71' SportCustom Bed Repair

[71F100FE]

Well I luckily found this site because of the need to repair my 71’ F100 SportCustom. This truck has been in my family since it was purchased back in 1970, from Bowen Scarff Ford in Kent, Wa. I just received the replacement bed back from the body guys this evening and thought I would share. I still have one problem, now the rest of the truck looks its age. There is also no way I can put the trim from the original bed on this new paint.





Come to think of it these are the kinds of problems that are nice to have.

Enjoy, Ric.

[dotcentral]

Looks like they did a good job. That's the problem with doing just one area, it makes everything else look bad by comparison.

[rjewkes]

Woweeeeeeeeeeeeeee! With new paint these things look Dead Saxy!

[F250Camper]

Ric,

They did a good job on it. It looks great!

Andy

[71F100FE]

I was going through the trim from my original bed and the bed used to replace it today. I have found another difference between them. The trim around the tail light is different. The replacement bed has trim that is installed using three fasteners that penetrate the body while the trim from my original use two fasteners into the tail light housing.

I am surprised that there was a change. Maybe there were different trim packages.

Does anyone know? I need to decide to keep one or the other. I do have one problem. The replacement bed still has the holes in the bed that accept the three fasteners.

Thanks, Ric.

[FORDification]

Yep, it was a difference in trim packages. See the following link for more info:

http://www.fordification.com/trim.htm#Taillight

[71F100FE]

After reading your examples I will end up with kind of an odd-ball bed. The filler neck will be in the 67-69 position, the marker light that is only suppose to be part of the 70-72 is there (go figure) and I will end up with the stock Sport Custom Black Filler Panel and the three fastener tail light trim.

It will have to do for now.

Thanks again for the info, Ric.

[layedout72]

The filler neck is for an additional tank I take it?

[71F100FE]

Yes, the replacement bed is from a 69' Camper Special that also had an aux. tank.

One more thing I discovered today. The Camper Special bed Emblem was different (don't know what it was). When we picked the bed from the frame there were no emblems. They had been picked by someone else before we found the bed. As it turns out the holes in the side of the bed for that emblem come no where near what is required for the Sport Custom emblems.

What it comes down to, this repair is no where near complete. I am going to hold off installing any of the bright work until I decide what to do.

At least it is shiny.

Ric.

[FORDification]

The Camper Special emblem for the year of the bed ('70-'72) would have been mounted on the cowl panel, just in front of each door. The emblems on the back would have either been Custom, Sport Custom, or Ranger. If the '70-'72 style Ranger emblem fits and there are a couple additional holes right next to it, they'd be for the additional 'XLT' emblem used for those trim level trucks.

Sounds like you're either going to have to weld up some holes and repaint, or just find the correct emblems that fit the holes and mount 'em, hoping nobody questions it.

[71F100FE]

Just thought I would provide an update.

Turns out after the paint had a chance to cure and shrink, all of the imperfections are now showing through. The DA sanding marks and chips that were not flared are showing through. I have also found spots that look like they were not cleaned and the paint has lifted creating a bubble.

The good part of this is that those areas are all above the side trim. I was promised these flaws would be repaired and in the process the other missed parts like the tail light trim holes, side emblem holes and the proper gas filler neck location would be fixed.

When studying the mounting holes for the Sport Custom emblems, I realized that these are not right hand / left hand parts. The posts on the back of the emblems determine the hole pattern. Since these posts are place to match the script the hole pattern from right side to left side are different. I now have the pattern recorded that I can post later if there is interest.

I also have side by side pictures of the early and late side tanks and filler necks used. I'll try to find the time to post those at a later date.

Ric.

[Big D's 69]

Man who would have thought about all the differences between the two.

[71F100FE]

That is why this forum is so valuable, thanks again Keith.

Unless someone could actually show the oddball parts like this bed, you would never know that there were acceptions to the rule.

I am still strugling with a dissision to fill that high filler neck hole or not. If I weld in a plug and refinish you would never know that this bed is a cross between the early and later bed design. The proof that it existed would be destroyed.

Come to think of it I should start a Opinion string and ask the rest of the forum members what they would do in this situation.

Later, Ric.