Well, I’ve heard of a Mercury pickup truck but I know I’ve never seen one in the steel. Barn Finder T.J. submitted a tip on this 1946 one-tonner and I figure that it’s as close to one as I’ll ever come so it’s worth a look-see. Located in Mankota, Saskatchewan, Canada, this old and worn pickup truck is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $4,300 (U.S.) with two bids tendered so far.
What we have here is a first-year Mercury truck, a Canada-only model that would be the one-tone equivalent of a Ford F-series. According to Mercury Pickup, “Canadian-made Ford and Mercury trucks differed, for the most part, only cosmetically. For many years it was just “Mercury” versus “Ford” letters on the hoods and pickup tailgates, plus distinctive medallions that set them apart. Often there was a bit more glitz on the Mercury trucks, in keeping with their slightly-more-upscale image“. Mercury trucks were sold at Lincoln-Mercury-Meteor (a Mercury-flavored Ford) dealerships which provided coverage to Canadian communities that had no Ford dealerships and provided what seemed like a more upscale vehicle for a lower price. Prohibitive tariffs would have made the importation of American L-M branded vehicles (or Pontiacs in the case of GM) out of reach of most Canadian consumers. The problem was solved with the passage of the Automotive Trade Agreement between Canada and the U.S. (1965). That act phased out prohibitive cross-border tariffs so the need for unique Canadian branded vehicles was eliminated. Mercury branded trucks continued in production into 1968 and then ceased.
My initial thought was that this pickup was wearing a “posed” patina but upon further review, I’d say not – It’s just been outside in the elements too long. The seller claims, “the front end of the truck has minimal to no rust. The floors are solid as are the front fenders, hood, and steps. The only rust on the truck is located in the cab corners and rear box sides where the wood was“. And of course, that’s exclusive of the surface rust which hopefully hasn’t progressed from surface to invasive. The body looks mostly complete though the tailgate is missing and if it’s a branded “Mercury” piece, it’s probably going to be a tough one to replace – maybe one from a ’47-’48 Ford pickup would work. The passenger-side fenders look like someone took a ball-pein hammer to them – a poor straightening attempt or just the result of a hard life? The wooden cargo bed is partially rotted away but that’s to be expected. Of note are the grille’s header and the hood center spear, both are in remarkably bright, non-corroded condition.
A non-running FoMoCo flathead V8 is under the hood, my guess is that it’s a 90 HP, 239 CI V8 as opposed to a 100 HP “Mercury” version but there’s no certainty. This truck rolls and steers but doesn’t run, no word if the engine will turn over by hand. The seller claims that the engine is complete and intact.
The interior looks like it’s spritzing itself up for a Three-Stooges episode with the exposed bare springs – all kinds of hi-jinx can come from that. More than likely, age, exposure, and rodents denuded the seat. It’s a simple, stripped environment and typical for a truck of this era. From what can be spied, however, the instrument panel looks fair.
OK, so this one’s not posed and appears to be a genuine neglected find – one with possibilities but it’s going to take a lot of work, its “good start” condition or not, to make it presentable and usable. So, what’s your gauge on this Mercury truck, does the Mercury brand make it more valuable and appealing than a similar 1946 Ford branded pickup?
Mercury had quite an edge over Ford, probably from ‘46 until ‘56. The bright grill and hood trim was just a part of what Mercury trucks came standard with. Two wipers, two Sun visors, chrome front bumper, heater, ash tray, lighter, dome light, sliding rear window, black fenders. If you didn’t want the deluxe cab option or those exclusively Mercury features you could ‘delete’ some of them. The deluxe cab was optional on Ford but standard equipment on a Mercury.
I’m sure that the 59AB engine was rated at 100hp right from its release in ‘45. Interesting that CDN Mercury and Ford trucks weren’t available with 6 cylinder engines until the mid-50s.
When my brother lived in Logandale, NV, his neighbor drove a pristine ‘46 Mercury Tonner. He bought it from a used car lot in his home town of Fresno, CA and drove it to Logandale when he was transferred there. He had no idea how it ended up in Fresno. Everywhere he went people wanted to look at it or buy it, or both, but he was adamant about keeping it…
Vented seat for hot weather:-)
I really like these pickups from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s especially in the condition they are in.
The text is also interesting especially in the part that has the 3 stooges
The grille on these Canadian Mercurys look like a 47 Chev sedan or a Dodge pickup.
Indeed, the grille does look–ah–Dodgy!
I agree with you Wayne, sorta has a Dodge look to it. I like it alot better than the Ford jailbar grills from the same years. The one-off Canadian models of the ’50’s and ’60’s were really cool. My grandparents lived on a farm in upstate N.Y. and we saw a lot of Beaumonts, Acadians and Meteors on the way up.
I’ve read about Canadian, Mercury trucks but haven’t seen many of them. This one sure is a blank canvas for the next owner to work with. Love the V8 it came with. Great find!
This would be a nice truck restored, maybe with some wide whitewalls?
I have a restored ’48 Merc 2-door coupe that would look great next to or being towed by this truck. Wish I had the means (and understanding wife) to make this mine. Thank you for posting!
This is one of the best pickup finds in a long time here. At $5K now. If the pics are representative of the real condition, the final price will be great if this goes for $7K or so.. Only thing seems missing is the tailgate. Mercury PUs command a premium price over Fords. Fully restored, this one could be woth upwards of $50k. Wayne Carini sold one that I think was a ’49 – ’51 a few years back for $60K. I saw it in Connecticut.
What a cool find pretty rare truck haven’t seen a 46 mercury on here in a while last two I seen sell on here when’t for 10,000$ US each and they were in about the same condition I would imagine this truck will go a little less because it’s missing the tailgate but can see it still selling for around 7-8K