No worries, I'll keep an eye out. I have an itch for a gear vendors. My friend said if I find one since its in the driveline he'll just charge me for the price of a driveshaft piece. So instead of looking at duallies that were for towing I'll look at motorhomes. Think I have a better chance that way.

 

here are some pics of my 97 gate with oem emblems
FWIW i prefer the smooth 97 gates over the aluminum

 

the plain ones are ok but kinda more like base/lower end model style.the aluminum section on the gates give the truck a much more higher end style.
this opinion is coming from a guy who prefers old school where the more stainless/chrome,the better.

 

My 97 XLT has the smooth gate and two emblems, the oval and "F250 Heavy Duty". I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the "F250 Heavy Duty" badges were 97 only since the new body style brought with it a light duty F250?

 

I tossed all of my ordering guides several years ago… who the heck thought they would ever be needed?

Here's roundup of the F150/250/350 that i used to order from '91-'Dec, '96. Incidentally the '97 F150's were available January, '96… but we're not talking about those.

499A- bare bones.

498A- bare bones with cc/tilt, painted styled steel wheels, am/fm, cloth seat with rubber mats.

500A- XL pkg. Chrome bumper (and grille in certain years IIRC), chrome styled steel wheels. am/fm radio.

503A- base XLT regular cab with manual windows/locks.

507A- regular cab XLT with power windows and locks.

523A- supercab XLT with manual windows/locks.

527A- supercab with power windows and locks.

I believe the Flaresides were pkg. # 528A regular cab and XXXA supercab… been a long time. Don't remember the Eddie Bauer #'s as most of our customers were to cheap to buy 'em… around here guys get two estimates for a haircut!

Dealer groups would have certain packages they could order for their own territories. Texas and Louisiana had theirs which, I believe, was a 498A with free air and V-8. Some were just trim packages… others changed some mechanical components. Only residents of certain zip codes were allowed to buy those to prevent 'outsiders' from buying a 'F150 Broncos Edition' (for example) and driving it home to Ohio.

Often Ford and GM would encourage dealers to order slow selling or low optioned trucks with special incentives, free options, etc. GM was good at that peddling the 4.3 V-6 which few buyers wanted. Ford was the same with manual transmissions after we started seeing more 'personal use' trucks being sold after the '92's were introduced.

I recently tossed some '75th Anniversary' emblems that I had left over from my dealer days. They were used in NE Wisconsin on a special edition package that included a white F150 reg. cab with turquoise vinyl graphics… yuk.

 

Oh, this is what you call "spelling it out"?

"Can anybody tell me with any CERTAINTY why some trucks had FORD in letters on others had Ford emblem?"

Try not being a d-bag. It won't cause you any more brain damage I promise!

I've owned two OSB Fords. I haven't memorized the tailgate options list year by year yet!

 

Unless you have the original Ford ordering guides with every option, and package details from every Ford sales zone office in the US, the answer would be 'no'….

Over the years these trucks have also been beat on, banged up and repaired… thousand of trucks have had aftermarket parts installed that only mimicked the original Ford parts… most are not the same in the details. One size fits all.

Looking at a 25 year old truck and trying to identify it as 100% original is a lesson in futility.

 

I don't need an order sheet for that

It is pretty simple XLTs(other than flare sides and lightning) got the aluminum. PERIOD. There was no option for aluminum delete like a carpet delete

XLs, Flare sides and Lightnings had the smooth gate with either emblems or stickers.

What i wanted to know was what was the reasoning or production date that decide the ford letters on the aluminum or the Ford oval on the aluminum

 

'97 F250 XLT

 

I always thought that 92-96 Broncos got the oval logo and 92-96 F150's got the letters. Did anyone's F150 come from factory with the oval?

 

That is what this thread was made for

 

Looks like your homework assignment is to find out the answer and let us know because we're too dumb to know… report back with the answer.

 

OMG

 

You said it

 

My sister worked at Ford(team Mustang) for over 10 yrs. Let me tell you, there are more changes to vehicles throughout the year then you want to think about. Lots of part changes, revisions, etc. With something like a tailgate?? Who knows how/why.

Like if some truck didn't get an emblem.........maybe someone forgot to put it on while the line moved? With the times I've visited some of the lines, anything is possible.

I had a new '96 F350 SC DRW. Pretty sure the gate looked like this: (though I know I don't have any pics of the back of the truck)