Montana is a state that is home to a great many natural wonders, but it also appears to be the home of many older Pickups. This 1949 Mercury M68 is a perfect example, and it looks like a pretty decent candidate for a project. What makes this Mercury even more attractive is the fact that while bidding has reached $2,650, this is a no reserve auction. That means that this old girl is going to be off to a new home in a very short time. If you want that home to be yours, you will find the Mercury located in Sweet Grass, Montana, and listed for sale here on eBay.
The external appearance of the Pickup looks really promising, and as you work your way around the vehicle, it is amazing how little rust can be seen. The usual rust prone areas like the bottoms of the front fenders, the bed, and the cab corners look remarkably clean, with only a few minor rust spots. This Mercury does hide a secret though. The cab floors are completely rotten, and they will need to be changed unless you fancy imitating Fred Flintstone. Thankfully, replacing the floors is not a difficult job, so that’s a bonus. The thing that I really do notice is how straight this Mercury is. These usually cop their fair share of dings and dents, but this one is quite straight.
The interior of the Pickup has also survived the last 70-years quite well. There are a couple of switches that are missing out of the dash, but I have to agree with the seller about the fact that it’s pretty unusual to see a Mercury Pickup of this vintage with the radio blanking plate present. The interior could use a bit of a tidy, but it is quite serviceable as it is if you wanted to maintain the character of the vehicle.
The news under the hood is not great, and it really is a case of getting what you see, and no more. The heads and intake are long gone, and I can see a fair amount of debris visible down inside the engine. It’s unclear whether the engine even turns, so while it might be able to be salvaged, it’s probably going to be best to ensure that there’s room in the budget to replace it instead. The rest of the drive-train appears to be present, but it’s unclear how healthy it is.
I love the look of these old pickups, and this Mercury appears to be a project pickup with potential. My own feeling is that this will probably become the basis for a rat rod project, and I respect the new owner’s decision if that’s the way it ends up. I’d love to see someone get hold of it, fix the floors, throw another flat-head under the hood, and then drive it as it is. It has bags of character, and I have no doubt that it would attract plenty of attention wherever it went. That’s my thought, but what would you do?
Two old Ford trucks (well, one Mercury) in a row. And my wife is gone for the week. I should pay these guys a visit. I’ve got a Mercury engine that would drop right in. I’ve also got a T-98 transmission that would give you the ease of synchromesh although it would still howl a bit. The weather is good; the Chinook has returned; it’s in the 40s. Spring is here and I might be looking for a new project. Maybe I’d better sit tight lest my better half come home and introduce me to a new zip code that’s different from hers…
It seems like we see the same Mercury pickup over and over. We never see the Ford counterparts to these. Are all the Fords gone?
And the Missus put up with your shenigans so far, why would she dump you now?
Growing up I have fond memories of my grandmother getting so angry when my grandfather would bring back project cars and trucks. So much so that he had to make a second driveway/back entrance which would allow him to continue his collection unbeknownst to her. She never really noticed. They were married nearly 60 years before she passed.
I actually have to say that my wife is really good to put up with my projects. She’s even contributed a few relics to the collection herself; our ’57 Poncho is hers if one wants to get technical. Now my EX-wife; she said many times that if something happened to me she’d call the wrecker and have all my stuff taken to the junkyard. She’d get rid of every memory of me that ever was. I wish I’d met the second one first; I would’ve not only been a lot happier all those years ago but I’d be a lot richer. But hindsight’s 20/20, like the song goes…
As long as we are discussing old Ford-Mercury pickups and wives at the same time,here goes. My wife is responsible for a good part of my collection.I would spot a potential addition to the fleet and casually mention that it would look good at our place,more often than not she would do the detective work, track down the owner,make the deal with my input on price and I would retrieve the vehicle. How could a guy improve on this system? How could I say no when she told me she wanted her dads 50-F-1 running? Thanks to her for reeling in a 69-Cyclone,61-Starliner,70-Maurader and other parts donors.
Now that’s something I can relate to. I’m sure it’ll need some seriuos TLC. But, at least you’ll end up with a sweet lil’ ride. And thank you for the article on the ’57 Chevy stretch limo. Even my daughter’s liked that
My wife’s F-1, apologies to those who have seen it before.
I can never get tired of looking at a good F-series, KS. They’ll appeal to me for the rest of my life…
Lets start an long chat with a good heated debate
I have a 48 1T Chevy that is an old Forest Service truck from the Bitterroot. All original and runs daily, except when there is salt on the roads, then it stays on the farm. It is the same kind of vehicle I drove as a young lad on my first summer farm job. My wife has claimed this as her daily driver and in our valley everyone knows it is her when they see it. I marvel at the art deco design and the beautiful compound curves. This Merc/Ford does the same thing to me. Im happy to just look at it some times. I hope this goes to a good home where it will get the relaxed retirement it has earned.
Montana is home to many Canadian trucks.
Me thinks some Montana man specializes in flipping them.
Guess its the exchange difference in the Five Dollar Bill. 😁😂
Sometimes it’s the logistics. Go along I-15 which terminates at Sweetgrass, but continues into Canada along Hi-4. There’s a town north of the border about 10 miles. It was once filled with aggressive car&truck, and farm equipment dealerships. In Montana you had to travel 35 miles to Shelby, or another jog along US-2 to Ethridge or Cutbank to find anymore dealerships. It was more convenient to buy something in Canada and import it. One guy said that there wasn’t a lot of difference in the cost once you calculated the difference on the money. I might add that numerous cross-border farming-ranching operations and marriages made the border all but disappear back in the 50s and 60s. A little more red tape today but there are a lot of operations still going. I might add that one day I was in Shelby with my Dad, and parked at the curb were three ’48-’50 Ford pickups; an F1, an F47 and an M47 (Mercury). All (3) had Montana plates. It might’ve helped that the prop of the Mercury dealership in Canada was originally from KS, and his wife and her family came from MO.
I have recently purchased a 1947 model 412/M3 Mercury One Ton pickup. I am excited to get to it after I finish my current project (1966 Chevelle Malibu). It is a very complete original truck, to include factory sliding rear window, cigar lighter, in dash PTO operated dump bed, with a 239 V8 flathead engine (with 49868 original miles) and 4 speed transmission. It wasn’t until after I bought it did I find out that in 1947 there were only 300 of them made and reportedly only 10 or 12 left to exist (per the internet, and we know everything on the internet IS true, I say with tongue in cheek.). It still has it’s Saskatchewan plate and was purchased from Mantioba Canada. The only thing missing is the tailgate, which I was told happened to many of them, as most were sold to farmers to haul their grain to market.
Sorry boys it is NOT for sale, but I would gladly
Those old tonners were in a class all their own. I loved them back in the day and am still fond of them today. Not fast but dependable. Good luck with the restoration…