Welding tailgate???

I have welded in a tailgate and PLEASE DON"T DO IT! It always cracks out. The cali combo is a better way 100 out of 100 times. I have done bothe and never had a problem with the combo. The gate is too heavy, leaves too much gap to be filled and every time you weld something the edges of the piece welded become weaker than their original state. If you weld something like sheet metal 2 times in a 1/4"-1/2" area, you have just promised yourself a repair job down the road. I would highly recommend the combo and if you can't afford the combo, just shave your handle and keep a gate for now. My $0.02 -Ed

Thats a pretty hagard job.. Doesnt look like the person even knew how to weld.. I can get it done and i know how to not get ti to crack.. stay tuned... I got a professional to do it for me!

Thank you jealuos. And scrapin i know what you are saying so please stop before this escalades further. thank you.

not trying to trash your idea but had to post that picture

my friend welded his tailgate shut on his s10 and has had it that way for over a year and no cracks or anything. he took the taillights off and laced the tailgate to the bed by welding small strips from the tailgate to body for extra strength, and then just went back in and welded the rest. he'c even cut his tailgate back open to use it for a little while, and then welded it back up the same way and has never had a crack or anything.

i know how im gonna fill the gap... My buddy has an extra gate that i can cut a strip out of and tack weld into place..but yea ill strip the guts and all so its not heavy.. thanks for the pic

i did it to mine and it looks nothing like what that pic does. It was actually quite easy....holds up strong too...

that statement proves one of two things:
you've got NO idea what you're talking about
*OR*
have no idea what your doing.

i will agree with you that the combo would be easier and much less time consuming for the average joe minitrucker to install. and the tailgate IS heavy, and thats why you gut it before welding it up.
but the average joe minitrucker (especially the average mazda owner) is POOR. its a hell of a lot cheaper to spend your own free time cutting apart your tailgate, shaving the handle and welding it all together. yes it does suck welding the bottom of the gate to the top of the roll pan, and it's going to warp, but if you take your time and keep it cool, you can keep the warpage to a skim coat of body filler and be done.
i'm quite surprised nobody mentioned anything about bracing the bed before welding anything together...
i did a tech article a long time ago about this very mod - its in the proper section. you can reference it.

here's the link p69208