Grille And Headlight Bezels

I bought new headlights for my truck and started pulling some things apart to get to them, noting my headlight bezels and grille have some fading chrome with damaged and broken tabs. Considering replacing all of that with some re-pops from either NPD or LMC, as these parts are not that expensive. Interestingly, I'm not sure what color this stuff is supposed to be. I painted my headlight bezels black sometime ago and I think they were black/chrome from the factory. Old pictures confirm my headlight bezels were a dark color. My grille is untouched and is argent/chrome. With the headlight bezels black/chrome though, I would have thought that maybe the grille would be black/chrome too.

Wondering if anyone can shed some light on this? Also, wondering about the quality of these repops???

 

Paraphrasing a famous person from north of you and east of me, all I know is what I read in the MPC.  And it doesn't really provide many true "answers".

The info below is from our page at Documentation/Exterior/Exterior Trim & Moulding.  But it is confusing, especially with respect to the headlight doors.

Jeez Gary, you're not kidding. I suppose I can compare some part numbers and see if that makes any
sense. Wonder what the difference between Charcoal and Black is?

Also, that grille emblem does not come cheap.....$85 for the emblem, same price as the grille. Must be some mark up in it due to the fact that it says "Ford".

Machspeed wrote

Jeez Gary, you're not kidding. I suppose I can compare some part numbers and see if that makes any
sense. Wonder what the difference between Charcoal and Black is?

Also, that grille emblem does not come cheap.....$85 for the emblem, same price as the grille. Must be some mark up in it due to the fact that it says "Ford".

Have to keep an eye out.  I got my correct '82 grill "Ford" Oval before the redesign in '87.  Picked it up NOS off ebay in the original box for $32.42 including shipping.



As far as the charcoal and black goes, I think one is more of a argent color just darker and the other is just a straight black.  I havent been able to find photos of the Charcoal one to actually compare, many places list the Charcoal headlight doors but there are no photos of them.  Im actually trying to find photos of the reproduction black grill for '83 and up as I am wondering if I should just go a year newer on the grill to try and offset the chrome.  Originally I was going to go with the chrome grill to replace my argent silver and grey grill but now with the chrome grill guard installed I feel its too much chrome on the front.  I also dont think having the grill guard refinished in black powder coat would look good either, especially if I decide to go with the roll bar in the bed of the truck those I only seen listed for the flareside in chrome/stainless not black.

On the pricing, you will find people that have insane pricing but if you look youll find it cheaper eventually.  Its no different than the choke for my '56 Fairlane, when I needed one cheapest I found was $120 for a NOS unit which was too much for a 2 year only part.  Then I found one for $75 which I picked up and then a couple weeks ago I picked up another one priced at $25 for stock.

John - Remember that the numbers on the part are not the part numbers.  

But I should be able to crossref the ID #'s you find to part numbers, and be able to tell you what the color was originally.  And, as I think about it, adding the ID #'s to the table would be a nice feature.  So if we know for sure that our parts came from a specific year then give me the ID #'s and I'll add them.

Been thinking on that myself - replacing the chrome on the front.  All of mine is "aged".  Have decided to research a little more and this thread is what I was thinking as well?  There are cheap parts out there - do they fit?  Like other Chinese parts - close but will need some massaging to make perfect?  

Dude at swap meet was trying to sell me some - said they are completely unavailable - I already knew that was not the case and I really didn't need more "aged" parts.  

BUt I think for now, I'm going to let it ride.   Got a few other things to care for first and maybe just let the truck be what it is for now.  Here is what I have - I cleaned and painted the painted parts with Rustoleum "metallic" or something like that - a dark argent kind of color.   I felt the black was too dark and regular silver too light.  I like this pretty good and made it some better, even though the chrome is pretty well worn out.  

I'll get you that info this week sometime, Gary.

I really wished I could physically see these parts in both the Black and the Charcoal. That aside, LMC does not even offer the Argent/Chrome Grille, which is what I have. Trying to decide if I want to go back to that or a Black/Chrome or even the Charcoal/Chrome.....arghhh.

And, while I'm there, I'll clean up everything behind the grille, purchase a new "Ford" emblem and, and....well, it never ends!!!

Machspeed wrote

I'll get you that info this week sometime, Gary.

I really wished I could physically see these parts in both the Black and the Charcoal. That aside, LMC does not even offer the Argent/Chrome Grille, which is what I have. Trying to decide if I want to go back to that or a Black/Chrome or even the Charcoal/Chrome.....arghhh.

And, while I'm there, I'll clean up everything behind the grille, purchase a new "Ford" emblem and, and....well, it never ends!!!

Dennis Carpenter has the chrome grill but no mention nor photo to show if its charcoal or black accents.

NPD doesnt seem to be working right now but they have some pieces.

