Thoughts on the R A N G E R tailgate...

Big'Un · Apr 2, 2018

The HUGE, gaudy lettering / ID on the tailgate. What do y'all think about it ? Personally, I'm not a fan. I wonder if anyone will offer a panel that would cover them and kinda, smooth over the rearend ? I've never been a fan of the decals or badges....my 13 Ram Sport was de-badged with-in a week of getting it home.
What say you ??? :dunno:

racsan · Apr 2, 2018

i like it actually, on my 94 i removed the blue oval emblem and filled the holes, painted center of tailgate a light blue, sat some wood letters down on tailgate and sprayed over with the darker blue, letting the wood mask the lighter paint, giving it a "old school" appearance. if only i could emboss the panel! i did this just a couple of days after i saw the 2019 ranger for the first time, im now wondering if i should have done it in R A N G E R instead of F O R D. but i am going for the old school look on this build, classic two-tone paint, 60's hood badge, roof lights. i usually like the clean unbadged look, but i do like the new ranger, and with it embossed in its not overly noticeable, like the early 90's gm 1/2 tons that had the huge 4x4 decal on the side of the box you could read 1/4 mile away.

my retro tailgate--> https://www.flickr.com/photos/154582078@N03/26324243967/

i do wish ford wouldnt use locator holes for the blue oval emblem, seems like every one from 2005-on fades bad and id just as soon remove it. for those who havent seen the new 2019 tailgate, here it is:--> https://www.flickr.com/photos/154582078@N03/39056614950/
wish they would have left the blue oval emblem off of the tailgate though, whos gonna read "ranger" and not know its a ford?

rangerenthiusiast · Apr 2, 2018

Personally, I love the old plain and simple retro “FORD” lettering racsan. Wish the tailgate on my Ranger had the letters like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/TAILGATE-FORD-RANGER-PICK-UP-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90-91-92/322969759937?hash=item4b327f70c1:g:b50AAOSwyYFaSCpM

I actually kinda like the “RANGER” gate you showed for the new one, because it has a basic, retro sort of look to it, if you just mentally squint a little. What looks pretty terribly is the blue oval badge above it. Bad combo. But what I really hated were those gates that came on the full size Ford trucks in the late 80’s or early ’90’s that were a huge brushed aluminum looking plate that took up about 2/3 of the gate surface and had the oval FORD badge on them in one corner (I feel like they had red plastic in them somewhere, maybe?). They were f’ing HIDEOUS, IMO.

85_Ranger4x4 · Apr 2, 2018

I didn’t think it looked too bad. I do wish the bed was so deep though

And my truck has the F O R D spelled across it. It was a lower trim level truck thing.

2002edgeplussupercab · Apr 3, 2018

To Each Their Own

Big'Un said:
The HUGE, gaudy lettering / ID on the tailgate. What do y'all think about it ? Personally, I'm not a fan. I wonder if anyone will offer a panel that would cover them and kinda, smooth over the rearend ? I've never been a fan of the decals or badges....my 13 Ram Sport was de-badged with-in a week of getting it home.
What say you ???

I say, To Each Their Own. We don't even know yet. :beer:

2002edgeplussupercab · Apr 3, 2018

Wtf ?

racsan said:
i like it actually, on my 94 i removed the blue oval emblem and filled the holes, painted center of tailgate a light blue, sat some wood letters down on tailgate and sprayed over with the darker blue, letting the wood mask the lighter paint, giving it a "old school" appearance. if only i could emboss the panel! i did this just a couple of days after i saw the 2019 ranger for the first time, im now wondering if i should have done it in R A N G E R instead of F O R D. but i am going for the old school look on this build, classic two-tone paint, 60's hood badge, roof lights. i usually like the clean unbadged look, but i do like the new ranger, and with it embossed in its not overly noticeable, like the early 90's gm 1/2 tons that had the huge 4x4 decal on the side of the box you could read 1/4 mile away.

my retro tailgate--> https://www.flickr.com/photos/154582078@N03/26324243967/

i do wish ford wouldnt use locator holes for the blue oval emblem, seems like every one from 2005-on fades bad and id just as soon remove it. for those who havent seen the new 2019 tailgate, here it is:--> https://www.flickr.com/photos/154582078@N03/39056614950/
wish they would have left the blue oval emblem off of the tailgate though, whos gonna read "ranger" and not know its a ford?

Why in the Hell would Ford leave the blue oval off a Ford vehicle ? :shok:

rangerenthiusiast · Apr 3, 2018

2002edgeplussupercab said:
Why in the Hell would Ford leave the blue oval off a Ford vehicle ?

Hey,

Not saying they should left it off the truck altogether, just saying that the way they used it here looks terrible. On lots of Fords (including all of them I’ve had so far), it’s used on the grill, but not the gate.

2002edgeplussupercab · Apr 3, 2018

rangerenthiusiast said:
Hey,

Not saying they should left it off the truck altogether, just saying that the way they used it here looks terrible. On lots of Fords (including all of them I’ve had so far), it’s used on the grill, but not the gate.

OIC, sorry. I misunderstood. I agree, that one looks gawdy.

85_Ranger4x4 · Apr 3, 2018

rangerenthiusiast said:
Hey,

Not saying they should left it off the truck altogether, just saying that the way they used it here looks terrible. On lots of Fords (including all of them I’ve had so far), it’s used on the grill, but not the gate.

They have been on the tailgate for a long time.

F150 got the big centered one in 2004 and the last ranger received one about the same time too. Before that both had smaller offset ovals.

The chrome part is so big because like a lot of newer Fords the backup camera is integrated into it.

rusty ol ranger · Apr 3, 2018

Maybe im biased, but the best looking tailgates fords ever had for the

Ranger..

Fseries...

I dont really know what the big 3s obession is lately with these huge, in your face, arrogant badges/emblems. Ram is the worst offender.

But the ass end of fords new trucks look to isuzuish. Like they belong knee deep in desert jihad.

fastpakr · Apr 3, 2018

I can definitely agree with you on the F-series gates. A little more ambivalent about the Ranger, though.

rusty ol ranger · Apr 3, 2018

fastpakr said:
I can definitely agree with you on the F-series gates. A little more ambivalent about the Ranger, though.

I shoulda added the disclaimer that the original rangers never had a bad looking gate, i just thought the fancy 1st gen ones looked the most trucky.

Untill the most recent platinum tailgates, this one was, imo, the ugliest...

.67-72 F series

85_Ranger4x4 · Apr 3, 2018

rusty ol ranger said:
Maybe im biased, but the best looking tailgates fords ever had for the

Ranger..

Fseries...

I dont really know what the big 3s obession is lately with these huge, in your face, arrogant badges/emblems. Ram is the worst offender.

But the ass end of fords new trucks look to isuzuish. Like they belong knee deep in desert jihad.

Sorry, F O R D for the win for me... not that I am biased. :yahoo:

New F-150 tailgates keep getting better, 04-08 were so flat and utterly boring.

rusty ol ranger · Apr 3, 2018

I do like those gates to, and the letters dont fall off

fastpakr · Apr 3, 2018

I like that one better too.

Thoughts on the R A N G E R tailgate...

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