New tailgate search?
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 239
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From: Foothills of Cackalacka
New tailgate search?
Evening all,
I am the original owner of a 96 F350 that I bought in Oklahoma City the week Timothy McVeigh bought his ticket to ride. It is still in awesome shape with 130K on the 460 5spd. Well it WAS in awesome shape till I let a load of wood this past summer slip out the bed and onto the tailgate and bend the tailgate into a banana. The stainless panel is still salvageable but the tailgate is history. Other than going to a body shop and Craigslist(I looked), where can I find a company that can sell me a painted tailgate for my 96 F350 XLT?
Thank you for any help or guidance you can give.
Sid
I am the original owner of a 96 F350 that I bought in Oklahoma City the week Timothy McVeigh bought his ticket to ride. It is still in awesome shape with 130K on the 460 5spd. Well it WAS in awesome shape till I let a load of wood this past summer slip out the bed and onto the tailgate and bend the tailgate into a banana. The stainless panel is still salvageable but the tailgate is history. Other than going to a body shop and Craigslist(I looked), where can I find a company that can sell me a painted tailgate for my 96 F350 XLT?
Thank you for any help or guidance you can give.
Sid
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 239
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From: Foothills of Cackalacka
Paper thin
Thanks for the reply. Are those aftermarket primed pieces without the hardware really paper thin metal do you know? I do know my original OEM is heavy as h**l! Where can I find a fitment guide for tailgates? I mean what years will fit what years. The link in the stickies does not work.
Thanks and have a nice day.
Sid
Thanks and have a nice day.
Sid
Elder User
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 568
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From: Northern IL
1992-1996 (and '97 F250-350's) should work no problem. Unless it's a dually or a step side. Dually's if I'm not mistaken are much wider.
Finding a pre-painted tailgate won't be easy, your best bet would be to find either a junkyard one or ordering one from LMC Truck and having a local body shop paint it with your paint code.
As far as knowing the quality of the metal, I couldn't tell you.
Finding a pre-painted tailgate won't be easy, your best bet would be to find either a junkyard one or ordering one from LMC Truck and having a local body shop paint it with your paint code.
As far as knowing the quality of the metal, I couldn't tell you.
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,581
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From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
there are 7 tailgates with finish panel listed on Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market priced from $75 to $400, and 15 without the panel priced from $25 to $500 in Oklahoma
Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 170
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I'm pretty sure the F-150 tailgate is exactly the same as the 250 and 350 from about 87-96. I got a tailgate for my '89 F-250 that came of a '95 F-150 that fit perfectly.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 21,437
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From: Gilbert, PA
The 87-91 tailgates has FORD stamped in them. the XLT and Lariats had the aluminum panel over top of the stamped letters(red reflector)
The 92-96 XL F150-F350s were smooth.
XLTs had the aluminum panel(with charcoal reflector)
97 HD F250/F350 were smooth just like the earlier XLs but had a Ford oval and a F250/f350 emblem double sided taped to them
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 170
Likes: 12
Sorry, I wasn't very specific. What I was saying is that all '87-96 (and '97 250-350) tailgates should fit exactly the same way. There may be visual differences between them, but they fit and function the same. Mine doesn't quite match the rest of the truck style or color wise but I could care less. Others may feel differently. To each his/her own. At some point it would be nice to have the correct matching one though. I'll keep an eye out for one.
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