Tailgate adjustment for rattle

[nolimitssjca]

One thing that has always bothered me about my sons truck is the noisy tailgate.

I met a guy with a 70 pickup and I asked to look at the tailgate. I noticed the rubber blocks and pads and that his gate was solid when closed. I found the rubber and ordered it. I installed it yesterday but the gate still has a fair amount of travel (although it's quiet when it hits the bed now).

I began to adjust the latches figuring that if the latch is tight the whole thing would be solid. As I worked I realized that the latch itself moves back and forth about an 1/8 inch. This means that the "striker plate" needs to be out far enough to catch the latch it is angled out. Then as the truck moves the latch moves and the gate rattles.

Can someone give me some guidance on how they solved this problem?

Thanks...