Help me construct a new tailgate hinge

[fordbroncodave]

I have a 96 ford F350 truck and I have set too many heavy items on the tailgate and now it has bowed. It has bowed enough that the hinge that made up both corners of the gate do not fit inside and the tailgate just falls off.

How would I go about making a new hinge or something to make the tailgate work?

I was kind of thinking of very large fence hinges for a gate or something and welding them to the tailgate and the box but then its not removable.

Any ideas

 

[rsanter]

Pictures of what you have please

Sorry for sounding like this but how oakie do you want it to be?

How about bending the tailgate back and adding a piece of steel to it to make it stronger.

I would try to copy what was there only heavier duty
I'm thinking heavy tubing around a steel bushing (solid stock) welded to a plate

How about just making an RV type tailgate out of heavy steel?

Bob

 

[Mr.N]

I just find a used tailgate.

As said, weld a strip of steel to the bottom

 

[BD1]

Would cables work ? That's what some chevy's use.

 

[454ragtop]

Can't remember if it's the part on the body, or the part on the gate that bolts on, but could you unbolt it and space it out with some plate steel, cut and drilled to match?
HTH, Jim

 

[csp]

Space out the part on the bed like 454ragtop suggested.

 

[kd3pc]

buy a new one at LMC....cheaper than the time and material to hoke it up....

 

[bwane]

on my 1960 F100, the bow was bad, I stepped on it to bend it flat and the tailgate 'V'ed' on me big time.
I used a 3" cutoff wheel in a die grinder to cut across the top and the bottom and inserted pipes and welded it up. Its straight and stronger than a new one now. No one can tell