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Need a new tailgate soon because I’m going to paint here in a little and the one I have now is very beat up. The original one I have is the first picture and has the steel lettering but I have seen the ones that have the trim piece that fits in. I’ve looked at junkyards and Facebook but my best bet is to buy a new one for the same tailgate I have it’s 400-500 bucks whereas I found the plain tailgate in picture two and found the trim piece that fits in for 20$ so I can get that tailgate for a couple hundred bucks cheaper does anyone have experience or know if I can buy the plain tailgate and if the trim piece will fit in?
If you want the plain none stamp FORD tailgate, careful you will wind up with a beer can thin POS and it will fold in half the 1st time you stand on it with it down...any way I digress. The one in the 1st pic looks like an OUTER skin only and not a complete tailgate. Shop carefully.
What ever you get, yes the FORD trim panel piece will fit in one with or without the FORD letter stamped in it. It is held in with 6 or 8 screws going in from the backside into tabs with plastic clips. Where did you get a 20 dollar trim piece? You do see that the bottom pic is 2 different tailgates right? L/H is 73-79 R/H is 67-72 tailgate.
If you want the plain none stamp FORD tailgate, careful you will wind up with a beer can thin POS and it will fold in half the 1st time you stand on it with it down...any way I digress. The one in the 1st pic looks like an OUTER skin only and not a complete tailgate. Shop carefully.
What ever you get, yes the FORD trim panel piece will fit in one with or without the FORD letter stamped in it. It is held in with 6 or 8 screws going in from the backside into tabs with plastic clips. Where did you get a 20 dollar trim piece? You do see that the bottom pic is 2 different tailgates right? L/H is 73-79 R/H is 67-72 tailgate.
I found the trim piece on Facebook market place from a local guy. And on the last pic I know the bottom has two different picture is different gen tailgates but in that I’m talking about the enlarged tailgate that was the one I clicked on.
https://www.dennis-carpenter.com/tru...yleside-replac
you sent this link with the trim panel it would be what I was looking for it’s still 200-300 dollars cheaper than the one with block letters already on it is that link one you would suggest and think is higher quality? Thanks for finding that
The word on the web is for the most part Dennis Carpenter is the best quality REPOP parts and LMC is on the other end of the scale. Shop around. The below list is just a list and not on order of best to worst.
That green one is your tailgate ... and you want to replace it?
I'd much rather keep the OEM looking tghat good before I'd use a aftermarket and the cover. I saw one "no name" fold in the middle with a guy and his girl sitting on it, she was in his lap so weight was maybe somewhat concentrated. By folded, it just bent so the middle was maybe 6 or 8 inches down from the ends ... but really ........
My old OEM has had 10 or 12 bags weighing 40 pounds each on it many times as I broke down a pallet of 50 bags wood pellets and laid them on the tailgate to then stack. Mine had a bit of rust. If worried about looks, all Ford ones have the lettering.
If the damage is on the inside ... was my FIL put a steel sheet on his before painting his '77 F-250 truck. Was a little heavy, but it was stout.
I just bought a Pendaline drop in "under lip" bed liner, 83001SRX, $180 plus tax and I drove 30 miles to get it from the dealer in truck and trailer stuff ... it comes with a full covering inner tailgate protector with top edge protection, even has cup holders. Ordered one day, his distributor delivered it the next day and they called.
But no way I'd swap your green OEM for a "no name" aftermarket tail gate. That trim you are eying goes over the letters if that's what you want.
My experiences have been similar, but not exactly like the others.
When I bought my truck a little over thirty years ago the original tailgate had been munched good by a tractor, so it was the first thing I replaced.
I tried Ford and the local body parts supplier and the Ford replacement was $400 for a new one with letters and the local imported parts supplier wanted $125 but with no license from Ford, it had no letters.
Now I can afford (at least try to afford) better and sometimes even USA made parts, but back then this was a huge deal. That 400 bucks was a real deal-breaker for me!
The new imported tailgate looked and felt inferior yet weighed 1lb more than the original! The latch never did quite fit right (maybe the rods needed more adjustment) and the tailgate just had that "tinny" sound of a cheap part.
That said it has never flexed in the middle with all the junk I've put on it. So maybe they were better back then?
It was, and still is confusing to me how the two weighed almost exactly the same and yet the new one was obviously not as nicely put together as the factory one.
Not all Dennis Carpenter body parts are created equal. They do in fact have some of the original stamping bucks and forms and whatevers, that are hopefully not all worn out from use, but either the metal is inferior to that we had 40 years ago, or the art of stamping metal has been lost on some.
Many of the tailgates at least for the Broncos are in need of a ton of work to bring them up to snuff. They might not have rust or holes in them, but have so many stretch marks and gouges and improper corners and edges, that some forming and metal-working magic is needed to make them even close to an original.
We've even had some returned by customers due to it turning out the new was in need of more work to get right than the old one. Not often, and usually not when the owner is doing their own work. But when given over to a body shop, the new part often costs more in labor than the old one!
Their pickup truck tailgates might be better, but I have not seen one up close yet.
The green one isn’t mine it’s just the same style mine got munched pretty good by a forklift dropping in a pallet
Ouch!
Originally Posted by Peyton Hess
Need a new tailgate soon because I’m going to paint here in a little and the one I have now is very beat up. The original one I have is the first picture and ....
I guess I was maybe led astray, blinded by the green ... misinterpreted I did.
Have you checked Craigslist in your area, Facebook market place for a used OEM one? Have you asked you fellow FTE Idaho state chapter folks for a lead on one? https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum189/
If you want the plain none stamp FORD tailgate, careful you will wind up with a beer can thin POS and it will fold in half the 1st time you stand on it with it down...any way I digress. The one in the 1st pic looks like an OUTER skin only and not a complete tailgate. Shop carefully.
What ever you get, yes the FORD trim panel piece will fit in one with or without the FORD letter stamped in it. It is held in with 6 or 8 screws going in from the backside into tabs with plastic clips. Where did you get a 20 dollar trim piece? You do see that the bottom pic is 2 different tailgates right? L/H is 73-79 R/H is 67-72 tailgate.
Truth spoken here about quality. I have the beer can one, and although it hasnt taco'd on me, it is a piece of garbage and there for looks. the top dents in, above the latch, when I close it.
Need a new tailgate soon because I’m going to paint here in a little and the one I have now is very beat up. The original one I have is the first picture and has the steel lettering but I have seen the ones that have the trim piece that fits in. I’ve looked at junkyards and Facebook but my best bet is to buy a new one for the same tailgate I have it’s 400-500 bucks whereas I found the plain tailgate in picture two and found the trim piece that fits in for 20$ so I can get that tailgate for a couple hundred bucks cheaper does anyone have experience or know if I can buy the plain tailgate and if the trim piece will fit in?
