First of all I would like to thank everyone for all the great advice and ideas I have gotten from this Forum. I don't say much but I am here in the shadows. I need some help from the gurus. I have a 65 F100 4X4 that I have been slowly bringing back to life in the last 3 yrs. The 4X4 has a different style box than the 4X2 with a more square look with straight lines and round tail lights. I have everything looking sweet except my tailgate is pretty much toast. I had assumed that this tailgate would be the same as a step side tailgate but since have found out otherwise the hard way. My gate is taller and wider than the aftermarket one the UPS man just delivered. OOps. It has the same appearance as a stepside tailgate but has tall outlined letters instead of the short fat ones. Does anyone know if there is an aftermarket tailgate that would fit this box? What would this box actually be called? A fleetside? Better yet, does anyone have a tailgate that would work for my Slick 4X4 or know where I can get one? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I hope to post some pictures of "Ol Blu" by this spring. Thanks in advance.

 

You should be able to find one or two in the classified sections here Just look at the right side of your screen and click away

 

Same gate as a '57? - 60 pickup. It's the same bed. The earlier 60s trucks also had the 'odd' bed on them unless they were stepsides or uni's.
Don't recall seeing it in any catalogs as being available repro, so you'll probably have to go used.

 

balucas

FoMoCo has 4 different TYPES of Beds, & 2 different STYLES of box type beds. Some F Series came as "Stake Body" which is a "flat bed" type, and some came as C&C [Cab & Chassis]also.

To answer your last question 1st "Henry" does not call the "slab sided bed" a fleetside, that is strictly a GM terminology, FoMoCo calls it "Style Side". The Fender sided bed is not stepside, that is also a GM term, Henry calls them "Flare Side" beds. Okay, those are two "STYLES" of Pick Up Truck "boxed" beds.

There're integral bed trucks, where styleside type bedside also integrates with cabs' body, mistakenly called unibody due to it's monolithic construction. A Unibody however, is something else. It's a type of autobody construction used in Falcons, Comets, Mustangs, Novas, Camaros, Firebirds, etc, when body acts as the chassis/ frame also. Unibody technology comes from Monocoque Theory most commonly found in metal aircraft design. So integral beds are a type which come LWB [long bed] & SWB [short bed]. That's 1 type Integral Styleside bed in long & short (2) styles.

Next we have Styleside Beds. SWB Stylesides were actually an earlier model through 1963 [that I'm aware of to date]. They are Styleside beds 1st appearing in 1957 originally to be used thru 1960. But Henry continued using "57 style" beds thru 1963 production run, on SWB models. Often seen as a "phantom" or a One Off, or replacement, this early type, SWB style bed has arch type wheel openings, round taillights, and the wrong windsplit, or "bodyline". It's 1 more type in the SWB style.

Ford also made LWB Stylesides that looked similar to Integral Beds, but were independant. I had a 61 F250 4X4 I-6 with one. In 63 Henry made SWB Styleside, similar to their earlier brother, longbed, stylesides & also independent, or separate, like LWBs.
There's 2 more types of beds, in a previously mentioned style.

Next we have Flare Side type beds, often mistakenly called by a General Motors name, "step side". FoMoCo Flare Side Beds are so called because top of actual bed side panel flares outward before rolling under to form a scrolled section.

This "scroll" is tube like, but not seamed or closed shut. A Scroll & Flare configuration technique, along with square, or right angled break at bottom of bed side panels at floor intersection, is not for looks, it provides rigidity in what would otherwise be a flat sheet of steel. Bolt on" rear fenders add rigidity to bed sides too. There is another type, Flareside bed, in 2 previous styles LWB & SWB.

----RECAP---------RECAP--------RECAP-------RECAP---------RECAP------

Ford has Long & Short style Integral type Beds. (1 type and 2 styles) Which use & take their own type of tailgate as a "Stand Alone" only fits Integral beds, but fits all of them.

