I spent the last couple of days installing the bed on my truck. I think it turned out pretty good considering I had to wing it. I hit a couple of snags like having the wrong rear crossmember and having to make custom mounts. But by far my biggest disappointment has been the tailgate. It just dosen't fit! As you can see here and here, there is about a 1" gap on both sides. For the life of me I can't remember where I bought it otherwise I'd be fussing to someone right now! I suppose I can fix it but for once I wish "bolt on" really was!
Rear crossmember? You mentioned a wrong rear crossmember, could that be the problem! not the tailgate? have you checked any dimentions etc with a measuring stick, ask Ken (my arch enemy) for the specs on gate dimentions and bed sides gap. Jus my tuppence worth
My guess is that the rear crossmember is too wide for the bed and that there is nothing wrong with the tailgate itself. The bed itself is rectangular, so measure the inside width of the bed at the front bed panel. It should be 48" give or take. Now measure the width of the bed at the end of the side panels. It should be the same. If the measurement is wider at the back, then the rear crossmember is the culprit. Also, measure from right front at the front panel to the left end of the bed side. Now do the same, only measure from left front to right rear. If those 2 measurements are equal, your bed is square. Hope that helps. Ken
The crossmember was from a half ton. They are the same size, only the mounts for the frame. The 3600 rear frame is 11" more narrow than the 3100, so I improvised and made a different mount for it. I also measured the front panel for a reference and both front & rear measure 50".
I'm glad I said give or take on my 48" measurement. It is 50" for both the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton. Given that, check to see if the bed sides are 50" at the bottom of the back and top of the back. Looking at the 2 pictures of the tailgate, it looks like maybe the tailgate hinges are not going far enough into the tailgate. Might that be your problem?
From your pictures it looks like the rear opening is wider at the top. It should be 50 " top and bottom. Your gate should measure just shy of 50". If you pull the tops together the whole thing might just fit fine. Just an idea.
Is the rear crossmember seated properly ? I just put one in the 53 and it took a couple whacks with the #8 adjustment tool to get it fully inserted into the bedsides.
mmmmmm? Well now, if your tailgate is just shy of 50'' then your bed sides must be too far apart, i would expect a gap of around 1/4" max each side but you seem to have a massive gap leading me to think your rear crossmember is causing the problem, measure the front of the bed at the top and bottom and the rear should be identical.
Out of square? I know my rear cross member had the bed sides welded to to it. I would suggest putting a framing square on it to see if the sides are 90 degrees to the cross member. Once you get them there, weld them to stay that way. I didn't realize you were redoing a 3/4~ That's a mighty fine frame you got going there!
pics Been looking at your pics and something doesnt look right with the rear crossmember, are you sure thats the right one? im sure mine had 3 bolts in the bottom of the stake holding it onto the crossmember on each side, the shape of it does not look right either, or am i wrong, its hard to see because you have an after market rear panel on there by the looks of things
Take the tail gate off and see if it close to the same size as the front of the bed next to the cab, also place your old one and the new one next to each other and see if they are the same size.
OK. I spent all day trying to make it work and the problem definately the tailgate. Don't be fooled by the pictures because when I took those I had loosened the bolts in the sill. With everything thghtened down the measurements are 50" top & bottom. The gate is only 49 1/8. It's definately too short.
Tailgates Couldn't resist so I went down and measured the tailgate on my 52 half ton. The bed is exactly 50" wide, the tailgate (flange to flange) is 51". Where it fits between the bed sides it's 49 and 11/16's. I feel your frustration!
Just bought this one on Ebay. I like the flat black & pin stripes. I had been seriously considering going with a flat black look anyway.
That's Slick!!! There you go~ You sure can't paint over that! Awesome striping job! Flat black's cool~ Just ask Sweet!
Off topic, what is the tank I was loking at your tailgate pisc, and noticed your gas tank. I was woundering what it is from and how you mounted it ?
