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I have a quandary. My 55 F-350 is a 100% legit Custom Cab F-350 1 Ton Express. Everything Custom Cab except no Duo-Tone seat upholstery and no Fresh-Aire Heater. It has the appropriate exterior trim and dual locks. Appropriate interior trim panels. It has absolutely no evidence that there was ever the bright trim strip on the dash, but the strips were on the doors. I have looked in an original FoMoCo parts and accessories catalog and a new reprint version. Absolutely no listings whatsoever for the trim pieces. Was it even actually a thing? Or, was it like the 56 stainless drip rail moulding? Something that only exists because a hot rodder back in the day made it and it became a thing? I’ve seen some Custom Cabs with it, and others without. No dash trim, but yes on the doors. No dash, and no holes that were ever filled in. Door trim.
Not saying it is or isn't, but doors can changed. Just saying. And yes the dash trim is real. I have a factory dash with the trim.
I get that on the changing of parts. My question or point of curiosity is, is it actually factory? There’s no such reference in the factory literature. Is it one of those accessories that was added at the dealership but wasn’t actually a FoMoCo part? Kinda like the rear step bumpers? None of those are factory, zero, zilch, and they’re not made by Ford. They were aftermarket parts sold at and usually installed by the dealer. Every nut, bolt, clip etc. is called out in the parts and accessories books, but that trim doesn’t exist. No listings, references, mentions, descriptions or numbers whatsoever. The odd looking part number assigned to it only exists in listings in the aftermarket restoration industry.
Not sure which specific Ford catalog, edition, or printing you are referencing, but in my library of Ford literature, I readily found door trim is B4C-8121172-A, the short dash trim is B4C-8104333-A, and the long dash trim is B4C-8104332-A.
There is also a good picture on the 1955 Full Color Truck brochure that shows the trim:
Not sure which specific Ford catalog, edition, or printing you are referencing, but in my library of Ford literature, I readily found door trim is B4C-8121172-A, the short dash trim is B4C-8104333-A, and the long dash trim is B4C-8104332-A.
There is also a good picture on the 1955 Full Color Truck brochure that shows the trim:
That’s the post I was hoping to get. I have the printed and illustrated parts and accessories catalogs. I have a modern reprint, didn’t check the year, and an original Big Job catalog, printed in the 50s.
I have those dash pieces but not the door trim. They were in a wrecked truck I bought years ago.
I can find the 81 number in reference to the 57 T-Bird. I can find it in dealer sales literature. The part number absolutely doesn’t exist in the factory parts catalog. Now, I’ve helped write some of the knowledge information on this forum. I’ve discovered things about these trucks not previously known or at least well known. This is far from my first rodeo. Does anyone have an original or early reprint of a dealer accessories catalog? The one with the dealer add ons, that weren’t included from the factory assembly line? I’d bet that if it’s an original part that it’s referenced in the dealer accessories catalog. Along with the rear step/farm bumpers, the electric razor, the flash lights and so on. I’m looking for definitive factory parts proof, not the aftermarket or after assembly line accessories.
Joe, the "Parts and Accessories" catalogs just scratch the surface and are far from "complete"... There are the body parts catalogs, shop manuals, owner manuals, the glass catalogs, the soft trim catalogs, the master cross reference and interchange catalogs and microfiche, service bulletins, dealer correspondence and so much more.
I'm guessing you Internet searched the numbers and found the one of the first result in this DEMO PDF:
Notice, this is not a Thunderbird exclusive publication - it includes trucks as well.
The DEMO PDF just happens to cover the dash trim for the deluxe/custom truck:
If you are interested in non-Ford dealer add-ons, Hildy's blue books are a reference. If you want Ford branded accessories, look at the 1955 Full Color Brochure:
I have bookcases and bookcases of this stuff and constantly leaning new things. I don't dare do back of the napkin math to find out what I spent more on - my trucks or their documentation.
Joe, the "Parts and Accessories" catalogs just scratch the surface and are far from "complete"... There are the body parts catalogs, shop manuals, owner manuals, the glass catalogs, the soft trim catalogs, the master cross reference and interchange catalogs and microfiche, service bulletins, dealer correspondence and so much more.
I'm guessing you Internet searched the numbers and found the one of the first result in this DEMO PDF:
Notice, this is not a Thunderbird exclusive publication - it includes trucks as well.
