*** Ranger tailgate ***

*** UPDATE 10/12/08 ***

This is a 2004 Ranger tailgate I was asked to shave and install a plate box in. I decided to do this a bit different than a normal shave job. I decided to use as much of the stock parts as possible and not buy a handle relocator or plate box. I will show the way to do this job with just the parts on the tailgate and some extra sheet metal.

First I started by removing the inside panel, handle and emblems. I next used a Roloc® disc to remove all the paint from the outside of the tailgate. The final color will be the same so I did not need to strip the inside. I grinded these with a 50 grit disc. You can also use a 40 grit disc but I recommend not using the 24 grit discs. The 24 grit would put very deep scratches in the metal that are hard to cover.

I next used a Sharpie® marker and a measuring stick to mark the areas to be cut. I used a square to make sure the marked cuts were square to make it easier to make filler plates.

I then cut the marked holes around the tailgate handle and the area for the plate box with a very thin cutoff wheel on a 4.5" grinder. I also used a 3" thin cutoff wheel on a straight sir die grinder to make the curved cuts for the plate box. I then used the 50 grit disc to sand, straighten and smooth the edges.

I then used .023 wire and welded in some .250" solid round rod along the inside edge of the hole for the plate box and along just the top of the handle hole. This will help with the sheet metal to be put inside and add a rounded edge to grind after welding. I tacked the solid rod in about 4 or 5 places and let it cool for a while before doing more. I did this until there were .250" spaces in between tack welds. I then started welding these up with my mig welder turned down to the lowest setting.

I now had the plate box hole cut, solid welded in and grinded smooth and the tailgate handle hole welded up as well. I then moved on to the inner plate box. I took the piece I cut out of the plate box hole and added some flat sheet metal 1.5" wide to the outside edge of the plate box. I tacked it a little at a time and rolled it around the corners tacking it slowly as I went. In the pic below notice the small strip off to the right. Thats the strip of metal tacked to the plate box inside plate.

I got this welded solid then I grinded the edges with a 4.5" grinder and smoothed the edges with the 50 grit disc. I then put the plate box into the hole and held it up with some wooden stir sticks at the angle I wanted. I then started tacking the box into the hole the same way as above until it was welded solid.

I then went over the whole tailgate again with the 50 grit disc and used a blower to blow off any loose particles. I then applied some quality body filler over the entire tailgate in a thin layer and added to any areas that were low.

I then used 40 grit on a long block and also on my air file to get this straight. I reworked the areas that neede more filler and resanded it all with the long block by hand.

This may be a waste of filler to some of you guys but I like to work these tailgates down all at once.

The next thing in this process was to coat the whole thing with glaze and work that down as well. I like to sand it with 80 to start with then 180 then 320. If I need to add more I will and get it smooth with a soft block with 320 and then its time for primer. For this we used a thick primer and put on several coats.

We then baked the tailgate on the conveyor line running it thru the 100 ft oven at 130 degrees. This was at a line speed of about 4 feet per minute. We then waited a day, blocked it again, primed it again and baked it again. The next step will be to block it with 400 or 600 wet. There may be enough primer on it to 400 wet it then 600 wet it without adding more. yea, im a little different but oh well. It can be done sucessfully.

This is where we left off. The tailgate is doing a little time on the truck until we get a chance to get back on it.

More to come soon