ae08c5771a4373c.jpg
Now that’s a restoration. Even better than a patinamobile that’s the in thing right now.
If you do the restoration work yourself it won’t be that bad. The most expensive job is the painting. I know a lot of guys who did some fantastic paint jobs on their driveways. Years ago I painted motorcycles with a portable DeVilbis compressor and a couple of tarps to use for curtains.
To my understanding quite a few Canadian manufactured vehicles, including non-fords like the Acadian or Beaumont, were often more heavily optioned or trimmed. I didn’t hit the jackpot on my ’69 Torino with the 351 Windsor vs. my buddies 351 Cleveland. I may have kept it otherwise.