Help with first gen tailgate?

Hi so I bought my 2003 Tacoma Xtracab prerunner (2.7l l4) last November. I have no idea how this happened but the tailgate had a large scratch across the back like really big.

Thankfully it was horizontal if you know what I mean and wasn’t all over the place but it was still big. This weekend I went to take of the bed liner on it to try and fix the handle as it would get stuck. When I pulled off the plastic cover I found this: (pic below) As I said, I have no idea where the scratches camer from. The scratch I was mentioning earlier I cannot get a pic of because it’s been covered up with Gorilla Tape Wide and thick of you know what that is. I put it there temporarily to cover the scratch. What I’m saying is should I try to repair all the scratches including the large one on the back or should I just get a new tailgate because the handle like I said gets stuck and that is something that’s bothering me too. So far, when looking for tailgates I cannot find ones in green. They come lacquered but not in my colour and I don’t want to bother painting it id rather it come painted.

If anyone recommends getting a new tailgate please give me a link to one with a new handle and door mechanism already installed and perferably one with Toyota prerunner on the back if possible. Also, give CANADIAN LINKS ONLY please. I’ve been getting all the links so far and realized before adding to cart that it’s American and if you didn’t know, to my house, it’s at least $70 Canadian shipping not including handling so please make sure it’s Canadian.

One last thing I wanted to mention was that other than the scratches, the tailgate from the outside with the tape over top is in great condition but the handle I cannot seem to take off to replace because the bolts holding it in are corroded and when I try to loosed the bolts they go in an infinite circle and the inside is really dirty too (full of sand and dirt somehow)

Thanks a lot, appreciated.

 

Wut.

If I interpreted this correctly and this was my tailgate, I would do the fallowing.

- Wash it out and lube everything to see if you can get the handle to operate properly.

- Paint the backside of the tailgate to prevent more rust and reinstall tailgate beeline piece.

- Finally, just use touch up paint on the large, like really big scratch on the outside.

 

Seems like it was someone’s work truck at some point. Unless the rest of the truck is perfect it’s not worth buying a new one and would do what the guy above said

 

Yeah you did, my bad for making it confusing there was just so many things to talk about. How would I do it myself? Find the colour code (which is where), sand it down and then prime it paint it and then clear coat it?

 

Rough it up, tape off, a couple coats of self etching primer maybe a coat of adhesion promoter and 2/3 coats of matched paint in a can...
Should look fine as that gate looks to have had better days. Take your time and do it in the right temp and it will look better

 

I think your color code in part the VIN

 

sand it with 180grit, apply some etching primer for the bare metal, and then hit it with some bed liner. You can get it in the aerosol cans.

 

Should I use black self etching primer because that’s all I can find? Same with black filler primer?

 

it's also listed on the door jam sticker if that is still present.

bottom left of the sticker will say "C/TR - XXX/XXX" which is color/trim and then the corresponding codes. I think an 03 is Imperial Jade Mica 6Q7. can buy touch up paint for $7 a can if you want to go factory color. If it were mine I'd just prime and throw some bed liner on it. you'll probably want to spray right under the bed liner edge as well as it tends to start rusting under there too.

 

Agreed, looks like someone used it to haul scrap metal.

 

Nice thing is you can take it off and put on sawhorses to work on, repair, refinish.

The handle can be repaired.

Look at www.monstaliner.com They may have a color that is close to yours. And even if you dont want that type finish on the exterior, ditching that drop in bedliner and finishing the metal with that would be a good call.

 

Thanks I will appreciated. Is that Canadian?

 

You covered a scratch with gorilla tape? The tape looks better than a scratch? That must be a helluva scratch.

 

Yeah I finally got a picture

 

Remove that metal cover panel and bend it back out with a mallet or hammer. It gets dented in and then starts contacting the back of the tailgate handle. This happens on my truck all the time.

Obviously if your handle is broken then you need to replace it, but if it's just getting jammed I would start there.

 

Yeah I did that a couple days ago I noticed it was bent, the handle is perfect now but you can see this picture of the tailgate now with the tape on it. It did the cleanest job I could with it.

 

Yeah it was... like I said I didn’t do it it must have been the previous owner. I posted the picture like 2m ago if you wanna see.

 

I would just tape off the area that has good paint, then sand down the scratch smooth and rustoleum primer and flat black paint the area that’s taped off and the backside of the tailgate and call it good. I think it will look fine as long as you sand down the scratch pretty smooth.