Which Grille Do You Think Looks Better on My Truck?

[LARIAT 85]

I was bored today so I decided to swap my stock 1985 grille for the earlier stock 1980 style grille without the Ford oval.  

Which grille do you think looks better on my truck?

Stock 1985 grille:







Stock 1980 grille:

Which Grille Do You Think Looks Better on My Truck?

1985

1980

Login to vote   

You cannot change your vote after voting.
You have to vote before you can see the results.

[ArdWrknTrk]

You have the letters on your hood.

I thought it was either/or?

[LARIAT 85]

Since I liked the letters on the hood, I got creative and added "L A R I A T" on my hood, along with the stock 1985 grille with the Ford oval.  I did that last year with stock Ford Freestar letters.  I think "F O R D" on the hood AND a Ford oval on the grille looks rather redundant.

This time, I only swapped the grilles.  But if I decide to stay with the earlier style grille without the Ford oval, I could always replace the custom "L A R I A T" hood letters with the stock "F O R D" hood letters instead.

[1986F150Six]

I like the earlier grill. As always, your truck looks great!

[Rembrant]

I vote for the 1985 grill!

[Gary Lewis]

Rick - When you start a thread you can create a poll.  I'm not sure you can when editing the first post or not.

Anyway, I like the early grille with the faux early hood.  It just seems too busy with the later grille and the lettering on the hood.

[LARIAT 85]

Thanks for the poll idea; I just added it.

And I appreciate your opinion.  I see what you are saying and I agree with you.  It's funny that the earlier 1980 grille has *more* bars than the 1985 grille, yet the letters look "too busy" with the 1985 grille.  

What do you think about the "L A R I A T" hood letters in lieu of "F O R D" letters with the earlier 1980 grille?  It seems to work out okay, since "LARIAT" has 6 letters, and the 1980 grille is divided into 6 compartments at the top.

[Gary Lewis]

I had missed that there are six columns and six letters.  It looks to me like you nailed it.  I like it.  

[Dorsai]

Even though as a purist the idea of putting an earlier grille on a later truck offends me, I have to agree it looks good on your truck.  Given that you're already violating the natural order of things, have you considered replacing the fender badges with the earlier style as well?  The later ones clash with the lettering on the hood.

[LARIAT 85]

Interesting thought about the 1982 - 1986 fender emblem lettering "clashing" with the 1980 style hood lettering (the Ford Freestar lettering I used for the hood letters is in the exact same font as the 1980/1981 hood letters).  

I see what you are saying that the lettering is different, but does it "clash?"  For example, the 1973 Ford trucks used one script for the hood letters, and a different style was used for the side emblems.  I don't think I would want to change the fender emblems.  The earlier fender emblems are made of metal and attach with pins, and I think the script is rather boring.  

And I like the large "F" in the 1982 - 1986 style fender emblem.  If I decide to keep the 1980 grille, I may simply remove the "L A R I A T" hood letters.  That would make a really clean look.

[Dorsai]

Well, 'clash' was probably an overly-strong word to use.  But when I look at the front of your truck I see 1980, and when I look at the side I see 1982 and in my mind they don't 'go' together.

But that's just me - at the end of the day it should be whatever you like best.  

[LARIAT 85]

Fair enough.

The reason why I changed the grille out is because I am considering adding a set of OEM Ford fog lights to the bumper.  These fog lights come with black covers with a white Ford oval on them, and I don't think THREE Ford ovals would look good on the front of Lucille.  

[salans7]

You and I share the same opinion when it comes to multiple Ford ovals in one spot. It really bugs me when I see a Ford oval vanity plate on the front of a 1982+ Ford Truck.

[LARIAT 85]

I agree with you, Shaun.  I always thought those looked cheesy and aftermarket.  I hate something that *looks* aftermarket on my vehicles.  I don't like dealer stickers, either.  

You know, I used to think the early 1980/1981 grille design was ugly.  But, I have been warming up to this style more and more over the years.  I think now I may actually prefer the earlier grille over the later one with the Ford oval.  It is much more unique, for one thing.  The only reason I even considered replacing my stock 1985 grille with it is because it is still a genuine FORD grille, and it looks like it still *could* have been an option in 1985.  Kind of like in 1997 when Ford offered two distinct grilles for their F-Series trucks. Many newer trucks today are offering different grilles for their trucks.

Plus, it has more of an "early 1980s" feel to it, if that makes any sense.  It makes the truck look a bit older - like it still has a carburetor under the hood.  Someone once called it TLGG, which means "The Last Great Grille."  I think I like it!

[salans7]

I was the same way until I was a few years into owning a 1980. The grille grew on me and now I prefer it.

[Gary Lewis]

LARIAT 85 wrote

Someone once called it TLGG, which means "The Last Great Grille."  I think I like it!

That someone was WillieJoe.62 on FTE, and here's the earliest of his posts I can find where he mentioned it: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1377049-the-officially-unofficial-mod-edit-now-official-bullnose-forum-logo-poll-2.html#post15327740.

[grumpin]

I voted for the 85. I like the Ford emblem on the grill.

I see what you guys are saying and sometimes less is more. But I like the 85.

They both look good on your truck!

[Whisler]

I like the 1980 grill but would also suggest another option... no letters at all. Probably showing my age but back "in the day" "shaved" hoods were big on street rods and I still like that look.

[Gary Lewis]

That's what I'm doing on Dad's truck.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Shaved, frenched and chopped.

Even today debadging cars is a big thing!

The numnutz who put performance badges on their base model, or Bentley on their Chrysler 300 should be laughed out of town.