Internal tailgate repair?

I took apart my tailgate and discovered (10) right angled sheet metal standoffs that provide structural integrity to the tailgate.

Four (4) of mine have separated, vibrated apart.

There is some kind of glue in the joint.

I want to fix them.

Anybody glued then back together?

Anybody know what kind of glue is used in the body panels?

 

I would go to your local auto body repair shop. They might be able to sell you some or at least give you a name of some stuff to use.

 

Don't know what they use at the factory, but JBweld should work.

Not sure you really lose any strength in the tailgate from those being separated, though. They're not really in a load path for the box structure of the gate, and they'll keep the separation between the two sins that really provides what strength there is in that kind of assembly.

 

The standoffs are providing some support, without them, it would just cave. When I took mine apart, the sheet metal was bent. The factory adhesive is the same as under the hood and in the door panels that secure the exterior skin to the reinforements. It's a flexible type material. It's probably not a very good glue, but for automotive it seems to work.

JB Weld might be a good option.

This is a pic inside after cleaning dust and dirt out for 45 minutes. lol

 

I don't know of any tailgate with fully intact supports.


JB Weld is what I would probably do.

 

The standoffs don't have to be glued to the sheet metal to provide that kind of support since they do it by contact with the two panels they're keeping separated. Re-gluing them won't hurt anything but probably isn't necessary.

 

Any bent parts usually means the tailgate handled a load too heavy, and was about to collapse.

Appears time for Mobtown's reinforced tailgate skin.

 

I think the Relentless Aluminum is better than that 2 part solution

 

Mine was bent from sandbags sliding into itI removed it and dropped a bail of hay on it to straighten it enough to function again. But I have had over 400# on it while it was lowered with no problems.
OP, I would use a good epoxy with a high shear strength. Or do one of the tailgate reinforcement fixes on here. Mobtowns is a good looking one, I may go with.

 

i would use a good marine adhesive to bond it . on my 15 i see the hood has done the same thing. in the spring i,m going to rebond/glue this stuff. i,m glad i caught this thread, didn't think about the tailgate.i build boats for a living, so i will use what we have at work. 3m, sikaflex, these are the two brands we use. the adhesive for above the waterline,black, dries in 24hrs. the adhesive for below the water the waterline,white, dries in 72hrs. just my $.02, good luck. oh yea, this adhesive stays flexable for a long time,years, and is real strong, unlike silicone.

 

It's all true that the tailgate design sucks.

I've been aware of the aftermarket reinforements for a long time. Frankly, if the four internal supports are repaired, I think I'll be okay.

All my truck ever sees is camping gear. And home store loads from Costco. Never abused from hauling or heavy duty loads, etc.

 

i'm going to rebond alot of areas of my truck this spring to make it right and to stop any possable rattles.

 

I have a friend who also works with boats. I've seen him use

$30 3M 5200 (06504) Permanent Bonding and Sealing for Boats and RVs Above and Below the Waterline Waterproof Repair, Black, 10 fl oz Cartridge

3M 5200 adhesive sealant in Tacoma projects. I'm thinking that would be great for this application. Super strong bond and flexible.

 

yes this is a real good bonder, takes awhile to dry,72hrs. sicaflex makes good stuff as well. both products are pricey, but worth it. the 5200 is only in white i think, but color may not be an issue. we use another off brand that is in black, great holding power. i think it is called "seal bond" i'm going to use this because it is black and i don't want to see the adhesive as much as white, i.e., under the hood.

 

It's body mastic. It's applied to the bare metal between the two parts. I wouldn't use JB weld because the body mastic is pliable even after it gets baked at 400 degrees. It's to prevent the panels from rubbing together and stiffens the panel. Unless it is making noise, I would just leave it alone.

 

Troy, Thanks for chiming in. Seeing that this is your first post since joining in Sept, let me extend a warm welcome to the forum.

I'm going to seal it back up, but will use something flexible, probably the

$30 3M 5200 (06504) Permanent Bonding and Sealing for Boats and RVs Above and Below the Waterline Waterproof Repair, Black, 10 fl oz Cartridge

3M 5200.

 

Look up Lord Fusor panel adhesive. That type of product is what is used professionally to bond panels at both the factory and body shops. There's a few different companies that make this stuff too. Your local auto body supply shop can also recommend which adhesive to use. I wouldn't bother with JB as it doesn't have the same strength as the panel adhesive.

 

x2 on the Fusor. I use that brand at my job for bonding door skins to door reinforcements and its top notch stuff.

 

I was just trying to tell you what we use building the Subaru and Camry. Same body mastic used on the Camry as the Tacoma

 

pretty sure those are just to help line up the tailgate skin during production.

That stated.... relentless fab steel full tailgate skin is the way to go. I love mine, makes my tailgate an actual useable tailgate.