My Love for after market parts

[Richard Dobson]

I installed a new Tri Plus Tail Gate (fleetside) onto my bed. I made bushings from delrin (tough plastic) to fill the gap between the pivot trunion and the stamped recess in the tailgate and put them on the pivot trunions after removing the metal dish like ones that were swaged in. The bushings are 1-5/8" in dia. with a .830 dia x 1/8" high boss that will fit in the hole in the trunion where the metal dish ones were. I drilled and tapped the bushings 3/8-16 unc thru and used button head screws to mount them. This worked great as far as pivoting the tailgate. After all this when I closed the tailgate the darn thing hit at the right top and left a 1/2" gap on the left. I just love this aftermarket tooling. Anyone have a origingal tailgate? Heck I just paid $$$$$$$ for this aftermarket one with Chevrolet stamped in it.

[Mudder]

Are your bedsides square? I had to "adjust" my stepside bedsides when I go my new tailgate.

[griesel72]

i had to attach a power-pull to both back stake pockets to get mine to work, funny, my stock one had no problems (other than being rusted out)

[Tim Christian]

Hey Richard, Don't know were you got the tailgate at but most vendors will take parts back that don't fit. One more question Tri-Plus does not make lettered tailgates Also new trunnions are just 20.00 a pair Sort of sounds like your 67/68 radiator support with 69/72 bushings that don't fit Man no offense but you need to use the correct parts because both the hoods the Tri-Plus and the Goodmark you brought back both fit great. I don't beleive you got the tailgate from me because I don't sell Tri-Plus lettered ones??????

[PICKMUP]

Sounds like you need to just push on one side of the TG and pull a little on the other side. These parts will not install and align themselves. You need to be able to do some adjustments to make different body parts fit (OEM & repro).

[MOTHERTRUCKERS]

Maybe the new trunions you made are off a little? Put a set of originals back on and see if you have the same problem. Out of all the tailgates we have sold and installed i have had only 2 problems with GM NOS on stepsides where the bed was out of square from not running a tailgate and the top of the bed had spread apart. Get a carpenters square and check for square and try original hinges and i'll bet your problem is gone.

[Richard Dobson]

Tim, I checked the box my tailgate came in last nite & you are right. My mistake, it is a Goodmark Lettered tailgate. I bought it along with a "Tri-Plus" (I checked the boxes) front bed panel & rad support. I obtained these parts before I met you. My vendor of choice btw. I had a guy with a machine shop make the delrin bushings for the trunions because there was so much play between the tailgate pivot bore & the existing trunion dish pivot which I removed and installed the plastic trunion screwed on the plastic bushings. This worked great but the tailgate needs to be adjusted at the top. A friend said to put a 2x4 in the top corner of the side that closes shut at the top and push on the other side to force it to bend until the gap is gone. MotherTruckers I have checked the squareness with a carpenders sq. I have measured across the bed in a x pattern for squareness also.

[MOTHERTRUCKERS]

Have you checked the tailgate for square? Have you tried stock trunions? If the gate is out of square contact the vendor for a replacement or refund.

[XXL]

Originally Posted by Richard Dobson

I have checked the squareness with a carpenders sq. I have measured across the bed in a x pattern for squareness also.

And what were the results? Was it square or not?

[FRENCHBLUE72]

I just went through this problem with a used gate on my old bed it turn's out the p.o. ran the bed for so long with out a gate that it seperated.. I simply cut the 2 weld's on the bottom of the bed side and squared up the bed side's and welded it back together worked great.... Of course if your bed is already square then this will not work for you..

[Richard Dobson]

XXL everything is square. Frenchblue72 I have a wooden floor in my truck so the welds would'nt apply here since I have removed the steel floor.