Tailgate flattening ?

[wilberweb]

Hi, everyone
I have a tailgate that is bowed what is the best method for flattening the tailgate on a 55 Chevy 3100 second series. Is it just taking a hammer and hitting it on a flat surface, or is it hammering out the bow a a small section at a time.I haven't seen online where any one has any information on how its done.

Thanks for the help
-Larry

[mr48chev]

Ideally I think you would need a hydraulic press big enough to lay the tailgate in and use the pressure from the press to straighten the top and bottom.
Since most of us don't have access to something like that what about laying the ends of the tailgate on a pair of boards or 4x4's and laying a 2x4 on the highest point of the curve in the top or bottom and using a bottle jack against the bottom of the frame of the truck or rear step bumper of the big daily driver truck to gently press the tailgate straight. The one on my 71 is so bowed that I have been thinking about laying it on something and laying a plank on the affected area and driving over it with the truck.

[wilberweb]

mr48chev,
Thanks for the reply, I think that's a great Idea I never thought of that I have a
4X4 silverado 3/4 ton truck that would work great. I will try that.

-Larry

[RedneckRodder]

My reproduction tailgate was slightly twisted. Would have returned it, but I bought it from the guy who originally purchased it with no receipt.

I backed my Toyota pickup on one end, put a 2x4 under the lower side of the twist and a bottle jack on top on the other side with an extension up to my work bench. Worked the jack little bits at a time until I was happy with it.
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[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Ideally I think you would need a hydraulic press big enough to lay the tailgate in and use the pressure from the press to straighten the top and bottom.
Since most of us don't have access to something like that what about laying the ends of the tailgate on a pair of boards or 4x4's and laying a 2x4 on the highest point of the curve in the top or bottom and using a bottle jack against the bottom of the frame of the truck or rear step bumper of the big daily driver truck to gently press the tailgate straight. The one on my 71 is so bowed that I have been thinking about laying it on something and laying a plank on the affected area and driving over it with the truck.

I actually tried this with my 2000 F250's tailgate, put the ends on some 2x4s, then laid a couple 2x4s across the top, put a bottle jack on that, then to the hitch on the rear of the truck....it lifted the big diesel truck's tires off the ground and didn't even budge the bend on the tailgate. Now I'm really curious what bowed it out. So I still have a bowed tailgate...Eventually I am going to retry the same method, but use the tractor as a weight instead.

[mr48chev]

Sometimes you just have to use what's available at the time and a bit of thinking out of the box.

[OrrieG]

You have to figure out how the damage happened and reverse the forces as you apply pressure. Just beating or bending without taking out the tension created by the original event will not work, the metal just springs back or stretches. First thing my old school bodyman taught me. I have straightened many a hood, truck and fenders using 2x4's, C clamps, bottle jacks and now a porta power from harbor freight.

[wilberweb]

All great post. I'm not sure what bowed the tailgate.I suspect its like any thing you put in the truck for hauling maybe lumber, its a single wall so I would think its not hard to bend.
as far as the rest of the tailgate is fairly true,just the center mostly. I'm going to try the jack method first. If I need a porta-power unit I can get one at harbor freight tools where I get most of my tools anyway.

-Larry

[OrrieG]

Porta power is one of those tools you don't think you need, but once you get one can find all kinds of projects to use it on. Last weekend my wife got a really nice, but bent, garden nursery shelf unit. A few minutes with my trusty hi-lift jack and porta power and it was good as new. I bet I use it once a month around the house. I got mine on sale for like $70.

[wilberweb]

Ya its seems like a great tool, I can find some uses for that tool easy.
I also need a bottle jack as well.

-Larry

[Dan in Pasadena]

Why is it that the original suggestion of 2x4's and a Toyota truck conjured up images of Wile E. Coyote driving it with an "Acme" sign on the door?!

[RedneckRodder]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Why is it that the original suggestion of 2x4's and a Toyota truck conjured up images of Wile E. Coyote driving it with an "Acme" sign on the door?!

Haha! Whatever images it may conjure, it worked. Can't blame a country boy for doing it redneck style, it just in our blood! At least I can say there isn't duct tape holding anything together on my truck, I would understand if you held that one against me.
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[wilberweb]

Ya we all do what we can to get it done.

-Larry

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by wilberweb

Ya we all do what we can to get it done.

-Larry

So true, so true. I've been known to do a few things ala "Tijuanero" myself.
(I'm Hispanic, not redneck...brown)
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[wilberweb]

Dan in Pasadena,
Ya Dan, Well you sure have a nice truck so you know what your doing in that department. Your truck turned out nice.
Good job.

-Larry

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Why is it that the original suggestion of 2x4's and a Toyota truck conjured up images of Wile E. Coyote driving it with an "Acme" sign on the door?!

Probably because I was seriously thinking about laying the edge of the tailgate for my 71 on a 2x8 and laying another 2x8 on top of the edge and driving the front tire of the truck up on the plank. That tailgate is so bad that I can't make it worse as my uncle loaded horses across it for several years when he hauled them in the back of the truck. It's also had a lot of scrap and firewood slid across it in the past ten years.

When I suggest using a pair of 2x4's under the ends to hold it up and laying a board on the edge I wanted to straighten and using a bottle jack under the back bumper of a truck it was because that is what most of us have readily available and pressure on the board should spread the pressure out on the tailgate rather than pushing in one spot.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by wilberweb

Dan in Pasadena,
Ya Dan, Well you sure have a nice truck so you know what your doing in that department. Your truck turned out nice.
Good job.

-Larry

Gee, thanks for the compliment but "turned out"? It's not remotely done yet. LOTS to do, but I appreciate the nice comment.

[wilberweb]

Dan,
Turning out nice is a better choice of words.
I know with all classic truck builders its never Finnish.

-Larry

[72freak]

2x's and drive over it a few times has worked for me.

[jjzepplin]

I've seen Chip Foose on "Overhauling" Just a jumping on body panels. Though I would not try this method on "my" panels it seems to work for him. Then again we dont see how many he goes through behind the scenes AND he has the money to screw things up and start over. I will however try this on my old tailgate before I scrap it just for kicks.

[mechanixman]

I know I'm kinda late to the party, but if the bottle jack idea doesn't work. You could do the 2X4 frame, (or maybe some metal frame) and use something like 6 C-clamps. Then press the tailgate in each point.
Just a thought.

[johns truck]

.
what about laying the ends of the tailgate on a pair of boards or 4x4's and laying a 2x4 on the highest point of the curve in the top or bottom and using a bottle jack against the bottom of the frame of the truck

thats what I did worked great.