Hello All,

For the model years of '87-'91, what all was different between a base line Custom, and a full blown XLT Lariat? I mean, if two trucks had all else the same, except one was a Custom, and the other was an XLT Lariat (and neither had no other options), then what would Ford have done different to the Lariat (such as door panels, side trim, ect.)?

Thanks,
Nathan

 

The Custom is more likely to have limited slip diffs, plastic floor covers, & a manual transmission.

The higher trim levels are more likely to have bigger engines, auto trans, open diffs, carpet, 2-tone paint & bodyside mouldings, clocks, cassette decks, interval wipers, cruise/tilt, power window/locks, door pockets, a headliner, sliding rear window, bumper mouldings, larger nicer rims, quad front shocks, F&R anti-sway bars, & electronic transfer case.

 

Steve,

I realize that you are saying "likely to have", but your comment (the ones I quoted above) intrigue me. I had a '90 XLT Lariat a few years ago (loved it, that's why I want to build one), so I have an idea of some of what it had. It indeed had the quad shocks, and the f&r sway bars, but what is this "electronic transfer case"? It had a floor shifter and automatic (I converted to manual) hubs, and an "idiot" light to say whether it was in 2x4, 4x4 HI, or 4x4 LOW, but that was about it. I was unawre that the F-Series of these years had any type of electronic transfer cases. . .

Also, can a Custom that came without quad shocks be fitted with such with no problems, or is it a hassel?

Thanks,
Nathan

 

The "electronic" transfer case is the one that had the push button to shift into the various 4X modes, rather than the floor shifter.

 

Usually, the XLT had a more plush interior : cloth bucket seats(usually Captain's Chairs), a center console, carpeting on the floor, and lower part of the door panels, woodtone applique on the dashboard,power windows&door locks,cruise control,and an AM/FM cassette,plus on the outside,lower bodyside mouldings,a bright tailgate applique,bright trim around the windows,and a chrome grille,and headlight trim. There were two XLT packages for 1987-1991 pickups&Broncos. The 682A "PEP"(preferred equipment package)and the 684A. Many don't realize it, but the styled steel wheels were only standard in the 684A package. For Custom(680A) and XLTs with the 682A package, sport wheel covers were standard,while the stlyed steel wheels were optional. A common misconception is Custom level trucks weren't available in two-tone color packages. We had a new Custom series 1989 Bronco with the Deluxe Two-Tone: Scarlet Red&Colonial White with an optional 3-speed automatic(C-6) behind the standard 4.9L I-6.It also had some unique options for a Custom : lower bodyside mouldings(like you would normally find on an XLT),tailgate applique, outside spare tire carrier,3.55:1 limited-slip rear axle,rear window defroster, 6,450GVW package(quad front shocks)AM/FM stereo cassette, and a cloth&vinyl benchseat(vinyl buckets were standard on Custom-series,well, at least Broncos.I think pickups were standard with a vinyl bench.) Anyway, everybody just assumed our Custom was an "XLT" because of some of it's options. We didn't order this Bronco, the dealership ordered it that way. The salesman said they tried to get a Bronco between the 680A Custom level & 682A XLT level. It worked! It was cheaper than an XLT(sticker price was about $19,300), yet it had enough options for us to buy it. The only thing we regret is it didn't have a V-8. They had two XLTs, but with sticker prices of about $23,000-$24,000. We had just come out of a 1986 XLT with the 302 that stickered for $16,900.

 

Yes, and yes. I converted mine, but you have to grind several rivets on each side of the frame & bolt your truck back together. Then you have to disassemble the coil perches and add the lower brackets to the axle.

BTW Quads are for 4WD only.

You can see an electronic (...cally shifted) t-case in this album.

 

didnt they also make just XL or XLT models too? I saw pics of some trucks with these little logos on the fender. does this mean anything?

 

If it helps...

My 1988 F-250 4x4 Custom has:
5.0 liter engine
5-speed
Air Conditioning
Carpet
Vinyl bench seat
Tachometer
Single shocks front
Leaf springs front

It doesn't have:
A console
Power windows or locks
Cruise control
Tilt wheel

If I had a choice, I would prefer to have the cruise and the tilt wheel.

 

I double shocked my 93 XL F 150 with a kit from Skyjacker.

 

My 1989 has quad shocks up front (4x4) front and rear sway bar ,4 speed tranny ( T-18) manually shifted transfer case . This truck also has intermittent wiper's , cruise control and a tilt wheel!
This is a custom truck short bed ,no A/c , power windows or locks.
It's a strange truck but I bought it used , so I didnt order it ( I would have got a C-6 auto)again strange truck ...
Jon

 

I'll kind of try to sum it up here and add a little.

87-91 models had the following trim packages (lowest to highest): Custom, XL, and XLT Latiat. The trim levels were just that: trim. Higher levels got things such as cloth seats, woodtone trim around the instrument panel, fancier door panels, map pockets, leather wrapped steering wheel, chrome grille, nicer wheels, etc. Along with this trim, there were also options included in each package. These are things like cruise/tilt, power windows/locks, air, suspension packages, etc.

For example, many options were available in all trim levels, such as cruise or air. But you couldn't get a leather steering wheel in a Custom, as that was part of the XLT Lariat trim. Or you couldn't get an argent painted grille and vinyl seats in an XLT Lariat either. Make sense?

 

There were a few others, including Eddie Bauer, Nite, and Lightning.

 

Yeah, those were all 92+ though (except EB Broncos). I just named 87-91 since that's what was mentioned earlier.

 

Actually, I'm pretty sure they were all available in those years, except MAYBE the Lightning. The only one I think was REALLY new after '91 was the XLT Sport, which was like a Lightning with a normal engine: body-color grille & bumpers; black everywhere that normal trucks were chrome; available in the same few colors as Lightnings.

 

You may be right, it's been awhile since I've looked through those brochures. I do know the Eddie Bauer pickup started in '95 and the Lightning in '93. I'm not sure when the Nite started, but I'm thinking either '91 or '92.