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FEBRUARY 2026: A 1965 MERCURY M-100 RESTO MOD IS A VERY COOL CANUCK TRUCK

Jerry Admin

Mercury is a familiar name in the Ford family because it represented the tweener model between Ford and Lincoln brands.

However, a Mercury truck is a head-scratcher for many car guys because it was only available in Canada when it came to the North American truck market.

Mercury trucks were sold from 1946 until 1968 by Canadian Ford dealerships, primarily because smaller communities offered both Ford and Mercury models under one roof.

Jim Sutherland

The net result is a Mercury truck became an instant conversation piece for their owners. Martin Desrosiers is the proud owner of a 1965 Mercury M-100 ½ ton pickup that has undergone some major changes since it left a Canadian Ford dealership 60 years ago. He previously owned a 1967 Mercury and liked the vintage Canuck truck enough to buy another one. 

Martin told MyStarCollectorCar his truck had already undergone a restoration 26 years ago and was red when he became its fourth owner 6 years ago. He decided to make some major changes after he bought the ’65 Mercury, including its paint scheme when he put a 2-tone color change on the truck.

However, Martin did not limit the changes to his ’65 Merc truck’s exterior because he did a frame-off upgrade, including its powertrain. “The truck did not have enough power for me”, in Martin’s words, so he swapped out the Merc’s small block for a beastly 347 stroker hooked up to Ford’s famous C-6 automatic transmission, a unit that could easily transfer all the extra horses to a Ford rear end.

It was clear that Martin wanted to keep things in the Ford family when he made the mechanical upgrades to his powertrain combination. He also installed headers to help his 347 breathe easier under load and added: “You can hear me coming”.

One of the unique features of the ’65 Mercury ½ ton is its white leather seats, an upgrade Martin described as “very comfortable and has made a world of difference”, in that department. The seats are an excellent combination with Ford’s famous Twin I-beam front suspension that debuted in 1965, was also used on the Mercury trucks, and helped smooth out the bumps in the road for Martin’s resto mod pickup.

Martin’s vintage Mercury pickup also has power steering and power brakes to enhance the comfort levels for its owner.

Martin mentioned the overall driving experience on highways was limited by the low gear ratio in the rear end, so he prefers to keep the Merc around 90 km/h (roughly 55 mph) to keep the revs down on his 347 stroker. The trade-off is the resto mod pickup can get to that speed in a big hurry because of the beefy engine transplant.

Martin had his truck on display at a summer car show and spent plenty of time toweling it down for the event. It was clear that he keeps his truck in tip-top condition and respects his 60-year-old Mercury pickup enough to pamper it.

The net result is Martin is the right owner for his resto mod Canuck truck.

Jim Sutherland

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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