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CharlieLed, on your box how did you attach the plates for the bolt that attaches the tailgate? Welded to the stake pockets or something else? That is what I would like to do as well. Did you build your own tail gate?
Thanks Tom. Nice to get some feed back here. I am on an Ontario hot rodders forum and there is not a lot of feed back there. I have some ideas for the tailgate as I will be building it myself as well. What I would like to find is a couple of stainless steel 1/2"-3/4" bolts but with round heads. Want to use that as a base for making the hinges.
this may be a bit of a slower build then some guys here as I am self employed and that and family always takes priority over hobbies.
HI Marten,
I,m Angelo and I'm also on Ont hotrodders, I'm not great at posting pictures or computers in general, but I have been building my truck for 5 yrs now and I have a lot of pictures and would be happy to send you links or pictures, I built my hinges and did them the same way you are thinking.
Feel free to contact me and I will try to help, I'm in the middle of a move right now but I will try to help.
CharlieLed, on your box how did you attach the plates for the bolt that attaches the tailgate? Welded to the stake pockets or something else? That is what I would like to do as well. Did you build your own tail gate?
Here is a photo of the tailgate hinge prior to welding it to the stakepocket on the bed. This is a Pro's Pick "Hiding Hinge" kit and it was intended to be welded with the hinge plates on the outside of the tailgate. The first truck that I installed these hinges on I did it as directed and I was not happy with the results...butt welding a 3/16" plate to a 16 ga piece of sheetmetal did not seem very durable. So on the next truck I did I moved the hinge plate over so that it laid right up against the bed lip. I welded to the stakepocket and the bed lip...this made the hinge plate very strong. As a side benefit, the hinge plate now was positioned INSIDE the outer lip of the tailgate and was really hidden. When installed in this manner the only part of the hinge that shows is the part that covers the lower tube in the tailgate and the polished SS bolt that holds the tailgate to the hinge plate. This lower tube has to be cut on each side to allow for the hinge plate thickness and the lower edge of the tailgate pocket also needs some trimming to accommodate the hinge plate. I should have some better pics around here some place, if I find them I will post.
As for the tailgate, that is a piece that I bought from a vendor at the F100 Western Nationals about 5 years ago. It is a Chinese part and is not very well made but it was cheap and will be a good starting point for my mods. Mar-K has a similar tailgate (smooth insert) that is of better construction.
Being as I live in the desert southwest I am not to concerned about rain water collecting. That, and the fact that the metal is 0.125 wall steel, I don't think that the sill will disappear in my lifetime. I do like to slosh a liberal amount of KBS Rust Seal around the inside of any metal pieces that I use prior welding them up to get a head start on any corrosion.
Sounds good. I think of things differently after restoring a '49 Jeepster from a NJ beach town and my current F2 that spent it's life on the back roads of Minnesota.
Once the frame of the box itself was done I needed to build some mounts for the center two cross pieces. Used some 3 x 3 angle that I have hoarded for a few years and came up with this. Welded it to the truck frame.
Next was the front panel. Bought some 16 ga. and had a small bend put on one side of it. I wanted the inside of the box to be as clean as possible so for the top piece I used a piece of 1 x 3 tube but welded it to the outside or part that goes against the cab. Cut some holes in it for drainage of any moisture. Lots of tacks and more grinding. Used some 1 x 1 angle for the sides where it will be attached to the side panels. Plug welded them on.
View of the back side.
All steel was washed with a metal conditioner and then epoxy primed before welding. To weld, sanded of the primer, welded, rewashed and reprimed as required.
The plan is to have the top of the front panel in line with the top of the roll of the side panels.
Thanks Kirk. I have had zero time in my shop for a bit now. Work and the LOML stuff. Often wish people would leave me alone and let me have some time for me. Will get back at it though.
My build project has been a multi-year work in progress. The metal work tends to surface rust before completion. I like the way you treated and prime before fab work. What is the metal conditioner product and what does it do?
My build project has been a multi-year work in progress. The metal work tends to surface rust before completion. I like the way you treated and prime before fab work. What is the metal conditioner product and what does it do?
I was told to use R-M 801 Metal Conditioner. www.basfrefinish.com is the web site on the bottle. I have not looked at the web site though. I am using cold rolled steel so it has an oil like coating on it to slow down the rusting. This product cleans it off and will also wash off surface rust. It is then ready for the epoxy primer. You will need to follow the instructions exactly. Why do we have to say that? Says to keep the surface damp for one minute, then dry off with a clean cloth. It is amazing how much stuff comes off. I am dealing with a guy that sells auto body supplies so he knows what is going on.
Hope that helps you out. This is a new world for me so trying to make sure I trust the right people to guide me. I hate doing things twice and living with regrets is out of the question. Got to take life as it comes and live every day like it is the most important day you will ever have.
This being a long weekend I have finally had a chance to do some work on the box. Got the sides and front welded to the frame of the box. All plug welded and ready to grind and reprimed.
I bought this roll pan from mid fifty but was not 100 % happy with some of the finishing so did some additional welding before cutting, fitting and installing it. Plug welded now but will also be welded across the top seam and ground flush to look like it is part of the framework.
I also welded on some shims to the side of the framework before installing the sides. Later that will become the mounting point for the hidden hinge system I think I have figured out.
Sides and side panel of the roll pan are welded together with a series of tack welds. Lot of grinding in my future
Been a while but thought I should up date this build. After this I was able to install the front stake pockets.
I worked on several different hinge systems as I wanted one that was as hidden as possible. Ended up welding on a tab to the side of the box. Also welded in some reinforcement plates at the top for future fastening of the latches.
Once the welding was done, everything got a wash of metal prep and then epoxy primed. After that I could install the rear stake pockets. Forgot to take pics of the progress but the final result looks like this.
