Thought I would post some pictures of my tailgate repair, it case they are of any value to someone else.
Tailgate Rebuild Pic's
- Thread starter Brian
- Start date
Nice job and kudos on the motivation to fix and not replace. Mine isnt rusted, just bowed from carrying a 31. Ive beefed up mine with 1" square stock bottom and top to keep it flat basically. Also fabbed a new lower body bumper for the spare to rest against cause I HATE rattles and squeeks.
OP
Let me correct that. I installed a custom spare bumper on the lower panel of the tub just above the frame to keep the spare from adding stress to the upper part of the tailgate. The aftermarket wheels set the spare out past where the factory rubber bumpers on the gate would touch. 95% of the time on our local wash boarded forest roads Im rattle free. Someday I'll have to invest in a spare/can carrier for the back.
I was just discussing with my dad about giving my tailgate a 2nd attempt now thatbwe bought a welder that can handle thin metal.
Agreed......But I had to go with a replacement. Think the spare caught a blow and the metal from the top edge and around the mount was torn and it looked like a dirt dobber did the repair, And fatigue from closing and vibrations left the outer skin wasted.
Had a bumper fabricated and a swing off a Pathfinder mounted to it to keep the spare off the gate.......
OP
I also have concerns about hanging large spare on the gate. Maybe send a pic of what you did?
What kills the gate/hinges more than anything is installing an aftermarket wheel and not extending the bump stops to be snug against the tire. The tire needs to be supported fully by all 4 bump stops or else it will shake around and destroy the tailgate/hinges in time.
OP
OP