My '82 Flareside

[PetesPonies]

I'm curious where that is coming from. I'm sure you'll find out, so please let us know.

So I thought a rust area at the windshield could be letting water drip into the "A" pillar and bounce as I described, to the floor. The latter is true, but it wasn't a hole from the windshield area. Someone had installed an antenna on this truck. They bored a 1" hole through the upper side of the fender. What is directly behind that, is the "A" pillar. The mount for the antenna was too large to fit between the pillar and fender , so they also bored through the "A" pillar. They didn't seal it at all. Water was traveling down the antenna lead, dripping onto the threaded hinge plates and bouncing to the floor. It was a PITA to fix, without removing the fender. These Bullnose fenders are also a PITA to remove, so I didn't want to do that. I loosened the fender at the door end and got as much extra room as I could. I used a body plug an sealer to make sure no more water entered there . . .dry floor now. Whew.

[PetesPonies]

So I thought a rust area at the windshield could be letting water drip into the "A" pillar and bounce as I described, to the floor. The latter is true, but it wasn't a hole from the windshield area. Someone had installed an antenna on this truck. They bored a 1" hole through the upper side of the fender. What is directly behind that, is the "A" pillar. The mount for the antenna was too large to fit between the pillar and fender , so they also bored through the "A" pillar. They didn't seal it at all. Water was traveling down the antenna lead, dripping onto the threaded hinge plates and bouncing to the floor. It was a PITA to fix, without removing the fender. These Bullnose fenders are also a PITA to remove, so I didn't want to do that. I loosened the fender at the door end and got as much extra room as I could. I used a body plug an sealer to make sure no more water entered there . . .dry floor now. Whew.

With the leaks fixed, carpet goes in. Question . . did the trucks that came with carpet OEM have plastic sill plates or metal?

[Gary Lewis]

With the leaks fixed, carpet goes in. Question . . did the trucks that came with carpet OEM have plastic sill plates or metal?

Good progress! Finding the leak from the antenna was good detective work.

As for the "sills", you need to start calling them by the right name!

(That's what I call them as well. ) The catalog doesn't have "sills" nor "thresholds". But, it does have "scuff plates", and since I don't like answering a question several times I created a web page for this: Interior/Sill Plates. However, that page doesn't exactly answer the question of whether plastic was used as the catalog says "bright" and "black". But, a bit further down it has this for the R & B vehicles:

That is the only mention of plastic in the catalog for scuff plates. And, since you can't really ensure that just because the catalog says or doesn't say anything it proves something, I'm not sure.

Here's a snip from the Literature/1982 Pickup Brochure:

 

[PetesPonies]

Good progress! Finding the leak from the antenna was good detective work.

As for the "sills", you need to start calling them by the right name!

(That's what I call them as well. ) The catalog doesn't have "sills" nor "thresholds". But, it does have "scuff plates", and since I don't like answering a question several times I created a web page for this: Interior/Sill Plates. However, that page doesn't exactly answer the question of whether plastic was used as the catalog says "bright" and "black". But, a bit further down it has this for the R & B vehicles:

That is the only mention of plastic in the catalog for scuff plates. And, since you can't really ensure that just because the catalog says or doesn't say anything it proves something, I'm not sure.

Here's a snip from the Literature/1982 Pickup Brochure:

In the Mustang restoration world, they are sill plates. For that reason, they will always be sill plates to me :) However,scuff plates, does come up and of course I know what people are talking about. My truck came with a black rubber mat and black plastic sill plates. Black in the book, means plastic. So I guess then the carpeted trucks got the aluminum; metal. I'd rather have the metal . . . . . so looking for those now. Thanks

[85lebaront2]

In the Mustang restoration world, they are sill plates. For that reason, they will always be sill plates to me :) However,scuff plates, does come up and of course I know what people are talking about. My truck came with a black rubber mat and black plastic sill plates. Black in the book, means plastic. So I guess then the carpeted trucks got the aluminum; metal. I'd rather have the metal . . . . . so looking for those now. Thanks

Sounds like Gary, you are slowly peeling the onion layer by layer. My 86 came with the aluminum plates, extruded with ribs on the back, all 4 doors.

[Gary Lewis]

In the Mustang restoration world, they are sill plates. For that reason, they will always be sill plates to me :) However,scuff plates, does come up and of course I know what people are talking about. My truck came with a black rubber mat and black plastic sill plates. Black in the book, means plastic. So I guess then the carpeted trucks got the aluminum; metal. I'd rather have the metal . . . . . so looking for those now. Thanks

Just because people call them "sills" doesn't make them that. Officially they are "scuff plates", as shown on the page above, and this from the 1980 - 89 Ford/Mercury car master parts catalog.

