The 1960 Mercury M-100 pickup truck was exclusive to the Canadian market.
Ford guys south of the border think they’re some kind of custom build with Canadian touches, but these trucks were fully functioning workhorses in the frozen North.
This one is still working—but it has a new heart.
Jerry Sutherland
Pete Klassen owns this Canuck truck and he’s proud of where he took it from start to finish. This truck began as a major project ten years ago when Pete spotted it and “liked the color”.
That observation turned into ownership because Pete always wanted something old to work on and this truck made sense…because it’s a truck. Pete is an electrician with no real experience in a major restoration project, but many tradesmen easily migrate to automotive projects because they are taught to solve problems.
Pete started by buying a welding rig and, as he said, “Figured out how to weld”, through practice and online videos. That skill alone saved him thousands of dollars because good welders aren’t inexpensive.
He also mapped out a game plan for the old Merc truck. Pete wanted something he could drive in the summer and do things like fishing and other seasonal things.
Pete knew the Crown Vic P-71 police platform was becoming wildly popular in the resto-mod world, so he found a donor 2008 Ford Crown Victoria ex-police car. His research told him this was a relatively easy and very useful swap.
Pete started by cutting out the complete front clip on the Merc and fitting the Crown Vic frame underneath. He had to cut out a section of the box to make the different wheelbase work, but Pete was fairly matter of fact about the process.
The 4.7 police-spec V-8 pumps out a respectable 250-horsepower and the 4-speed automatic means it doesn’t work too hard at highway speeds. Pete was working on a strict budget and admitted his biggest expense was the custom instrument panel–the Edsel rear bumper was part of his budget-build strategy.
Pete liked the police-spec front disc brakes so needless to say his ’60 Merc truck will panic stop much better than its stock version did. He also reported his gas mileage was really good even though he runs the Merc at highway speeds—that was his goal.
There’s a strong fishing theme to this truck, because Pete is an avid fisherman. He even has the battery hidden under a tackle box and there’s a canoe mounted on the Merc. Pete likes to handle everything to himself, so he built a roller system out of electrical conduit to load the canoe.
He had a similar strategy with the cab and box, so with slings and physics on his side, Pete set the cab down with no help. Pete pushed the deadline on the truck because he wanted to use it for a wedding vehicle—for the record he made it.
Pete’s son Otto is a big fan of the Mercury, and he has his own pedal car to drive at car shows—courtesy of Pete.
So the moral of this story is simple—turn a Canuck truck into a fishing vehicle that handles like a police car…and do it on a budget.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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