Aftermarket Tailgate

[Redden05]

I am looking into buying a blank aftermarket tailgate and I was wondering how they fit? Do the lines match up and does it have any structure? Is it the same thickness as an original tailgate? Thanks. David

[lowriden58]

fitment is pretty good, but they are not beefy at all. i wouldnt even step on mine and im 155lbs

[Redden05]

Thank You. Thats what I wanted to know. David

[wdrthird]

I have a blank aftermarket tailgate, it fits ok, but its very flimsy. You cant sit on it or step up on it. I'll replace it when I can find a decent original.

[ctrow]

I'm on number 3 and the fit sucks. If you want it to fit right expect to do a lot of work. I've got my original but the inside is beat all to hell.

I can't decide to drop the money for a NOS or make what I've got work.

I had an idea regarding the flimsy-ness. it involves drilling out a 1.25" hole in the ends of the tailgate. run a piece of 1" square tubing along the back side panel.

For every hump I'll have a hole that I can weld the panel to the inner structure. Just grind the weld down and mud it when done.

[LockDoc]

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I put a Tri-Plus on the '71 4x4 and the fit wasn't bad. I tried it on my '67 long bed before I painted it and it fit great on it, so it depends a little on the truck you are putting it on. I stand on it whenever I get in the back of the truck. No problems, and I weigh 165#.

LockDoc

[19673ontree]

my take on these is that the $199 dollar one with no chevrolet letters is real thin , the $400 dollar one with chevrolet letter's like I put on my 67 is a good thick heavy gate with no structure problem's but neither of them fit worth a dam !
now that mine is all done and fit's nice on my 67 I like it and it will last me from now on , but it was a bear to install !!

[special-K]

Early versions of repro gates weren`t spot welded across the cove.So inner & outer skins weren`t working together.That`s all better now.My neighbor just finished his `68 and using repro parts.The tailgate was the best fitting part on the truck.

[ctrow]

If the tailgate is the best fitting part then I feel sorry for the body man making it all work together. LOL

My second Tri-Pro tailgate fits a little better. It doesn't stick out as much as the first two. Whoever said it, I think some trucks fit the repo's better than others.

[Green Machine]

Not sure about the plain gates, but the lettered ones made by Dynacorn reportedly are the thickest, and are only 5-6 pound lighter than stock. Surely they make the same one without letters, they pay Chevy some good money to stamp that in there. You still should redo the spot welds as needed.

Talk to Ed at mothertruckers.net, he has good info on what gates they use.

[Jurassic-1]

I put one on a 69 shortbed we purchased it from Pamona swap meet in Cal.It was a plain one. The gate fit on the sides but the top is all wrong. I am not sure if the guys in China mixed it up with a 81 chevy gate because it looks like one. The top is much narrower at the top edge. As far as the weight difference, imagine a blockof steel the size of a baseball weighing 5-6 pounds. roll it out like pizza dough it probubly will equal the size of the outer tailgate skin.Sorry I got a bit carried away I am a bieliever in using OEM parts.

[jamie72]

guess i got the only good one,i put a non lettered one on my blazer have no prolbem sittin or standing on it(i`m about 210 lb), fit was good also,guys remember these trucks were built as trucks and the body gaps were never tight...

[ctrow]

I'm going to take the plunge and find an NOS piece and see how well it compares. When I find one I'll let the group know my findings.

My problem has been that the tailgate is too thick for the area it rests in so it sticks out. Only way I can see fixing is to modify the stake pocket to allow the bed to go further in, mud the hell out of the corners to make it line up, or trim the tailgate to make it fit right.

[Redden05]

Thanks for all the input. I found a non rusty original that I am going to use!

[mclairmo]

Probably like most here, I collect original tail gates because the repros are so bad and I have two right now (sold my 3rd one recently for $200). Have my original crappy one that is bowed a bit and dented inside but works fine and a really nice one I got for $150 on Ebay, including shipping, if you can believe that. I hit the Buy It Now within minutes of it being listed on Ebay; have to be quick. It even has the woodgrain band with letters across the back in good shape. I would stick with a good used one before resorting to repro. I hate repro stuff, used it on my Camaro and it is crap, takes hours to grind, file, drill and hack to make fit right and then it still never is 100% correct.

[19673ontree]

I know it's because of where I live , but being here in southrust virginia I have never actually seen a good original 67 to 72 tailgate , I guess they are out there , seen pic's of nice one's on this site ,