Tri-Plus taigate doesn't fit well

[nds1968]

Put my gate on yesterday and was disappointed with the fit. The quarters are factory and never wrecked and the gate sticks out at least 3/8 inches on the driver side above the taillight. I compared the construction of this gate to the original one. The thickness, body lines and spot welds looked the same and the box had a GM approval logo on it.

Does anyone make a gate that fits better. I can't afford a NOS gate right now with the rest of the truck to restore but I came acrossed a few for between $700-900.

[68Mike]

Just by curiousity, what did you pay for that gate? I've seen a few on here that was NOS for under $250 and in great shape.

[nu2-72]

Just curious, did you test fit before paint?
Could you adjust the trunnions or trim the bumpers for a better fit?
You are correct. That does not look like a good fit. The paint job looks great.

And I would love to get a $250 NOS gate but most go for $750. Don't you mean used or takeoff ? If you know of a NOS gate for $250 I would like one. And I am serious. I am into my restoration now and could use one.

[nds1968]

My uncle knows a vender and did a trade with him for the gate. So it cost $175.00. I have the bottom adjusted in and it fits fine except for above the taillights. The photo is without the rubber bumper and the top is hitting the post. I didn't test fit the gate but even then I'm not sure how the fix it with out a big hammer and alot of putty. I guess I just got impatient and painted the gate before fitting it.

I never seen a New Take Off or New Old Stock gate for under $700. I'm on the east coast in Pittsburgh. The winters takes a toll on the vehicles so there are not alot of good old parts.

[68Mike]

Originally Posted by nu2-72

Don't you mean used or takeoff ?

Sorry, yes this is what I meant. Used or takeoff in excellent condition
but they've been found.

[Stoney]

Looks you need to move the hinges back. I did that same thing with a factory gate

[jamie72]

you should be able to do some adjusting, i got a triplus on my blazer it fits great.

[72BlckButy]

Check with Jon at Tri-Pro to see what he can do... but since it's painted I'd say you're stuck with that one.

Lately on the parts board there have been quite a few tailgates for sale for around $250, and they look fairly well.

Sorry to hear about the fitment.

[c10crazy]

Originally Posted by nds1968

the gate sticks out at least 3/8 inches on the driver side above the taillight. I compared the construction of this gate to the original one. The thickness, body lines and spot welds looked the same and the box had a GM approval logo on it.

If the thickness is the same how could it stick out further???? It looks as though the gate is not being latched "tight enough" at the top for some reason. Can you hold it in with your hand and correct it?. If so, it seems like an adjustment issue.

[Green Machine]

Rumor has it that the gates made by Dynacorn are better than most. Talk to Ed at Mother truckers. He'll give you the details if you want to try another one.

[bagged74]

i have the same problem with the gate i bought for my blazer. adjustment is not the answer.

[FleetsidePaul]

Did you let Jon know?

I've always found him to be a stand up guy in my dealings with him.

I'd call the guy before bashing his stuff...but that's just me.

[jeffspower]

Same problem on my old GMC- a new aftermarket gate from 1988. Can't remember the brand. I have a nice OE gate for it- never have test fitted it though. I do remember that the gate that came on the truck was beat up- but fit good

[Bob B.]

My aftermaket gate also sticks out a bit past the quarter, particularly at the top. I have new trunions and latches too. Strange thing is my original gate also was not flush. The new gate is exactly the same thickness, too. I would be interested to see how well an NOS gate would fit in my truck.

[LockDoc]

-
I just picked up some parts from a parts dealer in Indianola, Iowa and he showed me his shortbox fleetside pickup that had the same exact problem. I didn't ask him what brand the tailgate was though.... It looked to me like it had a twist in it when it was welded together.

LockDoc

[72BlckButy]

Maybe it's due to the thinner sheetmetal used, that when they weld it together, it tends to warp. Just a guess.... this is why I want to try and locate a decent OE gate.

[LONGHAIR]

You have to remember that cars were not built to todays "ball bearing" tolerances back in the 60s-70s....and trucks were even worse. It may never have been what you would think of as right. That is the whole point of test fitting though. Not just the gate though. You may have to move the latch side of the bed-sides to get it back where you want it to be.
Failure to pre-fit aftermarket parts and greater than realistic expectations (for the times) may be all that is wrong here.

[67ChevyRedneck]

This is member gcburdic's truck. The gate is aftermarket. I've seen it in person, the fit is spot on.

Soooo? What's going on here? There's member's who have "out of the box" gates that fit very well and others, like nds1968 where it's obvious something is wrong... I'm looking into buying a new gate as well (trying to find a solid and not bent all to hell gate in the southeast is rather difficult) and I don't want it to fit like crap!

