Just sort of a sticking point.
Our "Orphan Years Trucks" are called "Stylesides", not by Chevy's term of "Fleetside" which came later.

 

Wow this was so long ago I had forgot about it.

I never figured out why the loop was too big. I ended up shortening the loop. I cut out a section on each side of the loop, too long ago to remember how much, welded them back together and ground and polished the 4 welds. They hold nice and tight now. See pictures.

Note the hook stays in better if you feed it through the hole the other way, but this is the picture I already had on the computer.

 

Either the ears on the tailgate are too close to the edge of the tailgate or the bolt that holds the chain is too close to the tailgate. In 99 when I first painted my truck I got a good used tailgate from California that had the ears cut off. The man I bought it from welded them back on. One was a bit too close to the edge of the gate and that clasp was loose. When I got it repainted this past winter I had my bodyman move the ear father away and that solved it.

The one on the passenger side was loose and now is fixed.

 

As far as I'm concerned it is ok with us 48-56 guys. It's good to hear from our former forum friends once in a while.

Are the styleside chains and clasps designed slightly different?

 

According to Dennis Carpenter they're the same, but I don't know for sure. I don't know why Ford would produce two different ones (costs) but anything is possible.

BTW, I went out to the garage and called it a "styleside" and it didn't fix the problem...

 

Hey abe & Walston
Those hooks look like they are not hooked correctly. Don't they bounce out when you hit a bump?
Not mine, could not find a picture of my truck prior to tear down.

 

Those books won't bounce out. They were put in upside down and then put the whole way through as you see them in the pic. The way the hooks are on my tailgate would sooner house out but that has rarely happened.

 

you need to put the hooks in from the bottom up. they hold much more securely that way

 

You are correct - the can't come out over the bumps by hooking from the bottom up!!🤠👍

 

We have several stepside Fords And more Chevys in the local club. Most of the retailers say one style does all stepside Fords. I bought a set from Mark K in Oklahoma City. My tail gate is an after market Taiwan. Mark K had a set that worked nice and tight with the rubber bumper that sets against the tail gate to the inside. I looked at other trucks, all F-100s and most are different. From my 55. AJ.

 

Yeah my 65 chevy has the same chain system, it has held 750+ pounds without breaking.
IMHO the chains are much stronger than modern tailgated.

The weight was a c6 a 390 and a 283.