Tri-Plus taigate doesn't fit well

[bigvinnie]

here's a decent original gate on the west coast... posting is a week old, but worth a look...

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/pts/630190833.html

[jeffspower]

Originally Posted by Tri-ProAutomotive

Isolated failures like this are very hard to control.

But, it seems to me that it would be easy to do something about in manufacturing. Reduce the section "thickness" where it causes problems. So what if it might end up "thin" on some- who would complain about it? you could adjust the gate for that.

[Mudder]

edit. after looking at it the second time my fix wont work.

[turp mcspray]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

You have to remember that cars were not built to todays "ball bearing" tolerances back in the 60s-70s....and trucks were even worse. It may never have been what you would think of as right. That is the whole point of test fitting though. Not just the gate though. You may have to move the latch side of the bed-sides to get it back where you want it to be.
Failure to pre-fit aftermarket parts and greater than realistic expectations (for the times) may be all that is wrong here.

I restore cars for a living and can tell you that every vehicle I do fits differently. A door,fender,hood,decklid,etc. won't fit the same way from one car to the next. Once I get a body part fit to a vehicle (say a door for example) there isn't another door out there that would bolt on and have the same fit. I'm not just refering to aftermarket parts either. Every single body panel I bolt on needs tweaked or sliced to fit nice. Remember all these vehicles were built on an assembly line in a very short amount of time. A perfect fit was not even expected when new. I would try another tailgate on your truck and see how it fits. If it is the same try the same gate on another truck and see how it fits. It could be the tailgate or it could be how your bedside inner and outer was assembled when new. I agree that a gm part will usually have a better fit but it is not always the case.

[litew8]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

You have to remember that cars were not built to todays "ball bearing" tolerances back in the 60s-70s....and trucks were even worse. It may never have been what you would think of as right. That is the whole point of test fitting though. Not just the gate though. You may have to move the latch side of the bed-sides to get it back where you want it to be.
Failure to pre-fit aftermarket parts and greater than realistic expectations (for the times) may be all that is wrong here.

Originally Posted by turp mcspray

I restore cars for a living and can tell you that every vehicle I do fits differently. A door,fender,hood,decklid,etc. won't fit the same way from one car to the next. Once I get a body part fit to a vehicle (say a door for example) there isn't another door out there that would bolt on and have the same fit. I'm not just refering to aftermarket parts either. Every single body panel I bolt on needs tweaked or sliced to fit nice. Remember all these vehicles were built on an assembly line in a very short amount of time. A perfect fit was not even expected when new. I would try another tailgate on your truck and see how it fits. If it is the same try the same gate on another truck and see how it fits. It could be the tailgate or it could be how your bedside inner and outer was assembled when new. I agree that a gm part will usually have a better fit but it is not always the case.

Both of these replies are exactly right. The funny thing is - I have Tri-Plus bedsides with a 69' take off stored gate and the fittment is almost the same as yours. Maybe not as bad, I think my tail light bezels will concel most of where mine shows. I'm not saying it's gospel, but what's the common denominator here? Yep, Tri-Plus. Lots of misalignment on the bedsides too that needed corrected.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by litew8

Both of these replies are exactly right. The funny thing is - I have Tri-Plus bedsides with a 69' take off stored gate and the fittment is almost the same as yours. Maybe not as bad, I think my tail light bezels will concel most of where mine shows. I'm not saying it's gospel, but what's the common denominator here? Yep, Tri-Plus. Lots of misalignment on the bedsides too that needed corrected.

I just put a Tri-Plus bedside on my '68, and it fit perfectly. The gate lines up perfectly and all the bolt holes where right on.

It makes you wonder if some of the stuff is just inconsistent.

[litew8]

Here's my reply in the other thread - It all depends on the stamping press die. Over the course of stamping the metal, the dies need replaced, and begin to not stamp (bend/form the metal) correctly if left unchanged. The newer the die, the better more accurate the stamp / piece quality.
____

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by litew8

Here's my reply in the other thread - It all depends on the stamping press die. Over the course of stamping the metal, the dies need replaced, and begin to not stamp (bend/form the metal) correctly if left unchanged. The newer the die, the better more accurate the stamp / piece quality.
____

It also depends on if it was placed in the welding jig correctly. I think it is a known fact that items made on a Monday are not as consistent as items made on Wednesday...

LockDoc

[67_C-30]

Here is the fitment between my Tri-Plus bedside and the factory gate.

[litew8]

How's it look a little lower on the gate? That's where mine shows more.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by litew8

How's it look a little lower on the gate? That's where mine shows more.

This one looks good everywhere.

[litew8]

Looks like a really good fit. Also kind of looks from the bottom up, the gate sits further out a little. All in all, I don't think these trucks were desinged with perfection in mind.