Topic: Door scuff plate

[bluemax]

The door scuff plates are the "finish panel" located at the top edge of the rocker panel where the carpet meets the top edge of the rocker.

I needed to replace a damaged scuff plate on an '86 SVO that I was working on recently. The easiest option was to simply go online and order replacement plates from one of the various Fox Body parts vendors. Daniel Carpenter makes a nice reproduction in charcoal at a reasonable price.

What I received is a part, that while it can be made to work, it is not "assembly line" correct. I use the term "assembly line", because I have found a few details that don't match up. I have attached several pictures as reference.

The 1986 MPC lists the correct part number for the SVO as E4ZZ-6113208-B.

The reproduction part uses the part number of D9ZZ-6113208-G. The engineering number molded on the back side is F0ZB-6113208-ABW.

The oem part has the engineering number molded on the back side of E2ZB-6113208-AWA.

The differences between the original and reproduction are the length and a small tab or flange at each end is missing on the repo. Please refer to the pictures. The original is 37 15/16" overall and the repo is 38 5/16" overall. This slight difference in length results in the mounting holes not lining up. Once installed, probably never noticed. The missing tabs or flanges is interesting.

I have a set of NOS plates, part number E4ZZ-6113208-B dated 11/11/96. They are the correct length of 37 15/16", but they too are missing the tabs at each end. They are still sealed in the original packaging, so I can not confirm the engineering number molded on the back side.

The missing tabs at each end has me puzzled as every original car that I have looked at have all had these two tabs, yet the NOS part does not. This is an easy detail to spot if you are looking for it.

I don't have an '87 and up car to reference, but obviously the repo part with the later F0ZB engineering number is for the later style Fox Body cars. Maybe someone can chime in on what they may have in their cars.

[carlite65]

'yet the NOS part does not.'

as you have found NOS does not always mean as it was on the line. for whatever reason ford thought it needed to be altered and did so.

[67gta289]

as you have found NOS does not always mean as it was on the line. for whatever reason ford thought it needed to be altered and did so.

Same thought in slightly different words - service parts are intended to be "serviceable" and not factory correct.  The longer the time span that has passed between when the car was made and when the part was packaged, the probability of factory correctness in an NOS part diminishes.  Consider that for the first generation manual transmission equipped cars, all service replacement CxZZ radiators from day one included an automatic transmission cooler.  In that example, Ford did not think "it needed to be altered and did so"; instead, it was decided to limit variability most likely due to costs for both Ford and the dealers.  Based on conversations with now-retired Ford employees, a lot of factors went into these decisions.  The most common based on my discussions was related to a combination of tooling and suppliers.  At some point if the tooling was damaged to the point of no return, unless it was a high volume part that still made money, it was discontinued; if there was still a demand, a substitution was made if possible.  Another sticky situation is when a low volume part supplier goes out of business.  Ford owns the tooling, technically, so they have the right to set up another supplier.  But there are costs to that, so it is far from being an easy decision one way or the other.  For a few parts that I engineered for Ford at a small third tier supplier, there was quite a process to transfer the intellectual property that protected Ford should this particular company fail to produce the goods.  On at least one occasion that I know of, a discontinued part by Ford was actually brought back to service based on public outcry (the windshield washer bag, according to my neighbor who was a Ford purchaser).

The oem part has the engineering number molded on the back side of E2ZZ-6113208-AWA.

That part number is a service part number, not an item (engineering/casting/molded/random pet name) part number.  Are you sure it's not E2ZB? 

[bluemax]

You are correct, it should have been E2ZB, i have fixed it... twice! I thought I proofed before I submitted, but then afterwards I saw it was E2ZZB, so I "fixed" that, but incorrectly... geez.

Anyway, thank you for the response!

[KevinK]

Thanks for the info. I need to check my stock.