I've been happily dismantling two flareside beds in order to make one good one. I found on both, an odd looking steel something-or-other under the drivers side rear fender.
Take a look (with a flashlight?) Bolted to the wood floor towards the Front, what is that steel-flanged square stock tube's purpose in life?
If you look IN your bed, on the front steel flange, there are 3 carriage bolt heads close together, two hold this thing under the fender.
Thoughts?

 

I thought it's a thing that holds/protects the gas filler neck...

Here you can see it rested on that thing:

 

Hmm, Don't think so. cause when the assembly is bolted to the fender, the hose is higher and away. Notice your 82 has 6 bed strips. my 84 (and the 86) both have 5 strips!

 

Here's a close up of the square-stock thing-a-ma-giggy.
Has nothing to do with the fuel system.

Location: drivers side just forward of the fuel door location. Just kinda sits there.....

 

IIRC 83+ had marine grade plywood with grooves router in it for the metal strips.

82 and older were seperate pieces of wood,

As for the EXTRA PIECE OF METAL, I HAVE NO IDEA

 

Did any of these Flareside's come with a notched fender version to take a spare tire or tire mount in the bed?

 

not in the 80's version. Fenders are fiberglass

 

Maybe it's a standoff to weld another length of tubing into and thus provide a strong mount for a spare tire plate on the inside the bedside?

 

That could be! since the basic "box" was the same all the back to the 60's. It could be the base for a spare tire rack when Ford made steel fenders, yet I can't see Ford spending the cash to make and install a "useless" chunk of steel that cost $ per unit

 

This thing, whatever it is...has nothing to do with the spare tire mounted to the bedside. See parts catalog pic.

1953/72 F350 Flaresides have 9' beds, didn't require the fender with the cut-out for spare tire clearance.

 

So, we are still at a loss for this chunk for useless square stock that Ford insisted to install is for....

 

Ok, this is a long shot......but perhaps it was an assembly jig of some sort left over from the factory?!?!?

 

Would of have to have been a jig that was mass produced, since they have been on all the Flareside beds I have seen. through all the model years too.

 

I take it since there is no mention of it so far that there isn't one of these on the passenger side of the bed?

 

If it wasn't raining like hell right now I would go out and check my '82 flare side and see if mine has it on the driver side and if it does if theres one on the passenger side as well or not.