I'm looking to get the dimensions on the 55 tailgate but the dimensions of the flat part where the lettering where I have it marked in the picture. I would measure mine but its at school which is closed for spring break. I'm wanting to do something like what was done in the picture except backwards. I want to cut the letters out and put them on a new piece of metal so I need to know how big to make them...

 

On that tailgate the width of the insert was 42 inches, I remember that dimension off the top of my head because I suggested to the owner that he use the rule of thirds when laying out the lettering. That would have made the script 14 inches wide and would have left 14 inches blank space on either side. The actual dimensions that you have marked are 44x15.

 

Do you remember what size the lettering was, it doesnt look like there is 14 inches left on both sides.

 

If you go back to the thread where you got this photo you will read about how the lettering came to be this size...in short, it was the customer's decision to make the script as big as would fit on the tailgate insert. He did not take my advice...as customers are known to do, but it is HIS truck. Here's a pic from the 2010 F100 Western Nationals with the tailgate installed on the 55 F100...

 

I went to the thread on his tailgate build but it didn't say what size it actually was. I'm guessing that the size of his letters were about 12x36 then just by looks?

 

What about a MERCURY tailgate like that?

 

I'm sure it can be done. I'm doing it myself once I find the font that is closest to the font on the tailgate Charlie did. I'm just going to cut out a new piece of metal to replace the center then cut out the letters and use adhesive to attach them to the new metal...

 

The easiest way to go is to have the letters cut out with a waterjet. The owner of this truck wanted the letters recessed but when I got the panel back from the waterjet guy he gave me the part he cut out as well. I had it hanging on the wall in my shop for awhile and then threw it out. I think that it cost $50 to have the waterjetting done and they did the layup for the lettering based on a photo of the Ford script and the owners directions of "make it as big as you can fit it in the panel". As for the size of the letters I guess that it really doesn't matter so much to me...the owner worked that out with the waterjet guy, I just installed the filler plate and finished the panel. If you are going to make letters for your tailgate I would suggest that you use a size that is pleasing to your eye and not worry so much about exact dimensions.

BTW - this tailgate is a Mar-K and came with a flat center section. The panel that I added was bonded to the Mar-K tailgate without the need to weld in a new center section. If you are going to modify a Ford OEM tailgate then you will need to do some more work to remove the stamped center section or possibly use the same procedure I used but to bond the filler panel OVER the stamped script. This would give you a double-walled tailgate.

 

Thanks for the info. That cut out would have been excellent wall art for the shop though. $50.00 is nothing, unless you don't have it.

 

I was planning on cutting out the old insert part in the OEM tailgate and replace it with new sheet metal and then attach the letters to that. That is the dimensions I was after at first, then I was wondering how big the letters were. So far I've come up with letters about 9" x 22", and only the "F" is capitalized and im using the Edwardian Script so it will look like this...

 

I agree $50 is nothing, to bad I haven't been able to find anyone close by that can cut the letters out for me...

 

Just in case you didn't catch this thread awhile back you should give it a read through;

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...asy-steps.html

Good luck on your tailgate
Bobby

 

Thank You Bobby, that was the thread that got me going on wanting to redo my tailgate. I had seen the tailgate Charlie had done but couldn't find the pictures untill this thread came up, once that happened that little mouse whel started to slowly turn...lol

 

LOL...carefull, you'd better grease the bearings on the mouse wheel...its sounds like its gaining momentum

Bobby

 

I did a Google search on Ford script and came up with this.

Ford Script at Fontage - Sorting the entire universe's true type fonts

It looks to be a free download.

Using that, you can get it plotted out at any size you want at your local Kinko's store.