A friend of mine is looking for a Upper corner L/H SS rear window trim for his 57 ranchero if anybody has one they could spare please send me a E-mail or post a reply and I'll have him contact you, Thanks JR
That's actually not a stainless piece. The entire bed perimeter molding is stainless except for the top corners, they need to be chromed. Mark
Both chrome and stainless were used I think it depends on where the vehicle was assembled. I have both stainless and chrome the chrome is usually rust and of course stainless is not.
The L/H side was chromed and rotted away and the R/H side is Stainless, That's the case with his car anyway. Hopefully someone can scrounge one up for him. Thanks
and I have a left bed side and the rear corner that are steel! It was a TX car, very early in the production run as it has the 56 and earlier style vin tag on the door jam. No sign that it was ever chromed, still has some paint on the un rusted portions.
Same thing we ran into last year talking about wing window frames....I had made a statement saying the wingwidow was stainless as was the hinge and lock handle plate, then somebody logged on to say their's was steel and had to be replated. I think we all agreed at that time it was an option for the suppliers as what was used....I'm thankful that most of the bright parts seem to be stainless.
You learn something new about these cars all the time. I was told these pieces were all steel, I have several sets, all steel. Are the stainless ones rare or fairly common? Mark
Given they were the same for 7s, 8s and 9s I would say the stainlees is fairly common. I have never seen stainless upper corners but have heard they exist. Have a nice re-chromed set of upper corners but would like to find a set of stainless.
The cheap ranchero's had painted bed trim, the others have stainless bed mouldings, with chrome top corners, I have a N.O.S. top corner that is stainless. I was told by a old guy that Ford in detroit, that they had trouble with the top corners cracking in the press when they were made out of stainless, and this is why they changed to chrome steel pieces. Who knows-but you sure don't see many of the stainless pieces.
Both the upper corners on my 57 are stainless, a lot of people think there chrome because after I buffed them they shine like chrome. As far as the pieces being the same they are for the 57 and 58 rancheros but the long side pieces and the rear corners and tailgate cap are different on a 59.