1966 Mercury M-100 Ranger not 1966 Ford F-100 Ranger

1966 Ford F-100 Description

1966 Mercury M-100 Ranger, not a 1966 Ford F-100
Between 1946 and 1968 Mercury produced trucks for the Canadian market. These Mercury trucks were almost identical to their Ford counterparts with the exception of the Mercury specific items such as grills, badging, tailgates and trim. These trucks were sold in Canada through the Mercury dealer network.
This particular Mercury truck is the rarest of rare.
This truck is a Custom Cab and features a 352 V8, automatic transmission and was assembled at the Ontario Truck Plant in Oakville, ON. According to the Henry Ford Institute the data plate decodes as follows;
F10 – Ford F-100 or Mercury M-100 with a gross vehicle weight rating of 5,000 pounds
Y – 352-cubic-inch displacement V-8 engine
C – Assembled at Ontario Truck Plant (Oakville, ON)
832864 – Sequential Production Number that possibly started at 800001 for Mercury trucks (Fords started with 100001)
Wheel Base: 129 = Long Box
Colour: JM = J=Rangoon Red M= Wimbledon White
Model: F100 = F-100 or M-100 (in this case), 2 wheel drive,
Body: V81 = Ranger Option in Red (all 66 model year trucks with the bucket seat or Ranger option are Body Code 81, V designates the colour as red). This truck was equipped with the optional factory console.
Trans: G = Cruisomatic (3 speed)
Axle: O8 = 3:50
Max G.V. = 5000
Net HP = 172 HP at 4000 RPM
DSO (District Sales Office): A7 = Ford of Canada, Pacific region
I have a clear Kansas State Title in hand which shows the truck as being a 1966 Mercury M-100. Since the truck was new 50 years ago this truck has always been titled as a Mercury. The paperwork supports every word of this advertisement. There is no Ebay category for Mercury pickups so I thought the best category would be to place it under Ford F-100. I apologize in advance if this has caused you any confusion. This is an original Mercury M-100 Ranger pickup.
The VIN matches both the door data plate and also the frame VIN location.
Here is the story.
My father was a great lover of Ford Trucks, over the years we had a continual flow of 60’s Ford trucks on the farm. His favourite was always the 66 model and the love started early in his life, as a 15 year old he convinced his father to order in a 1966 Ford F-100 Custom Cab with all of the chrome, 352 V8, auto in Springtime Yellow and Wimbledon White. He had a black 1966 Custom Cab that he drove to work for an hour each way in the ‘70’s, accumulated around 250,000 miles and was upset when he finally sold it to its next owner (who drove it to almost 400,000 before writing it off in an accident).
At the time of his passing he had a ’63, ’64, ’65, ’66 and ’66 Mercury 1 Ton on the farm. But, his pride and joy was always this 66 Mercury M100 Ranger that he purchased in 2002. The truck was originally purchased in British Columbia in 1966 and had been restored there in the 1990’s. My father purchased it from the man that had done the restoration. Details of the truck’s prior owners are scarce. It was sold new in British Columbia and spent all of its life there until 2002.
In 1995 the truck was appraised at $15,000 and was showing 76,614 miles. Today the odometer shows 80,296 miles. At the time of purchase by my family the mileage was to be original, although there are no documents to support this claim.
The Ranger option in 1965 and 1966 was an option on Ford and Mercury pickups. The Ranger option consisted of factory bucket seats with or without a factory console. 1965 and 1966 Rangers were designated by Body Code's ending in 81. This truck is Body Code V81 which is bucket seat option in red vinyl. This truck was also equipped with the factory console.
The truck is in good condition as shown in the pictures. During the frame off restoration of 1995 the engine, transmission, rear end and brakes were all rebuilt. Mechanically it runs and drives well. The truck is no longer perfect but remains in very nice shape. It has the usual imperfections of a 20 year old restoration, nothing major or even worthy of a picture, but not perfect. There are two cracks on the dash pad and I have enclosed a picture of them. The pictures are not the greatest, it has been cloudy and overcast in Wichita for the last few weekends. The truck usually sparkles in the sun with the bright red paint and all of the chrome trim.
The truck has been in storage since my father’s passing in 2013. I have recently moved to the US from overseas. This winter I trailered the truck from the family farm in Canada to Wichita. It is now ready to find its new home. I am selling the Mercury as there were 7 trucks and cars in my father’s collection and I cannot store and look after all of them.
This is an exceptionally rare truck.
If you know these trucks you know how rare it is to find a Canadian made 1966 Mercury M-100.
If you know these trucks, you know how rare it is to find a Ranger.
How rare is a 1966 Mercury M-100 Ranger? You could use words like unicorn, but you do know that you have never seen another one before and you are not likely to find another.
The truck is for sale locally and I reserve the right to end the auction early if sold locally. Thanks for looking at the ad.