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Mazda Exterior \  Welding tailgate???

Welding tailgate???

Mazda Exterior Mazda Tech
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replies 33
following 11
 
paparoach1983   +1y
sweet i am checking this out now
droppedmydawg   +1y


WOW Bro! I was not attacking anybody or throwing anyone under the bus here. I just have seen a lot of people try this and never seen it successful on a daily. I don't know How much you have driven your truck or what else you did to it, but if it lasts for you then great! I will still continue to advise people to go with the cali combo, but if they want to try your tailgate weld up, more power to them. I am not trying to start a war and I don't want to sling mud back, IN the future I think you can make a point about something without talking trash about someone else on here. I thought we were all here for each other and to help out, not to degrade each other or make accusations that you don't know are true. I am here to get help and give it when I can, and I love this site. I hope that this did not piss you off as that was not my intent, and to the originator I am sorry for kind of thread jacking you. I just hate to see when people trash one another on here.
mazdamandan   +1y
dunn

dunnn


duuuuuuuunnnnnnn !!!!!



Here is ! MAZDAMANDAN !!!!

( Cheeering and applause In a Japanese gameshow fashion)

Ready to quench this hot debate!


Seriously, I hear grant makes the only decent combo.

As a bodyman I will say , nothing fits as good as original parts, even repro parts are kinda sketchy at times.

For me , this is an easy mod, everyone will have a diff level of ability, FYI the pic used earlier of the haggard work was a guy doing this outside with an ARC welder.

It was Loud n Low, who was flamed ssooooo hard he left the site, and its too bad cuz in reality he was/is a good friend, and an awesome guy. Just very poor, and ya will not find a more passionate minitrucker!!
moving onnn....

I am a guy who will not buy fillers , to each their own, I will not buy them to save time either on a job, cuz, I live further than any of you cept if yer in Alaska!!

By the time parts get here they are wrecked and too expensive to ship.

Plus the time it takes for me to build my own parts is minimal.

I buy raw sheetmetal and work it into shape.

I have done this mod.

It is easy but requires patience and a good part to start with.

And bracing is crucial. As was mentioned

my entire box will be shaved with the exception of the tail lights and body lines, I will have the lic plate box where the handle location is, the box will aslo be a dump bed and fuel filler behind the plate.

Onto the pics , and some other filler work I have done.

Short strand glass filler can help with craking also , bondo has no structure, never use it on a mod like this , or use it sparingly to feather.

Metal is better than FILLERS!!!!!
The following pics are not of any finished work.


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this was just sittin there not welded in this pic, above

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14 g filler!!
I also incorporate the slight rounding out at the back window in my b pillar

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I am still working on the roll pan which will follow the body and its 14g steel too, heavy duty roll pan !

The tubing you see is 1" square, and never mind all the diff random paint colors , I was testing product and purging there, lol


mazdamandan   +1y
haha Love it when I get the last word ,lol
paparoach1983   +1y
dam dude those are tight.
porkchop69   +1y
I have to agree I have done both and I finally bought the grant because I kept going back and fixing the stock gate. I luckly found a guy on CL who sold it to me for $50 and it was brand new I'm not trying to start any crap but welding and filling ur stock tail gate is something that is not fun to do and it's more headache then it's worth.
paparoach1983   +1y
each to his own
porkchop69   +1y
I say go for it man WTF !!!try it . u might come up with something good and then u can help
others do it to it's cheaper but my mine thing was how
much time it takes to make
it look right. If u got a bitchin ass old lady like I got u have to get shit done quick
mazdamandan   +1y
hahaha
I got more time than $$$
And for the previously stated reasons I still would build my own parts,lol
And I encorage experimentation, for newbies too.
Sometimes you learn how to do it, sometimes you learn not to try, lol
everytime I bend a new piece o steel it teaches me something, I love it, metal art.
mazdamandan   +1y
I am workin the box down to the steel right now so I will show more detail and the actual steps / metal work, and it will stand as proof of how to do it right and how long it will last.
I will be cheating somewhat, I will have a dump bed and top is welded flush which gives extra strength
With the box not attached to the frame and no 3 wheelin it will never crack, it will flex, if anything.