[leochevy2001]

Well, yesterday I took off the stock tailgate cap and I am left with the threaded holes. Not wanting to get water inside, suppose to rain all week, I put the bolts back on. What I want to know is how to take the threaded holes out of the tailgate? I have a SS tailgate cap that I want to put on but I need to have that area smooth.

 

[BuiltNotBought99]

weld the holes up and smooth them out.

 

[03rado]

most likely gonna have to weld them up to get it smooth

 

[leochevy2001]

What about the part of the threaded hole that sticks out past the actual tailgate shell? How do I get those off?

 

[Dark Eternal]

grind em down

 

[bcubed]

The SS tailgate cap should just cover them, shouldn't it? Ask Y2KSierra, he has one

 

[leochevy2001]

Sounds like I should have waited for whenever I get a roll pan and the relocated the handle to do this :banghead: .......

I can't get a pic right now but there are little metal rings that sit on the outside of the hole and I don't think that the SS cap will sit over those. It should sit over the holes once the metal rings are removed. Thanks for the pic bcubed......that is the way I want the cap to look.

 

[Dark Eternal]

if you are really good with an angle grinder use it to grind them flat, if not use something more exact like a dremmel.

 

[Will]

i have a 01 LT, and i didn't have thoose rims... I didn't even have the holes in the tail gate. I guess some of our trucks were built differently than others.

 

[03rado]

yep some trucks are different than others from the factory

 

[leochevy2001]

i have a 01 LT, and i didn't have thoose rims... I didn't even have the holes in the tail gate. I guess some of our trucks were built differently than others.

Did you have that bulky tailgate cap or did you have the thin one? I had the bulky one and that one have screws on it.

 

[Backinblack]

Did you test fit the SS cap to see if it would cover them? When I replaced the shelf GM put on my truck with a smooth one it fit and covered the holes. Give it a shot.

 

[leochevy2001]

The threaded holes have a ring that keeps them from falling into the tailgate itself. These rings sit on the outside of the tailgate but I will check to see if the SS cap will fit over them.

 

[Steve]

I just had holes in my tailgate...they were flush with the gate since i had the "slim" tailgate protector that tapes on instead of screws on. The SS cap fit fine back over everything and covered them up. If they are sticking out like in your case, they would need to be ground down, or filled up and grinded smooth. Of course then you'd likely need new paint and everything, might be best to wait until the handle is flipped...

 

[leochevy2001]

To late, i already took off the other cap not thinking that there would be something like that in the way.

 

[Toolman]

Just weld up the holes it looks better that way.

 

[leochevy2001]

Is welding angle iron (c-channel, box beam, etc.) different from welding sheet metal?

 

[jgw9999]

I've got the same problem. I think the threaded inserts you're refering to are basically braded in, not threaded. I'll let you know if I find out how to remove them.

Do you have the part # for the SS tailgate cap? My Chevy dealer can't locate.

 

[snakeoiler]

To use the closest term, those threaded plugs are "riveted" in place. Drill them out or grind them off. They can be a bitch at times.