Hi Everyone!


I'm planning on fabricating a mesh tailgate for my 1993 Ford half ton truck but my problem is I can't find on the web any plans that discribes the assembling (welding) process for making a mesh tailgate?!?! What I've done so far is cut out, sanded, and painted the two bottom brackets (left, right) off of an old Ford tailgate and I would like to use these to either bolt or weld my frame to (H.S.S. 1.5"x1.5" square tubing)? If this works than I have to work out the problem(s) of measuring and cutting out appropriate slots in the H.S.S. tubing for the two tailgate latch pins and cable retaining pins? Also I have to find a way of concealing the two retaining wire cables? I've attached a link to a webpage of a tailgate made for a GMC truckhttp://www.jcwhitney.com/wcsstore/jc...9546G_CL_1.jpg . I would to use this model and adapt it to the one I want to fabricate for my truck? Notice the two compression spring pins welded to the lengths of flat bar. I want to use similar ones on my tailgate to secure it
to both sides of the truck box? I know how I want my tailgate to look and function it's just I don't know how to make it!?!
I could REALLY use some help on finding ANY websites that have had people make mesh tailgates for their Ford trucks! Any information that you can provide would be of help!! Thank-you!

 

Its called Custom Fabrication! the nice thing about mild steel is you can take off, and always add it back on. Since you have the latches already for the gate to swing down, I would make two latches that will be held by a pin. Have a longer peice of flatstock, say 2x2x1/4 welded to the body, and have a square chunk of that 2x2 welded onto the actual tailgate. That way when you lift the gate up, all you have to do is line up the holes and put the pin thru it. the square peice will have to be over the long peice for clearance, otherwise have a little gap.

also, I see that tailgate being very weak. If you had something heavy slide from the front of the truck to the back, it will EASILY dent that expanded metal. You can go quite thick with expanded metal, but I would still do an X pattern with either T.S. or Angle.