Next we have a "early version" Styleside" available & used on SWB independent bed models through 1963 so it's another type bed, in a pre-mentioned SWB style. It uses it's own tailgate, which happens to be a 1957 - 1960 (but really 63) type tailgate.

Then we have Style Side beds which appeared in 1961, only in LWB type on LWB trucks only. It was joined in 64 (generally) by a
SWB "brother" version used through end of 66 production. These Style Side Beds used same tailgate. . . .well maybe not exactly the same . . . . BUT a tailgate that fits will fit all of these beds.
That's 2 more types of beds.


Lastly, Henry offered Flareside Beds in LWB & Swb styles from 1961 through 1966. All Flareside beds from 61 - 66 used the same tailgate when OEM, BUT other Flareside tailgates several years back from, as well as up from will interchange, but as you noted the letters may not be the same on all.

Okay that is 4 types of beds, Integral, early Style Side, late Style Side, and Flare Side. 3 of these types come in LWB or SWB. the early (57-63 type) only cane in SWB.

So there are 4 types of tailgates involved between 1961 & 1966.
Integral bed, Early Style side, Late style side, and Flareside.

Probably more than most people want to know, but it y'all read this far, y'all already know it now!

FBp CIAO'

 

Coolness, fbp. You're one of the reasons I keep reading these forums.

Bob

 

FBP,
If I read your post correctly, you could find the early version styleside with the round taillights until 63. I have a 64 Merc 4x4 with this type of box. I'm fairly sure it hasn't been swapped. Is it possible they carried this on to 64 or were getting rid of old stock?
66MM
P.S. I am looking for one of these tailgates also! Hard to find, especially one that says Mercury!!

 

Yes, you are correct. I have a '66 F250 4X4 that also has the old style, round taillights bed and it came that way when new. I just spent a couple of weeks trying to locate a reproduction tailgate but to no avail. I had to settle for having mine repaired but actually a good body man can work wonders on them. Good luck.

 

This is like the one I need.

http://www.mercurypickup.net/gallery.../1963mercm100a

 

66MercMan, & Dr Don'tknow,

66MM,
Yes that's what I'm trying to say. Except, here abouts in the states, logo will be Henrys' instead of "Mercury". Which brings up another good point. Lettering size & styles may vary, but do not necessarily have any bearing on fit & function of tail gate. A tailgate center panel, part lettering is on, can be removed and reinstalled in another tailgate by a competent body man.

Several years ago I had a 46 or 47 pickup bed tailgate that I had found lying in a field with serious rust/rot, bullet holes & dents. I carted it to shop, cut "script signature logo" out, straightened as req'd & MIG'd it into an aftermarket tailgate on a 77 F150 SWB Ranger XLT. Guy that bought that truck said t-gate was a topic of discussion everywhere he went, [77 XLT Ranger normally has a brite panel & some brite trim on tailgate]. This had some trim but no Brite logo panel. I shot "Script" a contrasting light, light blue w/ airbrush. It was far far from OEM, but it looked great anyway.

Correct lettering is only critical if a restoration is for Concours de Elegance' Class, Shows & Judged Events. For everything else and I'll throw AACA into the "everything else stew" lettering is less, or not, important. Most people, that includes local and regionally judged shows/ events really don't know enough to recognize any difference anyway. Or else the are willing to let it slide. I've seen it many times, and not just with 61-66 F Series Trux.

Aftermarket tailgates made by firms not a licensee of FoMoCo do not have lettering. They come "blank". I have one on an F Series in my yard. It is a quality stamping & fabrication, and has great fit finish & function, but absolutely no "Script" or logo.


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Dr Don'tknow,
I see in your post an early type styleside was on your 4X4 which you say is 66 & came that way new OEM. I'd mentioned 57 to 63 so far as I knew (to date). I stand corrected now, more informed too, thanx.

Since Bed's available on 64 & 66F series too, speculation on my part is, I presume they were available in 65 too, probably on 4X4 as 4WD chassis, after 64, remains same w/ live front axle, parallel semi elliptical leaf springs, as all earlier chassis were. While in 65, 2WD (aka 4X2) went with new design chassis using split twin I Beams & front coils, etc.

