tailgate skin/roll pan and quarter panel replacement
Last Updated: Feb 24, 2015View Photos
Hi everyone, this is my write up on molding my tailgate/rollpan to the bed and replacing the passenger quarterpanel.
i'd like to let everyone know that there are a number of ways to perform these mods, and i picked the way that made the most sense to me, and i'd like to share it with you.
first, the tools:
saw
welder
grinder
cutoff wheel
air blower
magnet
body hammers
dollies
stomp shear (for sheetmetal)
sheetmetal shrinker
english wheel
screwdriver
cleco pins might be nice for something like this too - but i didn't have any
ok- now your ready to start.
jack up the rear of the truck to a comfortable work height, and use approved jack stands. it's never ok to just use the jack to support the truck. now that it's up, remove the taillights, tailgate, and sand down the paint around the areas you'll be welding.
i started by gutting the tailgate. when i say gutting it, i mean i cut off the outer skin from the rest of the gate.
after that, i used some 1x1 tubing, and welded it across where the top of the where tailgate would be, providing some support and a place to 'hang' the skin from. i then cut 2 more lengths of tubing and formed an X going from right under that bar, to where the bottom of the tailgate would be. an x is a very strong shape, and it'll really add a lot of ridgidity to the bed. after that, i added one more bar straight across where the bottom of the roll pan will be, so i'll never drag off my rollpan again!
the rear passenger side quarter panel was full of factory body filler, because the bedside didn't line up with the rear cap like it should, so i made a new one.
what i like to do when making patch or replacement panels, is roughly mark out where i am going to cut and replace. then i make a paper template of the piece i'm replacing and transfer it to sheetmetal. i cut it out and formed it to the shape i needed, and held it up to the bedside. i scribed a line to cut on to perfectly fit the new piece. sometimes its easier to make the hole fit the piece rather than make the piece fit the hole.
when welding sheetmetal, take your time, and go one tack at a time, and space them out a bit, allowing the metal to stay cool and not warp. when mig welding sheetmetal, a little shrinking and a little warping are normal, you can't get around it, but go slow to minimize the heat zone and warping.
you can see in this pic below i welded in a brace inside the wheel opening between the frame and body, to hold the body in place so when i cut out the old and weld in the new it won't move,and be welded in the wrong position. sometimes body panels are in tension and held in place by the the tension, when you cut it apart you lose that tension and the panel can distort. this brace will help prevent movement.
after metalfinishing the quarter panel, and finishing with the panel in the bed, i welded the tailgate skin to the bed. i centered the skin and there were gaps in the sides, so i used 1/8" strips as fillers and welded them in.
after getting the tailgate in place, i measured height and width for the roll pan and layed out the measurements on 18g sheetmetal, and cut and bent it up like it needed to be, and had a helping had hold it up and i tacked it in place. i put in a few more tacks, and when i was happy with the metal fit i continued to weld it in, one tack at a time, again spacing them out and keeping it cool so it'll minimize warpage.
and after primer -
Credits
Created By: speedster93b
the write is great man, the rear end looks impeccable.