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Smoothed tailgates...?


Justin

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I actualy seen 2 in the last 3-6 months in the high desert pick-a-parts:rolleyes:! I will go back this saturday and check too see if they still have any available:)! 1 actualy looked Custom w/the Licence plate assembly nicely cut into the tailgate as well:) I posted this one in the wrecking yard report awhile back:)

Are these Tailgates hard to come by:confused: And where they produced that way or special fabbed by owner only:confused:?

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I actualy seen 2 in the last 3-6 months in the high desert pick-a-parts:rolleyes:! I will go back this saturday and check too see if they still have any available:)! 1 actualy looked Custom w/the Licence plate assembly nicely cut into the tailgate as well:) I posted this one in the wrecking yard report awhile back:)

Are these Tailgates hard to come by:confused: And where they produced that way or special fabbed by owner only:confused:?

Hey dreamer, I saw those tailgates there at Pick-a-Part. That place is hard to find. But it's really nice, found a couple 720s and a few 620s there, better than ecology and Pick-and-Pull, a lot cleaner:D.

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Jason more than likely those gates were custom made. Not sure if the barrel idea will work. That metal is kinda thick & has too much of a bend in it. Most guys cut out the entire skin & weld in a new already shaped filler panel in place. In my case i had a yellow plater [TJ driver] pull a hit & run on me while i was in my 620!! So i simply cut out the damaged area,made a box & welded it in....

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I made the box from scrap metal that was in my yard..Raysun style !

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OK, heres the "skinny" on smoothed tailgates. Japan never stamped the DATSUN letters in theirs. I have a photo of a Japanese 521 tailgate that is smooth and You can tell it was stock that way. In Japan a DATSUN lettered tailgate is worth about $600.00. I know this from an ad that was in a recent Cal Magazine that I bought. Also I traded two DATSUN tailgates to a Japanese 620 fan for all of My RHD parts. He was BLOWN AWAY to own not one, but two (must be upper middle class there for this) US tailgates.

 

So, what We used to do in 1975 and 1976 was to take a piece of iron (I used, naturally, a piece about one foot long of railroad rail) and just start pounding away on the letters. You can heat to shrink also, but that's how We did it. That's how it was done on My old Datsun SS. Later Sir Michael's started selling "skins" louvered, or unlouvered. I have installed a few. Recently I did (or I should say, My welder buddy Rich) both tailgates on My 620 bed trailers. On both We completely cut out the letters. I have three customized pieces from tailgates of the letters removed from tailgates. On one Rich welded in one of My louvered taillight fillers. Both have boxes for the license plates. Get creative. If You screw one up another can easily be found. At one time I had 15 tailgates!! I still buy one if it's nice on half price day. We have an abundance over here still. It's actually pretty easy to do.

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I love Mark's license plate!!! Do You notice it's almost a "poker hand"?????

 

Fives and eights.

 

The "E" almost looks like an 8 too. One of these days I'm going to take a blue sharpie and.......................................

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Do You still have those fender flares? They look like Wade's Products which were a little bit wider than Fontana flares and also made out of ABS plastic instead of fiberglass. I have a Wade's brochure still. KEEP EVERYTHING!!

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It would be nice to have a smoothed tailgate... I think I've got a couple spares, so maybe I'll hack into one. I was considering a stepside as well... Actually, I wonder what a half-stepside would look like... leave the front half of the bed the way it is stock, but maybe do a built-in tool kit or extra gas tank in front of the wheel tubs, then just narrow the rear section and tailgate... maybe with some flares, wide rear wheels, and a wider stance it might look pretty cool.

 

Sorry for the hijack... :P

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Do You still have those fender flares? They look like Wade's Products which were a little bit wider than Fontana flares and also made out of ABS plastic instead of fiberglass. I have a Wade's brochure still. KEEP EVERYTHING!!

 

Yep...that must be what they are. Thanks for the info. :D

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Man I just sold a really nice smooth gate last weekend. Thing was clean. Can't remember the guys name that I sold it to. But he said he lurks here once in awile.

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I guess it's not soooo bad. Would have been better if it was finished.

 

Pic's

 

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You can see how the DATSUN was removed and the skin was added. If you do it this way, make sure it's fully welded. You can see in one pic where the bondo is cracking.

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Hmmm... now the biggest debate for me is whether or not I should try to pound the letters out with no heat or, weld in a patch... I tried pounding out the lettering on my 521 and it did not go "smoothly".... :rolleyes:

 

 

Go to Harbor Freight and by a "Weed Burner torch".It works off of a standard propane tank.It will turn a brake drum cherry red in a couple of minutes,so it will work great for sheet metal.

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