I was wondering if the tailgate panel off a 87-97 F150 would fit my 1983 F150?

 

 

Yes but with mods.

You will need the hinges and strikers for the new gate. The 80-86 hinges are larger that the holes on the 87-96 tailgates. But its a simple bolt on swap. The strikers however will need to be drilled and fitted. You will also need a few quarter sized washers to stack behind the strikers to get it to latch. The 87-96 gates are about 1/2-3/4" narrower than the 80-86 bed openings. Takes about an hour or so to do.

 

Here is a 96 gate on my 86 truck





Here is the new strikers




Here is what it will look like