What's the ugliest part of your truck's body? Some say the nose, and some say how it tows, but we say it's your tailgate. OK, so we used a weak parody of a Frank Zappa song to hook this story, but necessity truly is the mother of invention. The first thing to take a beating on any truck ever made is the tailgate. When it comes to customizing a classic truck, the problem is compounded by primitive designs that not only are clumsy; they don't lend themselves to clean looks. Never mind the funky appearance of the chain and hook arraignment Chevrolet and GMC used to latch both the Stepside and Fleetside tailgates, the darn things are notorious for scratching paint, and consequently causing rust.
These were the problems we faced when we decided it was time to pretty up the looks of our '66 Chevy shortbed Fleetside, and increase its functionality. Weighing our options and seeing what was available, it looked like firing off an order to the folks at Mar-K Quality Parts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was a good way to go. The tailgate we chose is a beefy replacement for the original Chevy gate, and thanks to some built-in upgrades it cures all of the flaws inherent to a stock tailgate. At the top of our list, the Mar-K custom-fabricated tailgate eliminates the hook and chains with a super-clean flipped center-pull handle to open the tailgate. Not only does this save time and cut way down on chewing up the paint and bodywork, the flipped handle is as clean as it gets when it comes to customizing a tailgate.
We're going to miss that KFROG...
We're going to miss that KFROG county-western radio station sticker, but good riddance to those danged old chains and hooks.
After opening these latches...
After opening these latches for the last time, the next step was to measure the tailgate opening from corner-to-corner to establish that the bed is square.
Loyal CCT readers know I'm...
Loyal CCT readers know I'm a fan of Royal Purple's Maxfilm, or Maxifilm as I call it. Whether you use Maxfilm or another penetrating oil product, pre-soaking all of the hardware is a great way to save time.
The tailgate is held on by...
The tailgate is held on by four bolts. To remove it we undid the bottom bolts below the tailgate and then the top two bolts that are accessible with the tailgate open.
With the bolts removed from...
With the bolts removed from the pivot points, the stock tailgate easily dropped out of place.
We discovered a large crescent...
We discovered a large crescent wrench worked best to remove the tailgate latch pins.
Mar-K includes these slugs...
Mar-K includes these slugs which we will weld in at another time to shave the tailgate latch-pin holes.
There's one thing for sure,...
There's one thing for sure, always expect the unexpected when it comes to working on your truck. Having to repair parts broken from years of wear didn't stop us in our tracks, but it cost us some time. The moral is to take a close look at your truck and try to determine if any additional parts should be ordered before you start.
The stock GM arraignment utilizes...
The stock GM arraignment utilizes these metal stops to guide the tailgate into place. In some cases they are bolted on and of course in our instance they were the spot-welded type, which require drilling to remove.
The Mar-K installation kit...
The Mar-K installation kit includes pins that are welded in place of the guides we just drilled out. Here we see Steve Bentley preparing the area for welding.
The best way to prepare this...
The best way to prepare this area would have been sandblasting, but we didn't have a portable sandblaster handy, so a wire-wheel sufficed.
We can't stress enough how...
We can't stress enough how important it is to tack things together and ensure a good fit before completing the welding. Steve used a hammer handle to press the Mar-K pins flat into position while tack-welding.
Here's the secret to the Mar-K...
Here's the secret to the Mar-K tailgate's clean looks, a trick little latch that bolts right into place with the hardware Mar-K includes in the kit.
With the same principle in...
With the same principle in mind as tack-welding, Steve assembled the tailgate hardware for a test-fit.
The Mar-K retaining straps...
The Mar-K retaining straps have a real nice cad-plated finish, and easily bolt into place with the included hardware. Because our '66's bed opening was distorted from a major hit to the driver-side rear, the tailgate straps didn't quite fully extend on one side.
Realizing the fit was as good...
Realizing the fit was as good as we could get it without repairing the bedside, Steve used our trusty Miller 252 to lay down a bead. People often blame the new parts as the source of a bad fit, but it almost always turns out to be a bad original part causing a fitment problem.
There it is, a perfectly good,...
There it is, a perfectly good, gas-free weld with our Miller 252 sitting smack in the middle of blowing Santa Ana winds. See the July '09 issue of CCT for more about gas-free MIG welding in harsh outdoor conditions.
Here's a good view of the...
Here's a good view of the tailgate handle flip-kit that comes standard with Mar-K's C10 tailgate.