[Silvlowrdr]

Whats everyones thoughts on welding the ass end smooth???? I've got a steely pan, and am going to put a box in my gate. I've got the fillers in and the caddy tails almost completed. I'm never ever going to use the bed for anything because i have two pumps, and six batts in the back, a serious notch, a fuel cell and my batt in the bed, so i'm not gonna be inconveniencing myself in any way. Not sure how it'll look with no lines.

 

[Whifflebat]

Seen it done, looks nice, but damn...can you still call it a pickup when it doesn't have a tailgate? :think:

 

[Steve]

Seen it done, looks nice, but damn...can you still call it a pickup when it doesn't have a tailgate? :think:

It still has a bed, so it would still be a pickup. I do most of my "hauling" in the extended cab portion of my truck anyway :anitoof: Not to mention i can step over my tailgate at the carwash with ease without touching anything but the ground to the bed floor :read:

As for the original question, you can weld it smooth and it will look really nice, but please use a tailgate skin to do this. otherwise you are going to end up with cracks and all that good stuff.

 

[02chevy]

hell yeah bro,go with a skin and that shit will look cool,sounds like ur goin all the way with ur truck with one shot,what color is it gonna be?

 

[99redsilv]

Welding mine closed with the 03 tails still in... gonna make access doors to get to the screws on the tailights.


You won't need a gate skin it can be easily done correctly without having to pay for extra metal.

 

[Silvlowrdr]

hell yeah bro,go with a skin and that shit will look cool,sounds like ur goin all the way with ur truck with one shot,what color is it gonna be?

Yeah i think i bit off a lil more than i wanted to, but its coming along. Sux havin to work. Wish i could just work on my truck but thats life. I'm really up in the air on paint. So far the only thing i've had someone else do to my truck was the first oil change at the dealership cuz it was free, and my notch, because at the time i couldn't weld. Since then its been all me, and i'm goin for the paint. I want to do some kind of scheme, but i dont think i'm ready for it. i know i could spray it, but tapin off would be tough and i haven't had anything to practice on. For now I was thinkin black with some flake, or a blue like the new cobras with some flake, and maybe a lil darker.

 

[LowBlue02]

Welding mine closed with the 03 tails still in... gonna make access doors to get to the screws on the tailights.


You won't need a gate skin it can be easily done correctly without having to pay for extra metal.

Um, actually, you will need a gate skin. Don't give incorrect advice please. p:

 

[chevyman992002]

hell yea, i'd weld it up. one of the future mods i have on my list.

 

[willyswanter]

Just remember if/when you do it, lots of small tack welds! I had the pleasure of trying to redo one done by a guy that did one continuous weld bead from one end to the other, can you say warped? issed:

 

[Beyond Static]

I guess I am one of the few who dont like fully shaved rear ends. It looks too plain imo. It involves a ton of work, but in the end, it looks like a big plain box.

 

[02chevy]

thats the whole point,being smooth

 

[02chevy]

hey but black with flake looks terrible dont do it bro

 

[an032nv]

have a look here http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2287

that's my truck, that's how it will look if it's done by a good bodyshop, I used a skin. You don't have to use a skin, I was the first skin this shop has done, they used to simply "gut" the stock tailgate to make it lighter and weld it in place and it still came out damn good. Skins have to be heavily reinforced, which mine is with a custom square tubing grid they made, it's really really strong now.

 

[El Padrote]

Originally posted by 02Chevy
thats the whole point,being smooth

:word: That's why people shave door handles, gas doors, and all that stuff. But to each his own. Personally, I like the shaved look.

 

[Silvlowrdr]

have a look here http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2287

that's my truck, that's how it will look if it's done by a good bodyshop, I used a skin. You don't have to use a skin, I was the first skin this shop has done, they used to simply "gut" the stock tailgate to make it lighter and weld it in place and it still came out damn good. Skins have to be heavily reinforced, which mine is with a custom square tubing grid they made, it's really really strong now.

Where do you find a whole skin??? I've only seen partial skins before for the NBS trucks. I was plannin on makin a ton of reinforcments. I almost wanna weld the gate up. but i'm gonna have to weld plates to each side of the gate so the seam isn't so big, and then but weld some sheet metal to fill under the gate to the roll pan. Gonna be a fun lil task either which way. Welding sheet metal sux for the record, but it looks damn good.

 

[an032nv]

Where do you find a whole skin??? I've only seen partial skins before for the NBS trucks. I was plannin on makin a ton of reinforcments. I almost wanna weld the gate up. but i'm gonna have to weld plates to each side of the gate so the seam isn't so big, and then but weld some sheet metal to fill under the gate to the roll pan. Gonna be a fun lil task either which way. Welding sheet metal sux for the record, but it looks damn good.

the skin is from FBI and took a lot of work to look beautiful, that's why you need a shop that knows it's stuff. It comes complete from top to bottom, including a skinned rollpan. The part I have on mine was molded in off a sir michaels I bought, which took even more work, but The Hot Rod Shop is pro and that's how it came out.

 

[02chevy]

you know, i dont really know Pat but i do know that his truck will NEVER be in a shop.You definetly gotta give him his cuz is insistant on doing everything himself.If i had the tools i would be the same way. Bro go with a skin,they arent that expensive and it is easier than modifying ur existing tailgate and then molding it shut,get a skin like chris did and just weld the bitch shut,it WILL look sick.

 

[El Padrote]

Grant Kustomz offers tailgate skins too.

 

[chevyman992002]

yea, go with a skin.

 

[99redsilv]

Um, actually, you will need a gate skin. Don't give incorrect advice please. p:

You can weld them close without have to pay over $100 bux for a damn skin.. that just wasted money.


I just welded one up on a toyota for a guy last fall and used scrape sheet metal and if you know what your doing it will never crack.

I'll take pictures next time I see him at a show.