NOS Box Sides
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Senior User
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From: Alberta, Canada
NOS Box Sides
I am going to look at what is being advertised as NOS Ford 80-86 complete box sides.
Left and right, 8', dual fuel doors (which is what I need to replace my rusty box sides).
The seller claims he has had these parts for 15 years.
How can I tell if they are the real deal FORD parts (not imported/aftermarket put in old packaging)? Are there stampings or part numbers to look for?
What would an approximate value be? Are genuine Ford bed sides that much better than aftermarket? Box sides from LMC (for example) would cost about $500/side by the time I had them delivered and the dollar exchanged.
I'm not going for factory stock, numbers matching restoration, I just want no rust that will last for another 30 odd years.
Left and right, 8', dual fuel doors (which is what I need to replace my rusty box sides).
The seller claims he has had these parts for 15 years.
How can I tell if they are the real deal FORD parts (not imported/aftermarket put in old packaging)? Are there stampings or part numbers to look for?
What would an approximate value be? Are genuine Ford bed sides that much better than aftermarket? Box sides from LMC (for example) would cost about $500/side by the time I had them delivered and the dollar exchanged.
I'm not going for factory stock, numbers matching restoration, I just want no rust that will last for another 30 odd years.
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From: North Carolina
I would think they would be labeled on the inside of the box sides themselves. As far as part numbers I'm sure Numberdummy can give you something. Being true ford parts I would assume the quality would be better as they would be the same as what came on the truck instead of an aftermarket replacement.
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From: Virginia
Ford usually used thicker metal.
Ford also had better dies and usually formed the part using more stamping operations(because the metal was thicker). The Ford body lines will the sharper and more refined. The aftermarkets are made from thinner metal which they only stamp in a few operations, making the body lines more rounded. Of course you probably will not be able to tell the difference unless you are looking at them side by side, but if you have your old bedsides, even if they are rusty on the bottom, you should still be able to tell the difference up top where they made the bends.
Ford also had better dies and usually formed the part using more stamping operations(because the metal was thicker). The Ford body lines will the sharper and more refined. The aftermarkets are made from thinner metal which they only stamp in a few operations, making the body lines more rounded. Of course you probably will not be able to tell the difference unless you are looking at them side by side, but if you have your old bedsides, even if they are rusty on the bottom, you should still be able to tell the difference up top where they made the bends.
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From: Alberta, Canada
Well, I checked them out and they are new in box from Ford. Now I'm trying to figure out if they are worth the extra $200 each over reproduction sides. Apparently these were purchased for an '86, I know there were some tailgate changes from 81-86 but are there any other changes? Any reason they wouldn't work?
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From: Virginia
They should work. I personally would not pay the extra for them, I use my truck and could not stand to see them get beat up from use. They don't make them anymore. If you wanted to buy them as a investment, you could probably set them aside and make some money on them in a few years. There are a few people on here who do restore these trucks, and they would pay top dollar for something like that.
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From: Alberta, Canada
Thank you for the input. I wasn't very clear previously. I do want to restore the truck, but it won't be a show truck or anything. I don't use it as a truck, I have a super duty for that stuff, it is just a summer time run around vehicle. I realize there are others who would covet them, but the reality is shipping box sides would not be cost effective or safe to ship anywhere. I just want good quality that will last another 30+ years. I worked out a deal to buy them, I will pick them up tomorrow. At least I won't be disappointed with the quality. Now to actually get the ambition to remove the box and start cutting and welding. Maybe in the fall...
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An old friend once told me, that if you find parts that you feel you need for a vehicle, that you should always buy them. You can always make more money, but they don't make those NOS parts anymore.
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From: Alberta, Canada
So I ran into a friend at a swap meet today who had a NOS ford tailgate, got it for a decent price, much less than the cost of body work on my tailgate. Of course it is the 83-86 cable style. This has been addressed at length about swapping to cables from straps but has anyone actually converted the later style cable tailgate to the straps? I think with a nutsert or similar and cutting the hole/slot for the rubber bumpers it might work. Also, I see that '82 up tailgates have a plastic (?) insert (430B22) on the slot side, my '81 doesn't, will I need to add this to the later tailgate?
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Here's my write up on converting from straps to cables. Perhaps that will help you figure out how to go the other way. Tailgates - ???Gary's Garagemahal
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Well, I checked them out and they are new in box from Ford. Now I'm trying to figure out if they are worth the extra $200 each over reproduction sides. Apparently these were purchased for an '86, I know there were some tailgate changes from 81-86 but are there any other changes? Any reason they wouldn't work?
If out of the box, there will be a stenciled part number on the inside of the quarter panels (Styleside bed sides).
Sheet metal of this vintage was black, 1970's and earlier was red primer.
1979 was the first year that Taiwanese sheet metal first appeared in the US, used Ford part numbers initially, but FoMoCo sued the makers, they were forced to remove the numbers.
btw: 1980/82 Styleside tailgate is the same, the R/L latches are made as part of the metal supports. 1983/86 Styleside tailgate is different, has individual R/L latches, tailgate supported by cables.
E3TZ-99430B22-A .. Tailgate Hinge Opening Insert: 1983/86 F100/350; 1983/88 Ranger. 430B22 not used on 1980/82 F100/350 tailgates.
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From: Alberta, Canada
Hi Bill, the bedsides were dealt with a year and a half back, I updated the thread with the tailgate from yesterday. FYI the bed sides are in the ford boxes with part numbers etc, the tailgate has a ford sticker with part number (and from a reputable friend) and all parts are black coated with the "do not remove coating, scuff and paint" notice. All the parts are date coded from '95 I think. I am going to try to convert the later style tailgate to the early latches with straps by using a nutsert for the 3rd bolt and drilling/cutting the hole/slot for the rubber bumper. Thanks again for your input with these things.
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