FEBRUARY 2025: READ WHY A 1951 MERCURY TRUCK THINKS IT’S A 1986 FORD MOTORHOME

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Yes Virginia, there is (was) a Mercury truck.

Mercury trucks have been a curiosity piece for many years because of their rarity and the fact that none were built specifically for American buyers. However, Ron Schlemko owns a 1951 Mercury resto mod truck that could only be described as a super curiosity piece.

Ron is a creative car guy who took an old school approach to his project when he used a 1986 Ford motorhome as a donor vehicle for his ’51 Merc truck upgrade. Ron wanted to modernize the Mercury truck so it could be used on today’s roads-and he wanted to build it on a budget in similar fashion to earlier generations of car guys.

His Mercury truck had been worked hard and put out to pasture when Ron saved it from death by rust and neglect, as well as a target for errant bullets. The Merc has a visible business decal on its door, along with a faint Wild Rose decal on its door. Wild Rose was a Canadian retail fuel company that was in business from the late 19th century until it was purchased by Shell in 1962.

The White Rose sign likely indicates the Mercury was initially purchased for use in the retail petroleum business. The bullet holes indicate somebody likely had plenty of spare time to sight in their rifle when the truck was left in a field after it was taken off the road.

At any rate, Ron did indeed save the truck from a very uncertain future when he became its owner. He wanted to build a unique truck and we at MyStarCollectorCar strongly believe he was successful.

Ron calls the Mercury resto mod a Covid project because he undertook the challenge when strict Covid rules put massive restrictions on people’s daily lives, so Ron decided to resurrect the old truck with a few of his own creative touches.

He used the frame from the donor motorhome as the platform for his resto mod project, including its powertrain (460 big block and automatic transmission), along with other mechanical components from the Ford motorhome.

Ron’s unusual custom touches include a vacuum windshield wiper system that is activated by a bathroom faucet tap handle and an emergency brake handle that used to be a speed wrench handle.

However, the gopher trap attached to the truck’s air cleaner may be Ron’s most creative feature on his ’51 Merc while the truck’s wooden custom rear deck (built by Ron) may represent his most talented moment on the project.

He also added a full gauge package to the truck and repurposed the motorhome’s front seats for use in his Merc. Bear in mind Ron was able to complete his rest mod project in one year under the watchful supervision of his dog.

“The truck thinks it’s a modern truck”, in Ron’s words and runs down the road very well in modern traffic. Ron loves to drive the truck and has only encountered one problem: his dog wants to jump in the cab every time Ron takes it for a run.

BY: Jim Sutherland

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

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