Taspeace
Member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2022
- Posts
- 38
- Reaction score
- 39
- Location
- Washington State
- Ram Year
- 2014
- Engine
- 5.7 Hemi
I bought my Ram 1500 from my brother-in-law. A few months before selling it to me, he was towing a trailer full of gravel and the hitch failed. The tongue of the trailer punched a nasty hole through the outer skin of the tailgate, just above the license plate, but it didn't damage the inner skin or compromise the use of the tailgate.
When I got the truck, I took it to several body shops and the lowest bid for the repair was $1,500 plus tax. Two shops even told me that they weren't interested in doing the repair and almost all of them said "you could just go find a used tailgate. Then, the worst thing you have to deal with is swapping the emblems and having it painted to match the rest of your truck." But looking into that option showed me that buying a used tailgate (if I could ever be lucky enough to FIND a decent one) then having it painted and the emblems swapped or removed was likely to run me about - you guessed it - $1,500!
Instead of dealing with all the hassle and losing the use of my truck during the time it would need to be in the shop, I went to the local welding/metal fabrication shop. I had them cut me a 51" X 6.5" piece of "diamond plate" aluminum and asked them to round the corners. I mounted it using 7 stainless steel sheet metal screws and it covers the hole in my tailgate very nicely. in fact, now that I've gotten used to looking at it, stock tailgates (ones that don't have all that extra shine on them) look a little bit dull to me. Another important point: the wife loves it. Total cost: about $65.
When I got the truck, I took it to several body shops and the lowest bid for the repair was $1,500 plus tax. Two shops even told me that they weren't interested in doing the repair and almost all of them said "you could just go find a used tailgate. Then, the worst thing you have to deal with is swapping the emblems and having it painted to match the rest of your truck." But looking into that option showed me that buying a used tailgate (if I could ever be lucky enough to FIND a decent one) then having it painted and the emblems swapped or removed was likely to run me about - you guessed it - $1,500!
Instead of dealing with all the hassle and losing the use of my truck during the time it would need to be in the shop, I went to the local welding/metal fabrication shop. I had them cut me a 51" X 6.5" piece of "diamond plate" aluminum and asked them to round the corners. I mounted it using 7 stainless steel sheet metal screws and it covers the hole in my tailgate very nicely. in fact, now that I've gotten used to looking at it, stock tailgates (ones that don't have all that extra shine on them) look a little bit dull to me. Another important point: the wife loves it. Total cost: about $65.
