Replacement Tailgate

[bhemingson]

The tailgate on my 1972 GMC is shot with a line of rust through following about 1" above the bottom all along the tailgate. Is there any replacements anywhere near factory quality or does someone sell a replacement lower skin?

[fb111ewo]

My recommendation would be Mar-K. They should be on the Vendor List here.

[dfwright]

Unfortunately, if you need a fleetside tailgate, Mar-K doesn't make one. I really wish they did. Their stuff is top notch. I bought a Tri-Plus fleetside replacement in April, and I give it about a B+ on quality. It feels solid and is pretty close in weight to the original gate. The profile is slightly off at the top of the gate, so the lines at the edges aren't perfect when the gate is shut. Other than this, I have no complaints.

There are inner and outer lower skins available out there. I think I ran across them on ebay a few times, but I didn't keep bookmarks. I don't know if they are any good or not.

[kcsa75]

Have you looked around for an OEM. I was in the same boat and found a used tailgate in good condition (no rust, a few small dents) for about $75 on the parts board from a guy locally. Also check Craigslist.