I don't have and up close pics on my phone (at work) and will post some more tomorrow. Here is the best one I have of the upper molding.

 

More pics of the upper trim as requested. After finding out that it is factory trim, I thought about leaving it on, however it is in poor shape and I don't really like it. There are a couple of the plastic parts missing and the passenger door one is bent to where it catches the fender when the door is opened. I'll just have to make due with the little rivets sticking out till I can fill the holes and repaint the truck....not overly happy about that but oh well.

 

I have never seen the thin upper trim moulding that you have on your truck before. That moulding is very similar to ,mine, except mine is thicker.

This is the optional (and rare) upper adhesive trim found on some 1985-1986 F150s:

 

Try to save it if you can, or the best pieces at the very least. Someone on here might have use for it in the classifieds.

It is a really rare piece!

 

I've only seen it in the parts books on F-series, and once in person on a 1980 Bronco in a wrecking yard.

His pieces are more rare than the 1985-1986 version. Which is saying something isn't it Lariat 85.

 

You can say that again, Chief!

HOWEVER, LMC truck sells the upper moulding that is on Peppermint's truck.
LMC Truck Parts - Page 76
(The description says "black with bright insert," but the actual part shown looks like the moulding on Peppermint's truck.)

I haven't found ANYONE who sells the 1985 - 1986 upper trim moulding pictured above.

 

Actually that is cut to fit adhesive stuff. It's very simular but not identicle.

The moulding on Peppermint's truck is held on with rivets and fasteners.

 

Little update. I've got it all buffed. The paint is very thin in some spots, to the point where you can see the primer through it. I'll have to repaint the roof for sure. It looks much better in real life, the cell phone was taking over exposed pics for some reason.

 

For some reason, the thin paint was an issue in the early 80's with spots that are exposed to the sun. The tops of the fenders on my F150 show where the brown has all but disappeared/bled out, and you can see the tan basecoat underneath.

 

Yeah Shaun, remember all the issues that GM (among others) had around that time with the peeling paint.

 

I can't say I remember, since I was born when the 1992 trucks were just hitting the dealer lots, but I've seen way too many 80's cars and trucks suffer from the thin paint issue. I think the paint issues resurfaced in the early 90's because my dad used to tell me about all the 92-94 F-Series trucks he saw come into his shop in 1996 with paint that had already turned flat. There's a 94 right around the block from me that was never repainted and still has the flat blue appearance.

 

The paint on the top of my cab didn't turn flat...it turned to rust.

 

It wasn't untill Circa 1985 with the two stage clearcoat paints where the peeling was an issue. Recalls etc. Repaints for free for first owners etc...

The factory single stage lead based paint that is on your 1980-1984's were not prone to peeling.

The paint gets thin over time with polishing, washing, baking from the sun and oxidation. 30 years is a long time. My 1972 and 1973 both suffered the same way with the same thin paint on the hood and cab after time. The hottest and flattest part of the trucks.

 

My '81 hasn't had any paint peeling problems, but the whole front half is faded brown and tan. The bed isn't faded.

Either it's not the original bed, or somebody parked it with only the back half in the garage. lol

 

I've started a separate build thread here https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ish-clone.html but I thought you guys in the 7th gen forums would like to see my wheels/tires. They are quite a departure from what I've seen on a lot of trucks around here.