2005 Toyota Tundra Tailgate repair
Smashed tailgate.
Crumpled interior surface difficult to slide objects over, difficult to work on.
The goal is to flatten the interior side of the tailgate to be a flat work surface again. Beautification can wait till I return to a civilized life style.
Back story:
backed into a tree, while seeing a clear path in my left and right rear-view mirrors, didn't look at the middle mirror., This happened at 9,000 feet just below treeline on mt Peale in Utah.
I strip the access panels to get to the un-working latches and jury rig rig a pull string to the left latch. Drive back to Oregon.
Procrastinating , I see used tailgates online for less than $100. But I am driving to Baja surely I can get one there, maybe they will be cheaper there? Nope, turns out there are no Tundras in Baja at least in the wrecking yards.
Work begins:
Drill out the spot welds surrounding the damaged area.
Looking at the damage from many angles over several months, I start tweaking the crumpled area with vice grips. I use a straightedge to visualize the measurements of the crush. I start looking around the compound for heavy metal bracketry to make a pulling-frame. I find a high-low lift that looks like it will work. bolts and washers next. Assemble and draw up the nuts and bolts.
Well that didn't work well enough. I needed a lever with a lot of force. So I jacked up the front wheel, laid lumber over the sticking up steel and lowered the truck down on the lumber. Thereby smooshing the crumpled back into a semblance of flatness. pretty proud of myself.
Comments