In the Mustang restoration world, they are sill plates. For that reason, they will always be sill plates to me :) However,scuff plates, does come up and of course I know what people are talking about. My truck came with a black rubber mat and black plastic sill plates. Black in the book, means plastic. So I guess then the carpeted trucks got the aluminum; metal. I'd rather have the metal . . . . . so looking for those now. Thanks

 

[PetesPonies]

Just because people call them "sills" doesn't make them that. Officially they are "scuff plates", as shown on the page above, and this from the 1980 - 89 Ford/Mercury car master parts catalog.

In the Mustang restoration world, they are sill plates. For that reason, they will always be sill plates to me :) However,scuff plates, does come up and of course I know what people are talking about. My truck came with a black rubber mat and black plastic sill plates. Black in the book, means plastic. So I guess then the carpeted trucks got the aluminum; metal. I'd rather have the metal . . . . . so looking for those now. Thanks

Not sure why you are drawing a line in the sand here. I'm a bit surprised and disappointed. First, I've been around the Mustang world ( vintage Mustangs ) for a long time. I bought my first in 1974. I started restoring for money in 1983, legit in 1990. In most cases, I'm spot on, I better be in my world. I said, in the Mustang world, they are known as sill plates. You found a problem with that whereas I thought I was being cordial, no? Below is a Ford document scan and as you can plainly see, Ford called them a sill plate. I am aware that over time the plates started being called scuff plates. Whether it was a corporate decision, different writers, whatever. As I eluded to . . I learned and called them sill plates from the 60s, because that is what Ford called them. Even my '57 Bird has a "sill plate". I find this a small problem and why I am so surprised you want to make a big deal about it?

[Gary Lewis]

Not sure why you are drawing a line in the sand here. I'm a bit surprised and disappointed. First, I've been around the Mustang world ( vintage Mustangs ) for a long time. I bought my first in 1974. I started restoring for money in 1983, legit in 1990. In most cases, I'm spot on, I better be in my world. I said, in the Mustang world, they are known as sill plates. You found a problem with that whereas I thought I was being cordial, no? Below is a Ford document scan and as you can plainly see, Ford called them a sill plate. I am aware that over time the plates started being called scuff plates. Whether it was a corporate decision, different writers, whatever. As I eluded to . . I learned and called them sill plates from the 60s, because that is what Ford called them. Even my '57 Bird has a "sill plate". I find this a small problem and why I am so surprised you want to make a big deal about it?

I’m sorry, I certainly didn’t mean to offend you. It was actually my lame attempt at humor. Here you and I and the rest of the world are calling them a sill plate, but Ford calls them a scuff plate. However, now I see they called them both.

And I’m not suggesting we change. In fact, I labeled my new page “Sill Plates”.

Again, I didn’t mean to offend you. At all. I just thought it was funny.

[PetesPonies]

I’m sorry, I certainly didn’t mean to offend you. It was actually my lame attempt at humor. Here you and I and the rest of the world are calling them a sill plate, but Ford calls them a scuff plate. However, now I see they called them both.

And I’m not suggesting we change. In fact, I labeled my new page “Sill Plates”.

Again, I didn’t mean to offend you. At all. I just thought it was funny.

OK, sorry I took it wrong. If I was 30 years, no probably 20 years younger, I'd say "my bad" LOL ( I hate that saying )Yes, they were sill plates in Ford literature in the '50s and '60s for sure, probably 70s too, not really sure, never though to research it :) How names change? I mean there were a few writers, managers etc . .maybe one decided to change it on a whim? Or a calculated corporate decision? :) I just wanted to make sure you realized that there are Ford documents with that name used.

[PetesPonies]

OK, sorry I took it wrong. If I was 30 years, no probably 20 years younger, I'd say "my bad" LOL ( I hate that saying )Yes, they were sill plates in Ford literature in the '50s and '60s for sure, probably 70s too, not really sure, never though to research it :) How names change? I mean there were a few writers, managers etc . .maybe one decided to change it on a whim? Or a calculated corporate decision? :) I just wanted to make sure you realized that there are Ford documents with that name used.

As for these "plates", I just took the ones from my Bronco, they are aluminum. They'll be fine. And since I am using a rubber mat in the Bronco, I'll use my black plastic ones in the Bronco, win/win . . no money exchanged.