So I have been stripping the paint off my tailgate and using a puller to pull out some dents and I noticed that the top of my tailgate is not perfectly straight across the length. It appears as if it has a long gradual bow of 1/8" to 1/4". Any idea of this is a factory thing or that my tailgate is bent? It bows out so it is possible something in the bed when the tailgate was up or down hit it where one of my dents were and bent the tailgate.

 

Now you know why those with size large and bigger butts shouldn't sit on tailgates, LOL. Get used to it as it's the result of being used for loading, if it's not a show truck it shouldn't matter but now that you know it's there it'll bug you. Think of ear worms.

 

The more I am looking at it the more it is driving me nuts. I am going to start looking for another one within a few hour drive I can go get. It is going to be a show truck when done so this just won't fly. I just with I would have noticed it before dumping a few hours of labor into the thing.

It will probably be hard to find a non bent one and may have to break down and buy aftermarket.

 

I checked the gate on my truck. The gate was a take off on a new truck back in 1977, never used, & it sat unused until I found it & installed it on my truck. It is truly mint, flawless in every way. Its never had anything set on it. It has a very slight bow to it, maybe 1/8" or less. You can't really see it with the naked eye, I had to put a straight edge on it.

 

Thats how I bent mine

 

Is the bend normal? Now, the answer is probably yes because that's the way most of them are now days . Is that the way it left the factory, no. They were straight when new.
If this is going on a show truck and you can't find a good used one, bite the bullet and get a NOS tailgate. The aftermarket units are junk, they will bend just by someone sitting on them, plus, they don't have F-O-R-D on the tailgate, it's blank, no-name.
Dennis Carpenter is making new tailgates that are better than OEM quality. Not only do they have FORD stamped on the tailgate, the steel they used is galvanized so it's not going to rust on the inside.

 

Dennis Carpenter is making new tailgates that are better than OEM quality. Not only do they have FORD stamped on the tailgate, the steel they used is galvanized so it's not going to rust on the inside. Man thats good news.

 

............

 

Straight vs "not straight"?

My best guess is "straight".

I have a new Ford tailgate that's only been out of it's box once ( was the day I bought it .... I was inspecting it) ...... I'll have to look.

 

It will be interesting to see what you come up with.

I talked to a guy locally with a stock one for sale and it appears bent more than mine.

I have an order with LMC on hold until they get some more parts. I may just call them today and tack on one of those tailgates. It is the same price as Dennis Carpenter so they are gettting it from the same source. I ordered enough stuff to get free shipping so getting it sent for free will be nice. It will be easier than looking around for a decent original one.

 

I broke down and called LMC to have part number 49-8328 added to my order. It is the same price as Dennis Carpenter so they must be same part from the same manufacturer. This way I do not have to pay any extra shipping and oversized parts as I am already getting free shipping with stuff I ordered from LMC. I am getting a new bed pan, wheel wells, and a bunch of other parts Dennis Carpenter doesn't even sell.

 

I wouldn't be to sure about LMC buying tailgates from the same place as Carpenter does. Lmc is a drop shipper so that means they don't inspect all their parts as they don't see all their parts. Never ordered from either supplier but from what the forums have taught me, I would double check as to whether they buy from the same supplier as Carpenter gets a lot fewer complaints about products than LMC.

 

I buy from LMC but am not a fan. Generally you can find the same part someplace else cheaper. LMC doesn't make anything, they're just resellers.
Dennis Carpenter has two different tailgates in their catalog. A "cheapie" import and the officially Ford licensed reproduction that is stamped from galvanized steel and has FORD stamped into it. If I recall correctly, that one is $400.00.

 

Being a body shop , I have taken many "bows" out of tailgates by placing them on the flat cement floor, putting a wood 2x4 a couple of feet long under each end to elevate it a bit, then placed a 2x6 the length of the gate on top (generally around the handle area where it would be the largest bend) and STAND on the 2x6 with a bouncing of my weight up and down motion. Not jumping,but just shifting my weight up and down. Many times it will remove the "bows". If you are are going to give up on a tailgate anyway you have nothing to lose.I remember having a severe bend in one a few years ago that I placed under the trailer hitch of the truck and a hydraulic jack on the 2x6 and jacked away until the bow was out. All you are doing is the opposite force of what originally bent the gate. Be aware that there is a possibility of body work after straightening tho' but sometimes not. Gary

 

You made my mind think about this all day. When I got home tonight I tried bouncing on it. No luck at 180lbs. I then stacked 300 lbs on the board on top of the tailgate and then bounced on them...no luck. Finally came up with an idea sticking the tailgate under my engine hoist and use a strap around the lift arm. Voila! Bend is done although it did then down the outside of the tailgate a little even though I put blocks in as best I could where the handle goes. I pushed it back out pretty straight with a crowbar from the inside. I think I can use the tailgate now and make it good enough to be good for a show truck. Since I am getting free shipping on my order I am still debating wether or not to get the other tailgate. Ordering it later if I have to will be really expensive. $20 oversize fee and shipping. I can always sell it to another person for what I paid for it I suppose.