The DEMO PDF just happens to cover the dash trim for the deluxe/custom truck:
If you are interested in non-Ford dealer add-ons, Hildy's blue books are a reference. If you want Ford branded accessories, look at the 1955 Full Color Brochure:
I have bookcases and bookcases of this stuff and constantly leaning new things. I don't dare do back of the napkin math to find out what I spent more on - my trucks or their documentation.
Why is the RH 32.68" long and the LH only 5.69" long. That makes no sense. Shouldn't left and be the same length?
Edit!!!! I get it now. This is the dash trim to the left of the instrument panel and to the right of it! I was thinking of the door trim.
Joe, the "Parts and Accessories" catalogs just scratch the surface and are far from "complete"... There are the body parts catalogs, shop manuals, owner manuals, the glass catalogs, the soft trim catalogs, the master cross reference and interchange catalogs and microfiche, service bulletins, dealer correspondence and so much more.
I'm guessing you Internet searched the numbers and found the one of the first result in this DEMO PDF:
Notice, this is not a Thunderbird exclusive publication - it includes trucks as well.
The DEMO PDF just happens to cover the dash trim for the deluxe/custom truck:
If you are interested in non-Ford dealer add-ons, Hildy's blue books are a reference. If you want Ford branded accessories, look at the 1955 Full Color Brochure:
I have bookcases and bookcases of this stuff and constantly leaning new things. I don't dare do back of the napkin math to find out what I spent more on - my trucks or their documentation.
I’ve spent a little over $7K in the last 3 weeks on restoration parts for my 55. I have a few books, and I can see that I have to get more. Go figure. That makes a little more sense now. Some particular items aren’t necessarily in the primary catalog but in the various addendum/supplemental catalogs. I went to order a set, but everyone is out of stock with no ETA on availability. It just made me wonder why the incomplete set.
Joe, I went to your 55 Custom Cab Resto thread you started earlier this month. I had to double check. Your dad did not buy the truck new but bought it from the original owner. How old was the truck when he bought it? And you would know if the doors were changed out, which I assume they were not.
Is it possible that a last minute decision was made. I would think the doors were assembled at one part of the factory and the cab at another. The doors were Custom Cab doors but the dash did not get the trim and they had to keep the line moving. So they said "screw it. Keep it moving."
I have a few books, and I can see that I have to get more. I went to order a set, but everyone is out of stock with no ETA on availability. It just made me wonder why the incomplete set.
I am not aware of any truly complete sets that are offered. Most "complete sets" have a handful of the last editions published a decade or more after production and have voids in their listings as part supply/inventory dictated.
Joe, I went to your 55 Custom Cab Resto thread you started earlier this month. I had to double check. Your dad did not buy the truck new but bought it from the original owner. How old was the truck when he bought it? And you would know if the doors were changed out, which I assume they were not.
Is it possible that a last minute decision was made. I would think the doors were assembled at one part of the factory and the cab at another. The doors were Custom Cab doors but the dash did not get the trim and they had to keep the line moving. So they said "screw it. Keep it moving."
That crossed my mind. I was also thinking about maybe a collision earlier in its life, but I found absolutely no evidence of that being the case. I did find that at some point it had fender mounted turn indicators on the front that had been removed and the holes leaded in. It is definitely a 54 or 55 cab that was on it, and everything indicates that it was the original one. I had to replace it because the body was twisted on the floor from when it got smacked in the front pretty hard when I was a teenager. I didn’t even think to keep the door pieces at the time either. I did just find a set of dash pieces on eBay, but no door trim.
Years ago I found this 54 F600 Deluxe Cab. It had the 55 dash trim. Did an owner add it? Or was this a late 54 model and they started putting the dash/door trim in place? I can not read the build code date, can anyone? It does look like it was built at the Chester PA plant.
Here is nother oddity. It has the Custom Cab emblems on both doors which was not used in 1954 models.
Years ago I found this 54 F600 Deluxe Cab. It had the 55 dash trim. Did an owner add it? Or was this a late 54 model and they started putting the dash/door trim in place? I can not read the build code date, can anyone? It does look like it was built at the Chester PA plant.
Here is nother oddity. It has the Custom Cab emblems on both doors which was not used in 1954 models.
Darned Ford assembly lines. Always making things more complicated than it needs to be.
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