Jeffs has the argent grill which is what my '82 has.
https://shop.broncograveyard.com/Grill-Argent-1980-1986/productinfo/34706/

Chrome with black, which honestly the photo looks like chrome with charcoal.
https://shop.broncograveyard.com/Grill-Chrome-w_black-82-86/productinfo/34710/

For the headlight doors just chrome with black.

rcarlisle wrote

BUt I think for now, I'm going to let it ride.   Got a few other things to care for first and maybe just let the truck be what it is for now.  Here is what I have - I cleaned and painted the painted parts with Rustoleum "metallic" or something like that - a dark argent kind of color.   I felt the black was too dark and regular silver too light.  I like this pretty good and made it some better, even though the chrome is pretty well worn out.

I took the best parts I had and they needed a little repair work to use them.
I also painted mine with a dark argent metallic and like the way they came out.


Dave ----

They look good, Dave.

Machspeed wrote

Interestingly, I'm not sure what color this stuff is supposed to be. I painted my headlight bezels black sometime ago and I think they were black/chrome from the factory. Old pictures confirm my headlight bezels were a dark color. My grille is untouched and is argent/chrome. With the headlight bezels black/chrome though, I would have thought that maybe the grille would be black/chrome too.

Wondering if anyone can shed some light on this?

The chrome headlight buckets with black trim were used with the lesser model trucks with the standard argent grille used from 1980 - 1986, or the black painted grille found on the 1980/1981 "Freewheeling" trim model.

The optional chrome "XLT/Lariat" grille had black trim on the inner vertical bars, but the inserts were always argent.  The reason the inserts were argent was because it "hides" what is behind the grille better than black would.  The correct headlight buckets that paired with the optional chrome grilles were chrome/argent for 1980/1981, and chrome/dark charcoal for 1982 - 1986.  


The [standard] 1980 - 1986 headlight doors that were chrome trimmed with black paint and the later [optional] 1982 - 1986 chrome trimmed with dark charcoal paint don't look all that much different from each other.  I have had both in NOS boxes.  The black paint was only slightly blacker than the dark charcoal, and it was more of a rough *paint* that could scratch off.  The dark charcoal trim paint was more of a smooth satin *coating* that seems like it would last longer.  I kept these and sold the chrome/black ones.

Machspeed wrote

I really wished I could physically see these parts in both the Black and the Charcoal. That aside, LMC does not even offer the Argent/Chrome Grille, which is what I have. Trying to decide if I want to go back to that or a Black/Chrome or even the Charcoal/Chrome.....arghhh.

 
Here is a picture of the chrome/charcoal headlight doors (E2TZ-13064-A, E2TZ-13064-B) that I installed on Lucille a few years ago.  These were NOS Ford parts:

Thanks for the clarification, Rick.  

The catalog says the black trimmed headlight doors were 80/86, but I suspect it may have been 80/81 and black was replaced by charcoal in 1982 as the corresponding black grille was called “charcoal”. The charcoal grille was what was used on the 82/83 XLS blackout trimmed trucks:

I guess I ought to climb the Microfiche Tower and see what my other versions of the MPC say.

FuzzFace2 wrote

I took the best parts I had and they needed a little repair work to use them.
I also painted mine with a dark argent metallic and like the way they came out.

Dave ----

The dark argent looks best to me as well.

When I was looking for a part that had shipped and seemed to be lost, I called Dennis Carpenter in NC.   Very nice lady was very helpful.   And seemed like an organization that would be willing to help.  You might call them and see if someone there could help identify parts you need to know more about.  

I'm in NC about 2 hrs from there and she told me anytime I really needed a part, I could pick it up in person as well.  

Ford F834 wrote

The catalog says the black trimmed headlight doors were 80/86, but I suspect it may have been 80/81 and black was replaced by charcoal in 1982 as the corresponding black grille was called “charcoal”. The charcoal grille was what was used on the 82/83 XLS blackout trimmed trucks:

And was there ever a black out grill used in 82 without the blackout trim?  Cause when I looked the black grill in the parts catalog is showing up as a '83 and application not 82 but I know of the XLS package some what.

Thanks for the input, Rick. And again, Lucille is a beauty!

I know the charcoal black grille was an option on more trucks than just the XLS... through 1986. Seems like I’ve seen some XLS part numbers that started with E3 but I don’t know if they were updated or just issued that way.

Ford F834 wrote

I know the charcoal black grille was an option on more trucks than just the XLS... through 1986. Seems like I’ve seen some XLS part numbers that started with E3 but I don’t know if they were updated or just issued that way.

Yep the E3 is the earliest number I could find as well in the parts and illustration guide.  I am thinking about possibly trying the black grill on my truck as with a chrome grill guard I think my original idea pre grill guard of going with the chrome grill with black trim might be too much chrome on the front of my truck.  But I also want to try and keep mine period correct if possible for a 1982 model year.  I guess I could go back with the argent but I just think the all argent grill just didnt look right with all the bright metal trim around it.

I went with Chrome/Black for my headlight surrounds and the grille. I've received those parts and they look nice. I'll post pictures of it after it is installed.