Tailgate Molding Question

[48richard]

I have a 71 Custom Deluxe, solid color (red) and no upper or lower body-side moldings. I am going to add the lower body-side moldings, which after reading all the discussion on this forum will be black, not woodgrain.

My question is: On the Custom D, did tailgate upper and lower moldings and taillight trim come with the lower body-side molding option BX2, or the upper molding option B85, or only on 2-tones.
The only reference I can find in the GM Heritage Center documents is to taillight trim, which is part of B85.

Thanks for your help.

[SS Tim]

1969-72
BX2 Lower Bodyside Moldings with black inserts included the tail lamp and both upper and lower tailgate moldings. It was a stand alone option.

B85 Upper Bodyside Moldings included the tail lamp and both upper and lower tailgate moldings. It was a stand alone option.

The Deluxe Two-Tone paint required both BX2 and B85 moldings.

CST (1969-70) and Cheyenne (71-72) trim included the BX2 molding, added the woodgrain tailgate band, woodgrain bodyside molding inserts and eliminated the lower tailgate molding.

Cheyenne Super (mid 71-72) added B85 molding to the Cheyenne trim.

[SS Tim]

B85 Molding as a stand alone option.

[SS Tim]

BX2 Lower Molding as a stand alone. However the truck also has conventional Two-Tone paint.

[48richard]

Thanks. Exactly what I needed to know, which is usually the case with this forum!

[FarmerJohn1776]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

BX2 Lower Bodyside Moldings with black inserts included the tail lamp and both upper and lower tailgate moldings. It was a stand alone option.

B85 Upper Bodyside Moldings included the tail lamp and both upper and lower tailgate moldings. It was a stand alone option.

The Deluxe Two-Tone paint required both BX2 and B85 moldings.

Cheyenne trim included the BX2 molding, added the woodgrain tailgate band, woodgrain bodyside molding inserts and eliminated the lower molding

Cheyenne Super added B85 molding to the Cheyenne trim.

Does this structure hold true more or less for 69-70 trucks with CST instead of Cheyenne Super as the high-end and Custom as the mid-level trim?

I'm buying a 69 Custom/20 4x4 that doesn't have moldings (or the holes) and would like to add upper, lower, tailgate & badge since I like the look. Will I be creating a completely inaccurate combination given the truck's trim level? I'll probably do the whole thing anyway, but just curious as to whether I'll be adding option configurations that didn't exist.

Thanks,
John

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by FarmerJohn1776

Does this structure hold true more or less for 69-70 trucks with CST instead of Cheyenne Super as the high-end and Custom as the mid-level trim?

I'm buying a 69 Custom/20 4x4 that doesn't have moldings (or the holes) and would like to add upper, lower, tailgate & badge since I like the look. Will I be creating a completely inaccurate combination given the truck's trim level? I'll probably do the whole thing anyway, but just curious as to whether I'll be adding option configurations that didn't exist.

Thanks,
John

First off John, ... Welcome to the Board!

To answer your question, yes for Fleetsides the structure is pretty much the same. The biggest exception is that the CST did not include the belt molding, it was optional 69-70 on all available models.

In your case the truck being a Custom has the uplevel windshield, rear window and vent chrome. Adding the moldings, either or both would be correct. However it must be pointed out that the lower bodyside molding would have to be a black center. Also the tailgate would need to have the upper and lower moldings and painted letters (white in most cases) to be correct for a non-CST truck. Here is a rare maroon (517) truck showing the correct CST trim.

For your truck the white Custom Deluxe in post#2 is how yours would have looked if ordered with both the factory bodyside moldings (other than the missing rear window chrome).

Finally with the trim there were two-tone paint options for 69-70. These included the white roof "conventional two-tone" and the "special two-tone" with white roof and rockers. The biggie here is that the 400 series or "deluxe two-tone" (white roof and between the bodyside moldings) would be incorrect for a 69-70 truck.

[FarmerJohn1776]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

First off John, ... Welcome to the Board!

To answer your question, yes for Fleetsides the structure is pretty much the same. The biggest exception is that the CST did not include the belt molding, it was optional 69-70 on all available models.

In your case the truck being a Custom has the uplevel windshield, rear window and vent chrome. Adding the moldings, either or both would be correct. However it must be pointed out that the lower bodyside molding would have to be a black center. Also the tailgate would need to have the upper and lower moldings and painted letters (white in most cases) to be correct for a non-CST truck. Here is a rare maroon (517) truck showing the correct CST trim.

For your truck the white Custom Deluxe in post#2 is how yours would have looked if ordered with both the factory bodyside moldings (other than the missing rear window chrome).

Finally with the trim there were two-tone paint options for 69-70. These included the white roof "conventional two-tone" and the "special two-tone" with white roof and rockers. The biggie here is that the 400 series or "deluxe two-tone" (white roof and between the bodyside moldings) would be incorrect for a 69-70 truck.

Wow. That was impressive. Thank you for the info and very helpful pictures. I'm glad I joined the forum already.

-John

[48richard]

A couple of catalogs I have show tailgate bands in both woodgrain and black. I understand that the woodgrain band goes along with the woodgrain lower molding on the Cheyenne and Super, but what takes the black band? From everything I've seen so far, if you got black lower moldings there was no tailgate band, just the painted letters.

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by 48richard

A couple of catalogs I have show tailgate bands in both woodgrain and black. I understand that the woodgrain band goes along with the woodgrain lower molding on the Cheyenne and Super, but what takes the black band? From everything I've seen so far, if you got black lower moldings there was no tailgate band, just the painted letters.

A year later, are you testing me?
You have probably guessed the correct answer. Black insert tailgate bands were not factory. It is just an aftermarket offering. Most of the time you will see it listed alongside a picture showing both upper and lower tailgate moldings with a band too! Again this is incorrect as well.

If you have black lower moldings with or without the upper belt moldings the tailgate will only have the uppper and lower moldings. As shown in the posts #2 and #4. The letters will be painted (white in most cases).
If the same truck has Deluxe Two-Tone paint the letters will be body color in almost all cases.

Woodgrain tailgate band is found only on '69 up CST, Cheyenne and Cheyenne Super trim level fleetside pickups and will have only the upper tailgate molding used with it.

[48richard]

Thanks, Tim.
Not testing you at all! Just not sure I like my white tailgate letters next to my black lower molding, and thinking about my options: leave it alone, of course; change to black letters (not correct, I think, on my Light Red paint), or a black tailgate band.
Maybe I'll just leave it alone.

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by 48richard

Thanks, Tim.
Not testing you at all! Just not sure I like my white tailgate letters next to my black lower molding, and thinking about my options: leave it alone, of course; change to black letters (not correct, I think, on my Light Red paint), or a black tailgate band.
Maybe I'll just leave it alone.

Actualy it will look fine the black and white are seperated by a 90* turn, Really! Unfortunately (for you) red is one of my personal "run away" colors. As a result I save few red pictures mostly only very correct examples. But here are a few of those saved.