The hardest working part on a pickup truck that doesn't require petrochemicals to operate has to be the tailgate. In the case of my '72 Ford F-100, the truck left the showroom floor seeing duty as a milk truck in northern California, and then was sold to a mountain-dwelling family who bought the old Ford to drive deep into the forest and haul out firewood. Consulting with a forensic botanist would likely reveal the dents all over the '72 were caused by a combination of throwing heavy logs into it and missing, or accidently crashing into big trees. My favorite dent, which is probably the one that dealt the deathblow to ever being able to salvage the tailgate, was on the driver side. I didn't realize how bad the damage really was until I had a perfect example from Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts to replace it. Because the damage was compounded between the left rear corner of the bed, and the tailgate it wasn't as obvious how much the stock dimensions had moved. This brings up an interesting point because there's been more than a few times a customer has called a sheetmetal body parts supplier to complain about fit only to discover the problem was on their end. The first thing to determine after the new parts are in hand is to establish the adjoining areas are up to specs. In addition to proper fit, there are a few tricks to installing new sheetmetal that can make a big difference between a person experiencing a bloody nightmare or having a good time. In the case of installing a brand-new replacement tailgate on my '72 Ford I was having a real good time until I ran into a few problems that ultimately turned into the proverbial nightmare, but that's OK because as we have said before, "we make the mistakes so that you guys don't have to."
Every moving part on the '72...
Every moving part on the '72 Styleside's tailgate was either worn out or missing. The good news is Dennis Carpenter uses genuine Ford Motor Company tooling to reproduce exact replicas of Ford truck parts that have not been available from the Ford dealer in a long time. The first step was to lay out all of the parts that arrived from Dennis Carpenter and make sure we had everything needed.
Outside of the big dent on...
Outside of the big dent on the left side of the original tailgate, there really doesn't seem to be any major damage. Look closer and you will notice the left taillight turns inward, indicating major movement.
A close inspection of the...
A close inspection of the tailgate limiter strap pickup point reveals a severe break that has been repaired by welding. Replacing the tailgate latches not only improved the function of the tailgate, the new plated finish restored the '72's appearance to new.
The first step to removing...
The first step to removing the original Ford tailgate was to flip the strap outward to align the notch with the tailgate pin and then pull it outward and off.
An impact-driver (vessel)...
An impact-driver (vessel) with a 2-lb ball-peen hammer worked best for removing the Phillips screws without buggering up the heads.
An impact-driver (vessel)...
An impact-driver (vessel) with a 2-lb ball-peen hammer worked best for removing the Phillips screws without buggering up the heads.
Because this truck still has...
Because this truck still has its factory paint, and that's how I intend to keep it, I liked the results of using Mothers California Gold Carnuba Cleaner to clean and restore the paint to its original luster.
It didn't seem to make any...
It didn't seem to make any difference if I observed in what order to replace the new parts, so I installed the straps, and rubber bumpers first. It doesn't look like a brand-new truck, but notice how much nicer the truck looks with a little elbow grease (wipe wax on, wipe wax off) and some new parts.
Next, the female portion of...
Next, the female portion of the latch was installed with a quick final tap of the impact-wrench on the Phillips screws to ensure it wouldn't work loose from use.
Removing the tailgate has...
Removing the tailgate has the potential to be a little difficult if a series of steps aren't followed. First, the driver-side hinge bolts were undone and the hinge was removed.
Leaving the rear bumper on...
Leaving the rear bumper on made it harder to access the lower hinge bolts, but the bumper made an excellent rest, making it easy for one person to install the new tailgate.
Again, for aiding one person,...
Again, for aiding one person, lifting the old tailgate straight up at this angle proved the best way to remove it from the bed.
Notice the new Dennis Carpenter...
Notice the new Dennis Carpenter hinges appear slightly different, but function in exactly the same way. Scribing the position of the old hinges before removal simplified realignment of the new Dennis Carpenter tailgate.
The driver-side hinge was...
The driver-side hinge was mounted and then the new tailgate was installed by hooking it onto the driver-side hinge and lowered down into place in the same manner as the old tailgate was removed.
This worked like a charm....
This worked like a charm. To install the passenger side hinge, the tailgate was opened flat and the hinge slid downward into place.
With the new tailgate closed...
With the new tailgate closed it was obvious the rear bed corner will have to be pulled outward for proper alignment (look for it in an upcoming tech story).
To install the bolts into...
To install the bolts into the hinges it was easiest to do the bottom bolts first because they the hardest to get started. A 3/8 flex-drive made short work out of tightening the bolts down.
As a choice, Dennis Carpenter...
As a choice, Dennis Carpenter offers a polished stainless steel tailgate handle. Notice at the top, to shim the handle for less slop than a new stock Ford I used a 3/8 flat washer.
The tailgate latch-handle...
The tailgate latch-handle mounting plate (optional polished stainless steel) requires the installation of four collapsible fasteners.
They can be little buggers...
They can be little buggers to install. Aligning the end of the provided -20 Allen head bolt flush with the collapsible fastener as pictured is a good start on doing it without a problem.
The first three went in perfectly,...
The first three went in perfectly, but on the fourth one I had a big problem when I choked-down to close with the 5/16-inch wrench towards 7/16-inch wrench which didn't leave enough room for the fastener to expand. Holding the 5/16 wrench flush with the end of the bolt would have prevented rounding the collapsible fastener off.
To get a good understanding...
To get a good understanding of how the tailgate latch mechanism worked, and where the rods should be placed, I assembled it on the outside of the bed, and then installed it.
A major screw-up happened...
A major screw-up happened when I broke the spot-welded retaining nuts off on the inside of the tailgate. After jamming the 5/16-18 mounting-bolt and breaking the nut off, I proceeded to break the second retaining nut off with a tap.
Using extreme care on the...
Using extreme care on the other side, I carefully tapped the threads out, and the mounting bolts screwed right in. Pay close attention to what you are doing and you shouldn't have a problem.