Tailgate Alignment

[ssjody]

My truck came with the tailgate missing so I bought a new aftermarket tailgate from from LMC. Got the gate painted, bought all the hardware I needed and mounted it on the bed but couldn't get even close on aligning the tailgate to close and be flush. In fact I found that the Bed is actually racked a little. I took a measurement from the front and rear stake holes and found that my measurement was about 1/2 in more from left rear to right front. Uggg...
I guess when the previous owner had the bed reworked that maybe they didn't have a tailgate or it was an afterthought.
My question is this. Can I loosen everything up on the bed (bedsides floor etc.) and get this bed squared up or is it a bigger issue than that. It almost seems to me that if I could pull the left side forward to square it up that my tailgate would then lay flush on the right side.
I'm definitely not a body guy so if you guys have ever ran in to this and have any suggestions on how to solve this problem I'm all ears.

[Willys_MB]

I have this same exact issue and it bothers me just as much as it bothers you. I'm staying tuned for input.

[Ironangel]

Before loosening any bolts, X the bed with a pair of come-a-longs...Put more pressure on the long side of the X and start loosening the bed to frame bolts and bed to bed side bolts along both sides. Check your come-a-longs and square up the measurements. You may need to cut a couple 2x 4's to span the tail gate opening holding the vertical edge openings parallel to each other at whatever distance you prefer for the gate opening. Drilling holes for hooks or eye bolts LOW on the four corner stake pockets will help rack the bed sides in the bolt holes instead of bending the bed sides by hooking in the top of the stake pockets...Rack it back square and tighten up all the bolts before removing the 2 x 4 spacers and come-a-longs...Good luck!

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by Ironangel

Before loosening any bolts, X the bed with a pair of come-a-longs...Put more pressure on the long side of the X and start loosening the bed to frame bolts and bed to bed side bolts along both sides. Check your come-a-longs and square up the measurements. You may need to cut a couple 2x 4's to span the tail gate opening holding the vertical edge openings parallel to each other at whatever distance you prefer for the gate opening. Drilling holes for hooks or eye bolts LOW on the four corner stake pockets will help rack the bed sides in the bolt holes instead of bending the bed sides by hooking in the top of the stake pockets...Rack it back square and tighten up all the bolts before removing the 2 x 4 spacers and come-a-longs...Good luck!

Sounds like a plan. I'll post the results once I do it.

[pjmoreland]

Is your right bedside sloped downward toward the front more than the left bedside? You could check that with a level sitting on the top edge of each bed side, and measure how much you have to lift one end of the level to make it level for each bed side (compare measurements - assumes you are parked on a level surface). You could also view the bed from one side and line up the tops of the bedsides in your vision so you can compare their relative slopes. Maybe you need to shim between the bed and chassis either at the front right bed mount or the rear left bed mount.

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

Is your right bedside sloped downward toward the front more than the left bedside? You could check that with a level sitting on the top edge of each bed side, and measure how much you have to lift one end of the level to make it level for each bed side (compare measurements - assumes you are parked on a level surface). You could also view the bed from one side and line up the tops of the bedsides in your vision so you can compare their relative slopes. Maybe you need to shim between the bed and chassis either at the front right bed mount or the rear left bed mount.

I'll check that too. Thanks!

[hugger6933]

You may need what is called a port-o-power. It is a ram with a hand pump and normally a box full of pipes and different attachments. You will need to put the jack from the upper corner[of the back of the bed] that has the biggest gap down to the floor on the other side then you may need a come-a-long from the rear stake pocket over to the opposite stake. You then can pull the gap tighter as you pump up the ram and then put a little tension on the come along. Loosening the bedsides may or may not help the back of the bedsides were welded from the General so if the sides have not been removed from the floor they may still be there. You said you toke an X did you take one from the top of the bedside down low to the opposite side and Vice versa? do that next [cause it wont cost anything to do that] and see where you stand from there. I have done this many times[ I have had a shop since 1987 and have built wrecks since then. I am in the framing part of the world and Everybody has a truck and that is what i do. If I can help anyway holler and I 'll do my best to help you out. Jim

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

You may need what is called a port-o-power. It is a ram with a hand pump and normally a box full of pipes and different attachments. You will need to put the jack from the upper corner[of the back of the bed] that has the biggest gap down to the floor on the other side then you may need a come-a-long from the rear stake pocket over to the opposite stake. You then can pull the gap tighter as you pump up the ram and then put a little tension on the come along. Loosening the bedsides may or may not help the back of the bedsides were welded from the General so if the sides have not been removed from the floor they may still be there. You said you toke an X did you take one from the top of the bedside down low to the opposite side and Vice versa? do that next [cause it wont cost anything to do that] and see where you stand from there. I have done this many times[ I have had a shop since 1987 and have built wrecks since then. I am in the framing part of the world and Everybody has a truck and that is what i do. If I can help anyway holler and I 'll do my best to help you out. Jim

Actually if the gate was laying flush, the vertical gaps between the gate and the bedsides would be spot on. I think it's deceiving by the angled picture what the actual problem is. I should have taken some pictures from the back straight on and from the top looking down. I'll snap some more pictures that show it from different angles to give a better perspective of the problem.

