Tailgate Lettering Color Poll, '80-86

[PwrSmoke]

I am now obsessed with wanting to know the correct tailgate lettering color on the '80-86 trucks. So if you have an original '80-86 truck, please chime in with the year of the truck, what color the letters were painted originally, along with the original color of the truck and interior color. The only documented info I have is in an '82 Data Book that hints they were color keyed to the interior color. That flies in the face of some things I have just seen in a couple of apparently unaltered trucks. I am thrice-damned if I can remember what my truck's letters were painted originally and all the old pics I have don't show the back and the tailgate was off for some years when I had a camper on the truck. My wife remembers red but I remember no paint at all. I think my tailgate got painted in the early '90s after some dingbat backed into me in a parking lot. Anyway, please feed my obsession.

 

[gandalf]

Jim,

I'm not sure this will help you, but I'll give it a go anyway. My '86 is an F-250 XLT Extended Cab. I think that, being an XLT, it has a fancier tailgate than you're referring to. The exterior is tan and brown. You can see just small patches of the tan at the bumper ends. The interior is tan. I'll let the picture speak for itself on the letter coloring.

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[Keeway]

Wouldn'td know I don't have a tailgate lol

 

[snicklas]

PwrSmoke,

We had an 83 F-150 "No Package" Special ordered truck. It was 351/C6 4x4, 4.10 LS both ends, had A/C, Tilt Wheel, AM/FM Radio, Dual Tanks, Silver Grill, Chrome Front and Rear Bumpers, Bench Seat, manual windows and the "turbine" wheel covers, and the $1500 Victoria Paint Scheme. So it was a unique truck (there was no package designation above the radio, just a blank black spot). It was Light Desert Tan, and the "Chocolate" Metallic Brown (similar colors to the truck gandalf posted above). Hood was Tan, Roof and main part of body, inside the bed and the tailgate were the dark brown, and the rockers were tan. It had a tan interior, with the ceiling and posts painted brown (no headliner). The letters on the tailgate were the same Light Desert Tan as the Hood and Rockers, and similar to the tan interior.

Sorry for the long winded response, but it was not a truck that would have been a "we ordered it like that to sit on the lot".....

However, I have seen on the non XLT Lariat trucks, I have seen them not painted at all (normally on a monotone) truck, or painted in the "highlight" color on a two-tone truck...... IE: If the truck were red and white, and the bulk of the tailgate was white, the FORD on the tailgate would be painted red.....

 

[PwrSmoke]

Thanks, Scott. I looked thru every old pic and brochure I have from the era (they seldom show the tailgate in a brochure). Thus far, every red truck I have seen has white letters. Almost every white truck I have seen has red letters. Ditto for a two-tone truck where the tailgate section is white. I have found one pic, year unknown but a '80-86 truck, with a white truck that has blue lettering.

 

[88beast]

ok darker colors used white
white had white letters so no color was an option
ive seen grey and blac k on lighter colors
but some packages like two tone would have the other tone even
all factory options within the span only ones i can garentee are
83 the green blue color had white lettering
and 86 base model had white on white
rest i seen in stock paint but cant remember year or package

go to a large u pull it and take a walk around most will be original paint

 

[88beast]

funny thing about ford is almost anything can be customized by the dealer if you find one willing to
ex my dad had a 98 f 150 cc loaded kr with a towing tranny and mustang motor and lots of lightning parts
told the dealer he wanted it they built it with somethign off the lot

 

[FordGuy100]

I had the light tan color factory, tailgate lettering was white.

 

[Knuckledragger]

I have a silver 85 with gray interior, there is no contrasting paint on the tailgate lettering. Just flaking paint.

 

[snicklas]

i followed one home today, and it was definitely the factory paint. it was a two-tone blue, top and bottom dark blue, center, light blue. the tailgate was light blue for the bulk of the folor, the letters were a medium blue, not the same color the paint color.... wish i could have snapped a picture of it, but we were on the road.....

 

[Matrix37495]

Look like this Scott?

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This is mine, and the tailgate letters are the same lighter blue as the middle stripe. No color difference. My black truck is an XLT, but i didnt get it with a tailgate...

 

[snicklas]

Yes, that is the same paint scheme and colors. It was no where near that good of shape. It was original, but very rusty. The blue on the tailgate letters did not match the dark blue..... they could have been faded, but I do not think the letters would have faded faster than the rest of the truck. If I see it again, I will have to snap a picture of it......

 

[IDIDieselJohn]

Usually the basic Ford truck, doesn't matter the year 80-91, the FORD letters were the same color as the interior.


White truck with a blue interior, FORD letters were in blue. Silver truck with Red interior, FORD letters were red, etc.


But there are exceptions like my 1990, it was gray on gray, so the FORD letters were white.

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[PwrSmoke]

I'm beginning to think there is no consistency to this. Yesterday I saw a white '85, very much like mine, XL, with a blue interior... red letters. Apparently original. I ahve also seen a white truck with a blue interior with blue letters. They're coming to take me away, haha....

 

[IDIDieselJohn]

The tailgate I bought for my diesel truck, comes off a 91 blue on blue F150, the letters are silver.

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