Ford Stepside vs. Flareside, Bodystyle Difference

Styles from the Past

One of the more common misconceptions among the newcomers is the usage of the term “Stepside” to denote a Ford truck with external rear wheel wells. Flareside and Stepside beds were basically the default back in the 1950’s and earlier. Flareside (on a Ford, or “Stepside” if you’re talking Chevy) refers to those skinny beds with outward bulges around the rear wheels. Instead of having the sheet metal go straight back from the doors and tucking the wheels into the bed, these flared beds bring the cargo gunwales in and make room for extremely pronounced fender flares.