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I wouldn't imagine hardly anyone's seen a new factory one for upwards of 60 years, and most of those guys are probably dead. I'd guess all the early script NOS gates were snagged up a long time ago. The bigger question now is, how does it fit on the bed? Does it close square and latch good? If that slight bend is an issue, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to lay it over a pair of sawhorses and give it a little tweak to flatten it out a bit. That's what the guys in the body shop would have done. Did you ever call DC and ask them of their opinion?
Dennis Carpenter has good customer service.
I received a panel recently, and when it arrived the box was seriously smashed. I took a picture of it within 2 minutes of it arriving. I had to cut the box apart to get the panel out because the cardboard was smashed so bad the panel would not slide out the end. There was a dent in the panel. I emailed and called Dennis Carpenter. They got back with me the next day and offered me $50 off. I declined, because it is visible and they sent me a new panel. It is not their fault if the part is damaged in shipping.
I do not know if your tailgate was damaged in shipping, or it came that way.
I wouldn't imagine hardly anyone's seen a new factory one for upwards of 60 years, and most of those guys are probably dead. I'd guess all the early script NOS gates were snagged up a long time ago. The bigger question now is, how does it fit on the bed? Does it close square and latch good? If that slight bend is an issue, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to lay it over a pair of sawhorses and give it a little tweak to flatten it out a bit. That's what the guys in the body shop would have done. Did you ever call DC and ask them of their opinion?
it’s not fixable. The bend is formed into the tube
I’m not asking about Dennis Carpenter. Or any other vendor.
Im asking if the bend is “normal” for stock. Or normal with the aftermarket.
A quick call to DC would answer all of these questions, and you may even get help in resolving any concerns, too. If you'd made the call when it was brought up yesterday, you could be sharing the answer with us instead of berating us for offering the advice.
Originally Posted by wdglide
it’s not fixable. The bend is formed into the tube
You'd be surprised how easy it is to adjust that bend out of that thinwall tubing.
If it's like mine, the tube is not rolled tight in the center so it bows out a bit but is still straight on the inside so it sits square on the bed. I don't know if that is how they are supposed to be or if the originals were that way or not.
I called DC before I posted this. They have yet to respond. The only thing they will be able to tell me (according to them) is whether all their stock has a similar bend. They have not responded yet.
I do sheet metal fab for a living. It’s for a customer. It’s not an easy fix. The top tube would need to be replaced. The bend was formed when it was rolled. The picture doesn’t show it very well.
Again, I was just asking if the bend was a stock feature (or repop thing).
somehow this turned into a shipping damage, Dennis Carpenter thing. It was not my intention.
a couple of you responded to let me know your repop was similar.