[hugger6933]

So sorry what about the trunions? is there any adjustment there? I was putting a skin on a crew cab bed friday for a test fit and when I put the gate on it was sticking out on the drivers side so much that it would not latch. Now this gate came off this bed and was working perfectly when i took it off. I was leaving for the weekend my wife and I going out of town so I didnt look it over. I got to the shop on Monday dreading what I would be in for, when I got there I found that a pair of my clamps[welding vice grips] the adjustment knob was in the gap tween the gate and bed. Yours wont be that simple but if the trunions are moved, that might help you

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

So sorry what about the trunions? is there any adjustment there? I was putting a skin on a crew cab bed friday for a test fit and when I put the gate on it was sticking out on the drivers side so much that it would not latch. Now this gate came off this bed and was working perfectly when i took it off. I was leaving for the weekend my wife and I going out of town so I didnt look it over. I got to the shop on Monday dreading what I would be in for, when I got there I found that a pair of my clamps[welding vice grips] the adjustment knob was in the gap tween the gate and bed. Yours wont be that simple but if the trunions are moved, that might help you

No apologies needed and I do appreciate the feedback! I have adjusted on the trunnions but this problem wouldn't adjust out. I'm pretty certain that the racked bed being out of square is the majority of my issue.

[57taskforce]

I just skimmed over this thread so if it’s already been mentioned I’m sorry, but one thing you may have to do is cut the tack welds at the bottom of the bedside and rear cross sill, I’d probably won’t move very much if it’s still tacked. Make sure you re-weld it if you cut them, that’s an essential weld.

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

I just skimmed over this thread so if it’s already been mentioned I’m sorry, but one thing you may have to do is cut the tack welds at the bottom of the bedside and rear cross sill, I’d probably won’t move very much if it’s still tacked. Make sure you re-weld it if you cut them, that’s an essential weld.

Mine is a wood floor bed. Would it still have the spot welds?

[57taskforce]

That’s a good question, I’ve never messed with a wood floor on one of these trucks. I’ll see if I can get some pictures of mine tonight.

[pjmoreland]

I believe there are welds between the rearmost cross sill and the bed sides. They appear to be quite small though, so they may not provide much resistance to realignment of the bed compared to the resistance provided from all of the dozens of screws in the bed floor.

[pjmoreland]

It would be interesting to know if the bed floor is square vs. the tops of the bed sides. If you measure in an X from corner to corner down low at the bed floor, do you get equal measurements? How about measurements up high for comparison? If the bed floor is square, but the tops of the bed rails are not square, then this would indicate a warped bed floor as opposed to a parallelogram shaped bed floor.

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

It would be interesting to know if the bed floor is square vs. the tops of the bed sides. If you measure in an X from corner to corner down low at the bed floor, do you get equal measurements? How about measurements up high for comparison? If the bed floor is square, but the tops of the bed rails are not square, then this would indicate a warped bed floor as opposed to a parallelogram shaped bed floor.

I just checked that and it's out equally on both the top and the bottom which I see as a good thing. To me that reinforces that if I get this bed back square that it should fix my issue.

[pjmoreland]

Yep. Seems like a racked bed would be a lot easier to fix than a warped bed/chassis. I'm inclined to think you might have to loosen all of the screws on the entire floor so the boards will be allowed to float into alignment as you straighten the bed. I'm having a hard time picturing how a racked bed would cause your tailgate to be out of alignment like it appears to be in your photos though. I guess you'll find out once you've squared up the bed.

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

Yep. Seems like a racked bed would be a lot easier to fix than a warped bed/chassis. I'm inclined to think you might have to loosen all of the screws on the entire floor so the boards will be allowed to float into alignment as you straighten the bed. I'm having a hard time picturing how a racked bed would cause your tailgate to be out of alignment like it appears to be in your photos though. I guess you'll find out once you've squared up the bed.

My logic is this. The measurement is longer from left rear to right front. The tailgate lays nearly flush up against the left bedside when I close it because the right bedside is further forward. Since the right side trunnion is attached to the right bedside that is forward, it forces the bottom right side of the tailgate forward and the top right to produce the gap.
Hopefully that makes sense. I could be way off but when I stand and stare at it, the logic seems right. For sure the bed not being square needs corrected and hopefully fixes my issue.

[hugger6933]

I'm still on the trunions could they be on the wrong side? if the side were flipped it would move the gate out and yes the wood floor beds have the welds as well and believe or not that 1/4 inch long weld will hold a bunch from moving

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

I'm still on the trunions could they be on the wrong side? if the side were flipped it would move the gate out and yes the wood floor beds have the welds as well and believe or not that 1/4 inch long weld will hold a bunch from moving

No, they're. on correctly. They wont fit if you tried to put the on backwards.

[Ironangel]

The wood beds are not welded to the cross sills like the steel beds...This is why you have the problem you have. Just loosen the perimeter bolts and rack it back square...Let the gap at the back of the cab tell you if you need to move the whole bed once squared...Good Luck!

[ssjody]

Originally Posted by Ironangel

The wood beds are not welded to the cross sills like the steel beds...This is why you have the problem you have. Just loosen the perimeter bolts and rack it back square...Let the gap at the back of the cab tell you if you need to move the whole bed once squared...Good Luck!

Exactly what I was thinking and hoping for. Hopefully this weekend I can try and square it up. Thanks for the info!

[ssjody]

I did get the bed squared up so it was no longer racked. Loosened everything up and found that the best way to move it was to attach ratchet straps from underneath attached to the bed rails and frame. Having one on each side gave me the ability to move it with ease. Once it was squared up the gap was only a tiny bit better and the tailgate was still sticking out like in my original picture.

To fix my issue I had to raise and shim the front right and left rear corner of my bed. Once I made that adjustment things lined up pretty well. That sounds simple but that can open up a can of worms as I'm sure many of you with more body experience than me can relate to. If you go to far then lines on the bed no longer match the lines on the cab and the bumper looks crooked. To do this job completely it could literally mean adjust bed cab, front end etc.. I did find in my case that my body lines now match better than ever although to really make the gap disappear I needed to twist the bed a little more but it just threw everything out of whack when I did. I compromised with what looked pretty good and was able to get my tailgate closing with only a small gap. The tailgate being aftermarket may also somewhat be contributing to the gate not entirely being a perfect fit. Thanks for all the advise everyone!