Solid and Affordable: 1953 Mercury M350
When is the last time you saw a Mercury pickup truck? We know it has been ages since we have seen one. This particular example is very solid and was road worthy until recently being parked. The seller is confident that the truck runs and shifts fine, after its short hiatus from road duty. With a little work this Merc’ will on the road yet again. Bidding has only reached $2,654.00 which seems like a deal for this truck with minimal needs. Find it here on ebay out of Pembina, North Dakota.
Taking a look under the hood reveals a pleasant sight. The engine and bay are pretty clean and complete. There is little corrosion present, and the electricals and hoses look in good shape. The flat head V8 was running and the seller claims will run again with a new battery. The manually shifted transmission is described as a smooth shifting unit. We suspect this truck may need a little more than a battery, such as fresh fluids and a tune up.
The interior on this Merc’ pickup is simplistic but nice. There is some surface rust on the cab floor, but it is superficial. The floors in the cab are rock solid. The dash has a pleasant patina, as does the rest of the interior. Examining the bench seat shows that it is in good condition, but baring a split on the driver side. The steering wheel has a few cracks, but is solid overall. Appearing complete and manageable the interior of this truck would really need little, if this truck was maintained in its current condition.
Take just a moment to look this truck over. The exterior is in awesome condition. Trucks in general usually live a harder life than a standard automobile due to their pickup bed and their utilitarian uses. Granted, the paint is a little worn from the test of time, but this Mercury has weathered well. From what we can see there is no rot in this old truck, but there is obvious surface rust. Dents and dings look to be at a minimum. Although there is a hammered out dent on the front driver fender, and it is hard to tell, but there may be one on the passenger side rear fender as well. The only thing that is a bit of a letdown, is the original steel tailgate is missing. In its place is a wooden tailgate. It appears that all of the Mercury specific trim is present with this truck, which is a great bonus. This truck looks as solid as anyone could wish for.
Needing very little to be a street goer yet again, this Mercury M350 is an awesome truck in great condition. We can easily imagine this truck having its mechanicals checked and repaired, and then simply being maintained in its current condition. But to each their own. Would you pick up this affordable vintage Mercury pickup?
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Comments
Unless these rusted away, they likely will last forever. Most people may not be aware that these continued on in Brazil through 1962. I had a 48 F-1, as a shop truck and it had the original flathead six drivetrain, which was likely easier to keep up and made only a little less power. It is a keeper, if you have use for a slow 1 ton truck. Makes me want to buy a farm.
I like it for the oddity of it, so many people don’t even know Mercury made a pickup. Cool find.
And…. I was not aware that FoMoCo ever had trucks branded with the Mercury nameplate! Barn Finds has again added to my knowledge base, thank you.
Love this truck!
$5100 and counting, with 2+ days to go.
Yeah ford sold mercury trucks in Canada and the border towns.
What a neat truck and a screaming deal if doesn’t go too much past $5K – plus its the definition of patina! I agree that all the fluids should be flushed, but other than that (and the new battery and attending to the brakes of course) I’d leave it just the way it is, sideboards and all and drive it to the next local show and shine. And you wouldn’t have to worry about passing yourself going the other way (if that was a concern). Especially love the original flathead motor, glad its a V-8. And how about the funky original tiny side mirror
These were a common sight in the region near the border with Canada. With the closest dealer of any kind just 10 miles north of the border (vs 35 miles south) a lot of trucks (even a few cars) and farm machinery migrated into Montana. A lot of cross-border marriages and farming operations contributed to that. When I was a kid I was quite surprised to find that Mercury trucks weren’t made in the states. We saw a few tonners like this on the smaller operations, but the F-series like the F-3/F-68/M-68 were far more common. Some still in use today…
Common trucks when farms were a lot smaller. I had a 55 M350 that was equipped with a hoist that ran off the tranny. These 1 tons had a nine foot long box and with the plywood side was how grain was hauled and unloaded. The grain elevators were at every small town so short distance to travel. Simpler times!
There is an older episode of “Chasing Classic Cars” where Wayne Carini buys a fully restored Mercury pick up like this. it was a beauty, easily a Number One. No mention of the price.
Mercs my all time favourite!
Saw a Lincoln Blackwood in San Jose yesterday…those are future “WTH?” vehicles, if not already…
Don’t know about the USA and Canada, but here in OZ the original external rear view mirror was square, not round.
Now THAT”S a truck!
Park this next to a new jacked-up,crew cab 4wd,
& see which one gets the most attention.