For my own information, I am curious if 65 & 66 4X4s had 61=64 style cabs, w/ step down threshold @ door opening, exagerated transmission tunnel & floor hump, and other obvious or subtle differences ? I'm beginning to suspect 4X4s retained some other features of earlier designs & models, or so it would seem.

I ref'd those (& other differences) in my post w/ link on cabs et al, which Krosati has put up as a sticky. [I can't believe how many hits our sticky has had in such a short time. ] I guess our forum administrator has his head on right, his heart in right place, knows us well, along with what we can use, are interested in, want to know & like as far as topics or sources of/for info.

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I say HATS OFF, 3 CHEERS, " SEASONS GREETINGS" and heartfelt THANX for being our Forum Administrator here, doing such a great job, taking care of us, looking out for our interests, (and personally for watching my back when necessary) as you do Krosati. IMHO You are special and appreciated. GOOD JOB !

In closing, Perhaps I ought to poll the topic so we can generate another reference source on this obviously important & popular subject. As "Slicks" disappear & body parts degenerate and/or decompose, information, and alternatives become all the more critical, wouldn't y'all agree?

THANX for your input. CIAO' FBp

 

A small update on the '61 to '63 beds. The older slab side with round tailights was available in a LWB. I have been around several examples of them in both F-100 and F-250 in my forty years of driving and building Fords. At least two of these trucks I know for a fact were purchased new from Ford. In all my years of building and researching to solve problems I learned several things. With Ford, nothing is carved in stone, the factory archives are not 100% accurate. There were many mid run production changes (twin I beams became available in spring of '64), there was mixing and matching of sheet metal (we had three '63 school buses with '61 sheet metal and a '53 bus with a '48 to 50 front end that also had the wider COE grill in it! ). The model AA trucks were produced almost to world war II. So, all things were possibly when it comes to a Ford.

 

A post script to my earlier post, in '73 I think it was, the top rail of the Flareside bed became flat instide of tapered. In '75 while working beside a Ford dealership I found a new special ordered F250 super cab with a long Flareside bed and a 460/C6. It was ordered for pulling a very large camper. That started my love afair with the super cab but I have never seen another one with the narrow bed. I wanted one for my '77 super cab for years but the long ones are very rare in this part of the country.

 

The 61-65 4x4 used the 57-60 bed because the wheelbase was different than the 2x4's. In 66, the F100 4x4 came with the matching 64-66 bed because it had the same wheelbase. But, the F250 4x4 used the older bed because it had the older, shorter wheelbase. As was stated earlier, nothing is carved in stone when dealing with Fords. A retired Ford engineer told me the story that Ford had no intentions of offering a separate Styleside bed when they introduced the "Intregal Bed" trucks in 1961. Customers compared them to the light duty Rancheros and assumed the trucks wouldn't handle the punishment handed to trucks then. Worried buyers went to their GM dealers. Ford had to offer a truck and the only bed they had was the leftover 57-60 beds. They had already sent the dies to South America. The old style was the new style for Brazil. So they offered the beds until 1964 when they were available with matching beds. Most people want the matching 64-66 beds and due to rust and the short run time, these beds bring a premium.

 

My 65 F100 LWB 4X4 is almost a 64 with a 65 grill. I know its a 65 though by the VIN#. It has the step down in the door, rounded inner fenders, old styleside box, battery under the passenger floor, and the front cab mounts are more of a floor support than a cab mount. Its been an adventure getting body parts.

 

You guys are right no generalities can ever be made when i comes to fords. My 66 two wheel drive has the step down in the cab but the newer style cab mounts with the newer bed. My 65 4x4 had the step down but the old style cab mounts because it sits on the older frame (the 4x4's did {most of them anyway (&%^$in' FoMoCo!}) with the 57-60 bed. I knew all that but I have never seen as fordboy calls them "LWB Stylesides that looked similar to Integral Beds, but were independant". Were these really avalible? Does someone have a picture?

JJ