Guess I'm tailgate shopping. @#$%!!!!

[swilson143]

What a day! First I'm commuting home on my motorcycle and get tagged by lady in a stopped car who suddenly cranks her wheels over and accelerates into me as I'm going by. She tagged my left saddlebag. I kept the bike on two wheels so I'm fine. As if that didn't suck enough, her insurance policy expired last month.

So I arrive home hoping to decompress before bed... instead I find the tailgate of my truck smashed. I had just finished waxing it yesterday afternoon and then the wife took it to visit her folks. Seems when she got back home and was turning around on our driveway she backed into a tree limb. @##$!!!!

So I guess now I have to figure out if its cheaper to fix the existing tailgate or find a replacement and have it painted. I thought I read somewhere that the 2008 tailgate needs brackets to fit the older trucks. What brackets? The ones at the bottom that it hinges on, or the upper ones that it latches into?

[Cj Ford]

bottom ones need to be changed out for the new style

[03f250stroke]

the brackets just make lifting the gate easier. if you take the torsion bar out like i did then you dont need to buy the brackets. imo i dont notice it being any heavier or harder to lift up

[HeavyAssault]

The drivers side lower hinge will need to be swapped out. I love my '08 gate!

[swilson143]

Right now I've got my choice of ...

$125 new condition 'take off' from a 2001 F350 white
or
$550 new condition 'take off' from a 2008 F250 white
then
$350 to have a local shop paint to match
plus another (guessing) $100 for LineX.

So... is the 2008 tailgate worth the additional $425? I guess I'll decide Friday when I find out how much StateFarm is going to pay.

[HeavyAssault]

$550 is steep..$350 is the going rate.

[swilson143]

Thanks for that info. I'll do some more calling tomorrow and maybe I'll find a 2008 for cheaper.

[89MustangGX]

Originally Posted by swilson143

Thanks for that info. I'll do some more calling tomorrow and maybe I'll find a 2008 for cheaper.

Check this thread:

2008 Non-Step Tailgate Conversion

Depending on how bad your old tailgate is, you may be able to use parts from the old one in a brand new 08 gate for less than you've seen so far.

Adam

[drstephennix]

I dont know if he still has any or not, but Choctaw had white 08 tailgates for sale. May wanna send a PM to him

[swilson143]

Originally Posted by 89MustangGX

Check this thread:

2008 Non-Step Tailgate Conversion

Depending on how bad your old tailgate is, you may be able to use parts from the old one in a brand new 08 gate for less than you've seen so far.

Adam

Sweet... that looks like the way I should go since all the internals as well as the inside cover are still in good shape.

Thanks!