Original Wheel Colors, Bullnose Era

[PwrSmoke]

I finally found some wide steel wheels for my old '86 that will carry my stainless steel hubcaps for that o-so-retro look. Before I paint them, I wanted to consider what the original color was. The earliest pics I have of my XL truck, the wheels were argent and that's what I remember (but it's been 24 years soo...) But I have seen black wheels and white wheels in that era too. Can anyone shed light?

 

[snicklas]

Jim,

If it remember correctly. On our 83 F150 (No Package) Pickup. The steel wheels were black, however, we had the "turbine" wheel covers that covered the wheel. But I think on Corey (dieselcrawler's) Pre 83 F-100 they are white. I wonder if it changed in 83 when they changed the Grill/Ford Symbol, and the Front Fender Badging. 80-82 F O R D was in big letters on the hood, and no Ford "blue oval" in the center of the grill. The fender badging was 2 lines and had the Package name located there. 83-86 there was a Ford "blue oval" in the grill and nothing on the hood, and it was just a 1 link F-*** on teh fender. I believe in 83 is when they dropped the F-100 "model".

 

[The Warden]

FWIW my '84 F-250's wheels are gray, and it appears to be factory (in no small part because the paint's in pretty poor condition at this point). The truck came from the factory with hubcaps.

Here are the only pictures I can find with the original hubcaps on them...these were from shortly after I got the truck.

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And, here's a more recent picture of the wheels with no hubcaps... (I have a set of "ashtray" hubcaps on there now)

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[gandalf]

Hi Jim,

My '86 has light colored wheels. They're not white, but sort of a light tan/brown, kinda/maybe. Not being white, I'm surprised they don't match either of the body colors. They're a shade lighter than the truck's color.

I did not buy the truck new, so I couldn't swear that they're original, but it's all I have to offer. The truck is an F-250 XLT. Picture below.

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[Tim4]

We have a pappy originial '86 out back. It appears to be garage kept and bone stock except for the repainted front fender and the dent on the drivers side bed. The second dent is when they finally made him quit driving. I'm sure that it has originial wheels but it is two wheel drive. Would that make a difference in color?

 

[mariner45]

My 86 came with silver (argent ) wheels when new. I still have them and have repainted with same colour from a rattle can. They looked like new after the painting (I think the paint was called "hammered" silver or something similar).
To answer your question the wheels were definately silver coloured when new.

mariner

 

[92F350CC]

I want to say my 86 F-250 4x4 had gray wheels. Sold it over 10 years ago, can't quite remember.

 

[Hyde]

All of mine have had white or some cream-white , 83 was Orange/cream two tone, 84 was blue/white two tone, now my 85 is white/grey two tone.

 

[GOOSE]

I remember the off white color on my dads 83 f150. I'm not sure the color didn't change by 86 model year.

 

[Dieselcrawler]

Yes mine were more of a cream color on the 81 f100. I painted my wide wheels white. Will post pics tonight

 

[PwrSmoke]

Interesting answers, guys, thanks. Seems like it may depend on year. I have been digging thru my data books but wheel color is not mentioned directly. Most of the pics in there are B&W and many show light colored wheels. The few in color are all XLTs with the full wheel cover so you can't tell. I'm pretty sure my '86 truck came originally with argent wheels but I guess I can do a little scrapeage on them to see. The backside is black, I can tell you that. Certainly, IMO the argent looks the best. Body color (in this case Colonial White) wouldn't be bad either. Dying to get the wheels on but so much other stuff to do! Here is the earliest pic I can find of my truck. '91-92 maybe. Playing frisbee at 15F in a park in Colorado. The second camper we had. Towed a 30 foot trailer behind this. Wheels are argent. I know I touched them up sometime in the '90s but not this early. That front tire rack was removed before the decade ended. Regretted installing it almost the instant I did.

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[Agnem]

Moose Truck wheels were white.

 

[hce]

white or slightly off white. they are the originals

 

[Dieselcrawler]

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that's my ALL ORGINAL 81 f100. wheels are cream.

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repainted them white.

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now here is the wide steels I got.

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now, flipping threw both the 1981 and 1982 dealer brochure, all steelies were white, with the exception of the factory wagon wheels, which were silver

 

[Jake_IN]

wheels are cream.

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