DIY Tailgate Repair

[JGross]

I got my tailgate back from sandblasting and had a little surprise, the PO had covered up two pretty bad dents in the lower part of the tailgate with body filler.






Not having $500 to buy a new tailgate I decided to try and make my own patch panels and this is how I did it. First I cut out the dents I used a straight edge to find where the dent started. Then I marked for my cut lines







I used a cutoff wheel to remove the bad section. I was surprised to find out how little rust was on the inside.



I measured the inside diameter of the curve on the piece I removed and it turned or to be 1.4 inches. I checked my junk pile and found that the lower control arm pivot shaft that came off my front end was just the right size to use for making the bend. I then got a piece of 16 gauge steel from the local hardware store.



I spread the jaws of my vice as much as I cued and the use a hammer to bend the metal around the shaft.







I tried to make the bend without tacking the plate to the shaft but it didn’t work



After that it was just a matter of fitting it up and welding it in.







After a little body filler it was good as new.

[rusty76]

That's very cool.

[BigDan3131]

Well...its a nice job but most of that could have been fixed using a stud gun and the proper hammers.

[LEEVON]

Nice job, I would have tackled it the same way.

[VonDog]

Good job man! Did something similar but was just practicing bodywork since I've never done it before.

[VonDog]

Originally Posted by VonDog

Good job man! Did something similar but was just practicing bodywork since I've never done it before.

sorry, can't seem to get more than 1 pic to load at a time.

[VonDog]

Originally Posted by VonDog

sorry, can't seem to get more than 1 pic to load at a time.

Fortunately I have a replacement tailgate I bought used a few months ago.

[Jeff La]

Nice work came out great

[joedoh]

nice joerb!

[Clyde65]

Great job, I used an old rusty gate to repair similar po work on my gate. Glad I wasn't the only one, yours looks better though, I'm not a good welder IMO.

[Auctioneerhere]

More than one way to skin a gate. I would have used my stud gun & puller. Yours looks great though.

[padresag]

well it depends on the tools and the skills that one has. I think that he did a wonderful job of improvising. you use what you have sometimes.
ron

[JGross]

Thanks for the positive responses, I wish I had a stud gun and puller but like most of us I have limited funds so we have to make due with what we have.

[scottofksu]

Awesome job! Would a stud gun and puller have resulted in a better finished product? I doubt it! A quicker repair, perhaps, but no better than what you did with what you had at hand. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. Thanks for sharing!

[61K10]

pretty thick metal for just a stud gun. you probably need a torch also and then filler. nice job doing it your way.

[Lugnutz65]

I like the way you solved the problem. Good old fashioned PLANNING and INGENUITY. The result looks great! A good stud gun is not cheap and not everyone can get their hands on a loaner. I have one and they are rather simple to use but I would guess that if it was your first time using a stud gun, that you did it faster your way, and cheaper too! I think you are to be commended for a great job and also for sharing your DIY photos.

[bmur66]

Gosh. Look how thick that metal is. Thats why I love these old trucks. I accidentally left the tailgate down on my 2011 with a trailer on it and the wheel crank buckled my tailgate like it was made out of Reynolds Wrap.

[1963c-10]

Nice job on the repair

[AcampoDave]

What are the red and orange arrow things for? Even though don't know what they do exactly, I probably need some.

[VonDog]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

What are the red and orange arrow things for? Even though don't know what they do exactly, I probably need some.

Not my truck pics but they're magnets to hold the steel in place to tack weld! Cool easy trick to hold it in place.