Ive heard Merc owners ask about tail gates from time to time, and just came across one on ebay. I don't know if they are still rare or not but I thought Id just pass this along just in case. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1946-1947-1948-1949-1950-Mercury-pickup-tailgate-NEW-/121463273277?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c47c6773d

 

Thanks for the find, Jim. They are rare to find in any kind of good condition, especially here in the states. The 46-50 is pretty easy to repop, though. From my understanding, all it is is a plate with the Mercury name stamped in it that goes over the Ford logo on the standard Ford tailgate. The 51-2 gets a little trickier as the center raised panel is wider, making the outer two narrower, creating more space for the word Mercury to be stamped into the gate itself. AFAIK it's not reproduced, while the 53-56 version is. I'd be curious to see the back side of this new repro gate, if it's stamped Ford or left blank with the Mercury panel attached.

 

Thanks for the schooling Wayne, I'm always learning.

 

Hey Wayne, the Mercury name plate fills a hole that is made when a rectangular hole is made when you cut out the Ford name from the tailgate. The Mercury name plate is spot welded on the back side of the tailgate. Not a lot of fancy work to install this. Quite a quicky job to make ford tailgates into mercury tailgates.
Hope this is helpful.
Greg M-47

 

Apparently I'm still learning too. I didn't know there was a hole cut into the gate to remove the Ford script. I thought I'd seen pics of the backside of a Merc gate with the Ford script inside. Maybe it was a fake.

 

Glad that you found the tailgate information use full Wayne. I'm up on this Mercury tailgate because of the Merc trucks that I have worked on.
Ford of Canada must have wanted a quick way to make Merc tailgates in the early years of production. No special stampings except for the small Mercury plate that could be spot welded into place.
The hole made is slightly larger than the raised area surrounding the mercury name. It is the black border that is around the Mercury name in your picture. The plate goes on from the back side and is tacked in place.
Should have bought the stack of Mercury plates that I saw 20 years ago at a swap meet. Could have made a dozen tailgates.
Greg M-47

 

I have have both a 1949 & 51 Merc tailgates and they are both stamped Mercury. I looked at a 48 Merc PU and the tailgate had been cut out and the Mercury name plate had been spot welded in. Man said that it was original.

Bruce

 

Hey Bruce, the '49 and '51 tailgates that you have are they for 3/4 ton trucks ?? I've come across several of the style with the cut out. Also seen some stamped mercury tailgates but they were M-68 ones or later trucks.
Greg M-47

 

Greg, both of the tailgates I have are for 1/2 tons. Maybe it had to due with supply on hand in 48-49.

Bruce