My father got my attention the other day when we were talking about replacement fenders for our pickup and why it was hard to find some of them.

He got my attention when he said there was a body panel tweak somewhere in the '84 to '85 transition that carried over into '86. It's a bit hard to see in pictures on the net but I have kind of seen what he is talking about.

He said the body line and wheel arches are different. Not much to go on, but from my own research, the front wheel arch looks a bit more square and closer in, as well as the body line that runs down the side with the yellow fender light/reflector seems to sit slightly lower. I never really paid much attention to this but I think I saw it in some pictures. I can only assume he knows this from when he replaced the last set of fenders (we are going on set 3). He bought them directly from Ford. I'm guessing they didn't fit or something.

Can anyone tell me when this change happened? Some '84s have '85 panels while others have the higher body line panels...my dad said they don't lineup so it's hard to get '85 panels and it HAS GOT to be off a '85 truck.

Here's a few pictures from the net I found.



Look how high it sits here, with the slightly different wheel arches:



Notice the body line sits slightly lower here:



Wheel arch seems to come in more square towards the front on this '86



I can't seem to find a lot documented on this. If they aren't lower, they might be a bit thicker. I do prefer the '85-'86 body lines though.

 

I never noticed that much but now that you mention it, I see it and it makes sense, there was always something the older then mine(85) that made them different and I could tell the years to an extent

 

I never really noticed it either until I really shot some good shots to take a good look at it. Some day I'd like to do a side by side comparison of the body panels next to each other to see it. He said they won't line up with the rest of the truck if you put earlier fenders on it and they are year specific. It takes a good eye to see it. I always knew something was slightly off...but never could put a finger on it. It almost looks as if there is more space between the line in the fender and the wheel arch....or as if they made the peak wheel arch sit lower to make it look a bit more flush. The rear also looks a bit pressed in. I wish I could find 2 similar images but different years and overlay them.

 

Ill do some research and see if I can't find some good pictures

 

I've been looking around and just don't see it. The lighting in some of those pictures may be playing tricks. I have some good pictures of my 83 and was comparing them to 86s I was finding online, I see no difference. Someone will chime in soon who knows definitively though, this is definitely interesting.

 

There is no difference between the 1980 - 1986 body panels. But there is a difference in the body panel trim, and I think that is what is making you think the panels are different.

The earlier models had the chrome wheel arch trim higher up on the panel, sort of mimicking the 1978 - 1979 "racetrack" trim, while the later models had the chrome wheel arch trim right on the arch lip. That detail completely changed the looks of these trucks, but the wheel arches and body panels themselves are the same from 1980 -1986.

Then the tape stripe changed positions over the years. The earlier models had the tape stripe or chrome trim above the front turn signal light and above the slotted body crease, while the 1985 - 1986 models had the tape stripe or chrome trim below the front turn signal light and on the lower edge of the same slotted body crease. This change simply highlights a different body line than the earlier models.

Here is a picture of a Bullnose without any trim or tape stripes. You can see all the body lines in the sheet metal, and see how Ford used different trim styles to accent the upper and lower creases to change the whole look of these trucks:

 

The body line location is in the same spot on all 80-86s

 

Yeah, the body panels are the same 80-86, but the varying trim locations give the illusion of differing body lines.

It's kinda funny how the early models looked so different from each other based on having no side trim, just the wheel lip arches, or the full lower moulding. I've never really liked that full lower molding that sits above the lower body line, mainly because it misses the wheel lips by a bit, but the design of the lower crease just doesn't allow for any other way of going over the wheel arches and retain a decent look.
The later models using a tape strip to cover the break lines on a tu-tone truck look better to me than the earlier ones with moldings covering the break lines, in my opinion.

 

Agreed. And in all of the pictures above there is either fender trim, wheel opening trim, two tone paint, or glossy reflections to make them appear different.

 

I'm flying to AZ Sunday to retrieve an '81 Super Cab with a banged up left front corner. I picked up a bull nose fender -- not sure what year -- and now I'm wondering if the trim is going to be in the right place. Its always the little things you don't know that get you. Good thread. Wish I'd seen it before I went fender shopping.

 

I know the the fender moulding plays a part but my dad clearly said they will not line up with the rest of the body and won't bolt up... This is interesting. I'll talk to him about it some more.

 

Well, your Dad is clearly wrong. The body trim may not completely line up, but the body panels themselves will.

He might be thinking about the revised 1987 - 1991 or 1992 - 1996 body panels not lining up. The upper "slot" is in the same place from 1980 all the way to 1996 (but the side turn signal got deleted from the upper fender slot and moved to a redesigned wraparound grille starting in 1987), but the wheel arches are round on these years, where the 1980 - 1986 models are square, and the 1980 -1986 models do have an extra body line that the earlier "racetrack" style lower trim sits that the later models do not have.

You will see a lot of these older 1980 -1986 trucks with a later 1987 - 1996 bed, and at first glance it isn't too noticeable. But once you see it, it becomes completely obvious how much different these years are.

 

If you still have any doubts about the body lines staying the same, just look at the tail lights. EVERY 80-96/97 body line is in the exact same location in relation to the tail light, making it very easy to verify that the body lines stayed the exact same from 80-96/97.

 

He doesn't believe me when I tell him the cabs will swap over from 80-96/7 either. *shakes head*

 

i speak from experience about the cab swap, i swapped a 92 cab onto my 82 F150 many moons ago. you cna get the front fenders, etc to all line up, and it will all bolt down, but the firewall is COMPLETELY different. being 15 at the time, i just hacked it all up to get things to fit. 16 years later the truck (now all converted to 1992, in my avatar) is getting a new firewall welded into it.