I had recently gotten back from a road trip, right around thanksgiving time, and decided to check craigs list for ****s & giggles to see if there were any beds for sale, well, I found one! Amazing shape for being up here in connecticut. Only one rust hole on it, the size of the tip of my pinky. It was on an 87 truck, I had the JY take it off for me, and I trailered it home. My old bed was absolutely rotten, there was even plants growing out of the wood, and one side was collapsed.

This is what I have been working on the last few days:
My old bed from the back:

Nastyness:

Making progress:

The old wood was crumbling like a cookie:

All done taking the old one off:

The new bed:






The only rust hole on it, very minor!


Hit the supports with a wire brush then some rust to primer converter:


Mounting it up by myself:

And done!




Now unfortunately when I was mounting it, it slipped off of a board a little bit and kinda made a 3/4" long crack in the rear corner of the right fender, but that can easily be fixed, guess that's what I get for mounting it by myself. I also left the small carriage bolts up front, un bolted because the PO of the bed had misaligned the holes for them when he drilled them on each plank, making it near impossible for me to get the nuts on, which is fine because eventually I will replace the wood, with metal.

I also swapped over the mount for the filler neck, and fuel door from my old bed to the new one as they were n better shape. All I have left to do is hook up the other lights, and tighten a few more bolts & screws and then it is done. And I have an extra tailgate, set of fenders, front panel, steps, and rear lower mounting panel, still un decide if I am going to keep, or sell those.

I am glad I found this bed, I was gong to make all new sides and such from scratch, but this was definitely way easier!

 

Pretty sweet deal. Other than *slightly* different wheel openings on the fenders, it looks like it was made to fit the truck.
Personally, I prefer the even newer 92-96 flairside bed. It has a metal floor, and the tailgate works just like a wide (styleside) bed gate does. No chains and dual latches to deal with. Plus, it's double wall, like the styleside beds. Of course, the entire outer bedside is 1 piece fiberglass. Never dents, cracking/breaking instead. Also uses the flush mounted lights like the styleside.

 

That right there is a very rare bed you found. 1987 was the last year for Flareside F150's, and they didn't resurface until 1992.

Supposedly there aren't that many Flareside 87's rolling around anymore.

 

Rogue, how are the wheel openings different? I'll have to check it out tomorrow when it's light out again!

Zilla, I've only ever seen two 87's, the one my bed came off of, and one about 5 years ago for sale on craigs up here in CT. They are certainly hard to come by!

 

80-86 have "flat tops" while the 87 has full rounded openings. Minor difference in the profile and design.
I wasn't aware (didn't really care, to be honest) that the flare's went away for a few years..... I don't care for short bed trucks, and narrow beds are even less useful. I don't use a truck as a status symbol, I use them like a truck. My B2300 (Ranger w/Mazda badges) can handle the same volume of cargo as a flareside, and uses a lot less fuel to do it.

 

Almost forgot an ironic twist. My 95 B2300, which is nothing more than a Ford Ranger with Mazda badges, has the same "flat top" wheel opening profile as the 80-86 F-series and 83-92 Ranger, while the 95 Ranger uses the rounder profile like the 87-96 F-series. Might be part of the reason I like the looks of the Mazda-badged version better than the same year model Ranger.

 

I would put your original fenders on the 87 bed and keep the leaves out of the bed and it will take A LOT longer to rot out

 

Rogue, just went out and saw what you were talking about! I had noticed that something didn't look exactly the same as before, but only thought that was because I hadn't finished positioning/mounting the bed yet, and after it was all done, I was to excited to notice! I don't really use this truck for work at all, it's primarily to off road with, something it does extremely well, especially with the NP435, 33" Mt's, factory limited slip front & rear and the short wheel base.

Brad, I may just end up swapping the old fenders back onto this bed! Attached a picture of both left bedsides so everyone can see the difference.

From the 82:


From the 87:

 

looks like you got a decent sized rot hole in the frame to deal with

 

Ah yes, right between the three bolts for the shock mount, the old shock mounts were worn, thin as paper! I've got some flat stock ready to go, just gotta find the time.

 

Yep, very minor difference, that can be easily missed. The same goes for putting a wide bed on, the 87+ fits just fine, but the fender lips differ the exact same way. Lots of people are running around with 80-86 and 87+ mismatched truck/beds, and don't even know it.

For an off-road use vehicle, the flareside would be my first choice. That little bit narrower tailgate and upper portion of the bed can come in handy in some tight spots, and the shorter wheelbase is also a bit more manuverable.

 

Interesting, I have always disliked the 92-96 flaresides (and the chevy equivelents) for exactly the same reasons. To me its like a bizzare hybrid that is not really flareside, but also not really styleside. I love the chains, seperate peice walls / fenders, and dog-ear lights. Once I install my LED versions there wont be any dim-bulb issues either.

 

Every time I see one of those 1992+ stepside beds it looks like it would be a perfect fit for a dually Ford Ranger.

 

LOL, I kinda thought the same. Of course, the ranger would need an upgraded rear axle. I'd never trust a 7.5" or 8.8" to handle that much tire/wheel weight.

On the other hand, with a little fab work, one could stuff some rather wide tires under the back of a ranger with the later flareside bed on it.......

 

Hi there, curious if you still have this truck?