[bagged74]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

You have to remember that cars were not built to todays "ball bearing" tolerances back in the 60s-70s....and trucks were even worse. It may never have been what you would think of as right. That is the whole point of test fitting though. Not just the gate though. You may have to move the latch side of the bed-sides to get it back where you want it to be.
Failure to pre-fit aftermarket parts and greater than realistic expectations (for the times) may be all that is wrong here.

my oem gate fit really nice. the only reason im not using it is that my brother wanted a nice gate with letters and i wanted a smooth one. he bought an afternarket smooth one and we traded. the aftermarket gate is just not exactly right. i dont think it will be too hard to correct......so long as you do it before paint.

[TonyJohnson]

Originally Posted by bagged74

my oem gate fit really nice. the only reason im not using it is that my brother wanted a nice gate with letters and i wanted a smooth one. he bought an afternarket smooth one and we traded. the aftermarket gate is just not exactly right. i dont think it will be too hard to correct......so long as you do it before paint.

Am I missing something? The pics show a gate with letters..?

[turp mcspray]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

You have to remember that cars were not built to todays "ball bearing" tolerances back in the 60s-70s....and trucks were even worse. It may never have been what you would think of as right. That is the whole point of test fitting though. Not just the gate though. You may have to move the latch side of the bed-sides to get it back where you want it to be.
Failure to pre-fit aftermarket parts and greater than realistic expectations (for the times) may be all that is wrong here.

I restore cars for a living and can tell you that every vehicle I do fits differently. A door,fender,hood,decklid,etc. won't fit the same way from one car to the next. Once I get a body part fit to a vehicle (say a door for example) there isn't another door out there that would bolt on and have the same fit. I'm not just refering to aftermarket parts either. Every single body panel I bolt on needs tweaked or sliced to fit nice. Remember all these vehicles were built on an assembly line in a very short amount of time. A perfect fit was not even expected when new. I would try another tailgate on your truck and see how it fits. If it is the same try the same gate on another truck and see how it fits. It could be the tailgate or it could be how your bedside inner and outer was assembled when new. I agree that a gm part will usually have a better fit but it is not always the case.

[litew8]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

You have to remember that cars were not built to todays "ball bearing" tolerances back in the 60s-70s....and trucks were even worse. It may never have been what you would think of as right. That is the whole point of test fitting though. Not just the gate though. You may have to move the latch side of the bed-sides to get it back where you want it to be.
Failure to pre-fit aftermarket parts and greater than realistic expectations (for the times) may be all that is wrong here.

Originally Posted by turp mcspray

I restore cars for a living and can tell you that every vehicle I do fits differently. A door,fender,hood,decklid,etc. won't fit the same way from one car to the next. Once I get a body part fit to a vehicle (say a door for example) there isn't another door out there that would bolt on and have the same fit. I'm not just refering to aftermarket parts either. Every single body panel I bolt on needs tweaked or sliced to fit nice. Remember all these vehicles were built on an assembly line in a very short amount of time. A perfect fit was not even expected when new. I would try another tailgate on your truck and see how it fits. If it is the same try the same gate on another truck and see how it fits. It could be the tailgate or it could be how your bedside inner and outer was assembled when new. I agree that a gm part will usually have a better fit but it is not always the case.

Both of these replies are exactly right. The funny thing is - I have Tri-Plus bedsides with a 69' take off stored gate and the fittment is almost the same as yours. Maybe not as bad, I think my tail light bezels will concel most of where mine shows. I'm not saying it's gospel, but what's the common denominator here? Yep, Tri-Plus. Lots of misalignment on the bedsides too that needed corrected.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by litew8

Both of these replies are exactly right. The funny thing is - I have Tri-Plus bedsides with a 69' take off stored gate and the fittment is almost the same as yours. Maybe not as bad, I think my tail light bezels will concel most of where mine shows. I'm not saying it's gospel, but what's the common denominator here? Yep, Tri-Plus. Lots of misalignment on the bedsides too that needed corrected.

I just put a Tri-Plus bedside on my '68, and it fit perfectly. The gate lines up perfectly and all the bolt holes where right on.

It makes you wonder if some of the stuff is just inconsistent.

[jb4short]

I've seen this before with a local member's truck (and took pictures, measurements, etc. to send to the factory) and I don't have a simple answer. In manufacturing there are isolated failures of a process and systemic failures. If it's a systemic issue and a process is incapable of producing the part correctly it's actually much easier to rectify. Isolated failures like this are very hard to control. The tooling and the process have produced excellent gates; but obviously not all of them.

The condition in these photos is not an adjustment issue in my opinion as it looks like the gate is flush below the body line and again at the top....you can't adjust in the middle unless you're doing it with a mallet.

[jaros44sr]

Sometimes you have to close it on a block of wood, sorta helps to tweak, flex it. Put the block halfway up and press against the top, mite not even ruin the paint. I've had doors fixed this way, and they were pretty far out. Good luck and post up the fix so we can all learn