It doesn't take Alabama sun to crack up a Ford dash I'm sorry to say. The dash in our 1984 Mercury Lynx was badly cracked when it was 8 years old. No idea what the 1981-83 dashes are made of but they don't have that problem. Also, they are a different design.

I don't understand what that means. If you're trying to say that the dash is not cracked, I have photos to prove it. If your trying to say that the Ally-Bammy sun is not that hot, well, obviously you've never been to Ally-Bammy between June and September.

I think what he meant is the dashes in that era of ford liked to crack early in life due to bad materials/workmanship regardless of the conditions they were subjected to.

You have clearly not tried to lift any jukeboxes, or large TV consoles before...I'm about 4" shorter, and 100 lbs lighter, and while I could throw a 40's Zenith radio console down the block, and possibly arrive in time to catch it, there are some jukes and TV consoles that, while I can move them on a level surface, I'd never be able to load on a truck singlehandedly in one piece....Unless a ramp was handy.

That's the second time you've been rude to me for nothing.

I was saying that they crack really easily in the sun.
That's about the best way to put it.

I'm sorry if I offended you. I simply did not know what you meant. Ironically, yesterday, I was flat out harassed by someone on another forum I am on. Over the same picture, no less!

Even in Wisconsin, the sun can be detrimental to the appearance of any car or truck. We don't get the amount of sun, that southern states get, but the paint jobs, fade, clear coat blisters and of coarse, the plastics crack or get cloudy. Look at the headlight lenses, that get cloudy.
Many people have to take their cars to work and it sits in the parking lot all day, in all kinds of weather conditions. Just a fact of life, I guess. :sigh:

I'm not really surprised. Some groups are just full of idiots.

My Dad bought an '82, XLT Lariat with a 302, it was a demonstrator. I remember it being the nicest, and best looking, truck I'd ever seen at the time. The digital clock was a really big deal back then! Sadly, his was a terrible lemon, just nothing but trouble. I knew lots of folks that had good luck with them, though. I still have a soft spot for 'em.

i was working at ford during the 80s.81-84 were the worst years for trucks.many recalls and quality was an issue.i have horror stories about what came out of detroit.the old,"let the dealer take care of it"attitude from the workers.bolts installed but not tightened,plastic fasteners not installed,faulty clamps and the list goes on and on.the drivetrains were generally bulletproof especially the 300 six.serviced those engines with 4-500k miles and still running.302 was also a workhorse.electrical issues by the score.almost as many headaches as the gm and chrysler trucks from that era.