DIY Tailgate Repair

[JGross]

I got my tailgate back from sandblasting and had a little surprise, the PO had covered up two pretty bad dents in the lower part of the tailgate with body filler.






Not having $500 to buy a new tailgate I decided to try and make my own patch panels and this is how I did it. First I cut out the dents I used a straight edge to find where the dent started. Then I marked for my cut lines







I used a cutoff wheel to remove the bad section. I was surprised to find out how little rust was on the inside.



I measured the inside diameter of the curve on the piece I removed and it turned or to be 1.4 inches. I checked my junk pile and found that the lower control arm pivot shaft that came off my front end was just the right size to use for making the bend. I then got a piece of 16 gauge steel from the local hardware store.



I spread the jaws of my vice as much as I cued and the use a hammer to bend the metal around the shaft.







I tried to make the bend without tacking the plate to the shaft but it didn’t work



After that it was just a matter of fitting it up and welding it in.







After a little body filler it was good as new.