One of the things I need to figure out in the near future is how I want the front of Dad's truck to look. Or, more specifically, what grill & headlight "door" treatment to go with and which hood to use. Let me break that down:

Grill: As you know, the 80 & 81's were different and didn't have the Ford emblem in the middle. And, every one I remember seeing was the gray, although the catalog shows a chrome grill as an option. Further, there was the Free Wheeling package that, among other things, had a black grill. Unfortunately, Dad's gray grill needs help as it is drab, missing paint in some areas, etc, so I have to figure out what to do and the options seem to be to paint it gray like it appears to have been initially, paint it black like the FW trucks, or try to find a chrome grill in good shape.

Here's a shot of Page 10 out of the 1981 brochure showing the Free Wheeling package on a couple of trucks.
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Headlight Bezels: Similarly, the standard appears to have been gray for the headlight doors. But, black ones were available in the Free Wheeling packages. LMC has new ones in either gray or black, but which? Most give the headlights the same treatment as the grill, but not everyone has done that.


Hood: And, as I'm sure you know, the 80 & 81's had FORD on the hood and I had assumed that's the way I would "restify" it. However, recently I saw Luke's pictures of his model truck and he had the simple 80/81 grille with an 82/86 hood. It sure looks clean. And, since I have both style hoods I could go either way.


So, having said all that, here are my questions:

1. What combination of grill, headlight doors, and hood would you go with?
2. Does anyone know of a source for a chrome grill?
3. What color is the gray grille supposed to be, and is it all one color?

What are your thoughts?

 

Here is my suggestion, this is by far my favorite trim they had for these style's of trucks.

 

I like the chrome grille with the grey in it as the second colour. I think the grey is called "Argent" (French for "silver"; also "money"). I have that grille on my '80 and a hood from an '82 so... no FORD letters and I like the clean look. (I did remove the letters from my damaged '80 hood and made a template should I want to, one day, place them on the newer hood.) As for the headlight doors mine are grey, which is standard.

 

Thanks, folks.

J - That is a good looking truck. Is the grill chrome?

emgee - Interesting. When you say the headlight doors are grey, are they argent?

So, do either of you know where to get a chrome grill? A good one?

 

I think that particular grill is the chrome with the grey or "argent" color that emgee spoke of. It isn't my truck, just a stock image i pulled off the internet. I think I would probably prefer a flat black as the second color in the grill and headlight bezels, which is what they used in the later years i think.

LMC makes a chrome grill for both the style pictured above and later years as well. I don't know the quality of them though. They look good in the magazine i am holding

EDIT: Here is a link to LMC http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fd/full.aspx?Page=64

They had 2 different options for the grill, a chrome/grey and chrome/brite

 

Excuse me - you have an LMC catalog with an 80/81 chrome grill? I just looked online and there wasn't one - at least not that I could find. What page? Which catalog?

 

1. 80/81 were the last years that had the F O R D lettering on the hood, and to me that's enough reason to keep them there. Not to mention, they help visually differentiate the truck from the later years of the series. I have the gray grille and headlight surrounds and am quite pleased with them, but that black grille does look nice in the photos.
2. No idea.
3. I have read in the past that it's the same argent color Ford used for everything else, and having just gone out to look at mine it sure looks argent. And yes, it is all one color - or at the very least mine is, and it is original.

 

Thanks. Is the headlight bezel the same gray as the grill?

 

Its page 64 in the winter 2013 edition, same as online though. I don't know why you couldn't find it online. I'm guessing you saw the link in my post.

 

It is indeed.

 

If you look closely, though, it doesn't appear that they actually sell an 80-81 grille in chrome. Everything listed for 80-81 is for the headlights and grille supports, if you read the descriptions.

 

You are right. They only offer the chrome/grey option for the grill, but the chrome/brite and chrome/grey for the bezels.

Did they offer just the solid chrome grill from the factory, or only with the grey in it for that year?

 

My 80 has the chrome/gray grill and gray on the headlight doors. I totally prefer this look over either the all gray/gray, or black/black.
Granted, the grill and headlight doors are showing their age, as are the FORD letters and Explorer hood ornament, but what would you expect after almost 34 years? That said, it appears the doors and grill background *were* the same color originally.

My plan is to keep the truck as original as possible on the nose. Having the blue oval grill just wouldn't seem right with the "Ranger" and "Explorer" badges. Besides, the hood letters are the same script as the side/rear nameplates, so it all just goes together quite well.
I also like being able to confuse the heck out of the "young un's" by having "F150" "Ranger" and "Explorer" all appearing on the same vehicle, when they are used to seeing those names as 3 stand alone models.......

 

Gary, don't you have some bigger fish to fry right now? Your truck isn't even in paint yet! I say use the hood without the letters.. The letters on the hood are an awkward transition they did from 70's to 80's. And the grille, that will be the very last thing you install on your truck.. IE on the last build day.

 

Actually, no I don't. I can't wait long as I will be taking the truck to the body shop soon and I need to know what hood to take. And, as the hood is part of the unique 80/81 trim, which includes the grill and headlight bezels, it seemed best to discuss all aspects of that in one go.