DIY Tailgate reinforcement

Hey all. Just got done reinforcing my tailgate with a 14 gauge steel sheet. Just wanted to share the experience with anyone considering the same.

I wanted to maintain the factory look of the tailgate as well as the composite cover. Very happy with the outcome and saved a lot of money over some of the available alternatives.

Once complete, you can't even tell it's there. Total cost was $65 for the steel and paint and about 2.5 hours (minus paint drying time), assuming you have all the required tools.

[EDIT: As a couple of users have commented, this mod is not going to add any lateral support to the tailgate; that's not the intent. If you overload the tailgate, it still has the potential to buckle lengthwise in the middle. As you can see in the pic below, there is no backing to the flimsy factory tailgate cover. My intent with this mod was provide a backing to this composite cover and keep it from bending and flexing underfoot or under even small loads.]

You will need:
14 gauge sheet metal
Angle grinder w/ cutting wheel
Drill w/ step bit
Screw driver (T-30 torx head)
Piece of paper or cardboard for template
Felt tip marker
Scissors

Optional:
Dremel/grinder (to clean up cut edges)
Can of spray paint (rust prevention)
2 clamps

I haven't done many write-ups, so bear with me.

Start by removing the plastic factory tailgate cap and composite cover with a T-30 bit. This is what our flimsy factory tailgates look like underneath.


Next you will need your sheet of steel. I used 14 gauge cut to 15 3/8" X 54 5/8". You should be able to find the steel at most welding shops. I had the shop cut me a 19" X 56" piece then I cut it down to size myself at home. If you want to save yourself some time, have the shop cut it to the final dimensions for you.


Here is the back side of the composite tailgate cover. You want your final piece to fit into the lip that goes around the left, right and bottom edges of this cover.


I used a large sheet of packing paper and scissors to make a guide to mark the metal with. It doesn't have to be perfect, as the final product won't be visible anyway.


Next, I transferred the pattern to the metal on both sides; the piece is symmetrical, so you can just flip the same pattern and copy it to the other side. I used a black felt tip marker to transfer the pattern.


Next step is to cut it out. Again, this only has to be as clean a cut as your conscience can stand; nobody is going to see the final product. Grind away all the black marker, and you will be good to go. I used a dremel to remove any burrs and/or sharp edges. You can see the aforementioned lip here.


Next, you'll need to mark and drill the screw holes. The composite cover has three alignment tabs (see pic) on it that you can either cut off or drill holes in the metal to accommodate. For simplicity, I just knocked 'em off with my cutting wheel.


Once the alignment tabs are dealt with, clamp the steel plate to the composite cover ensuring everything is properly aligned. Then, mark the holes on the sheet metal. Drill the holes out using your step bit; I drilled them out to 3/4". No worries if the holes are a little bigger than needed, the lip around the cover will keep the metal aligned.

Next, I used black spray paint to prevent rust.


Once the paint dries, you can put your masterpiece on the truck. Just reverse the way you took everything off, but this time with the metal plate in place first.


As I said, once complete you can't even tell it's there. The tailgate will have a satisfying amount of heft and it'll be a whole hell of a lot sturdier. I can stand and jump around on this thing now without feeling like my foot's going to go through it.


Thanks for reading!

 

Nicely done! This is on my to do list but instead of putting the oem plastic back on, I'm shooting for 3/8" Poly to give us a nice kitchen work surface when we are setup at camp.

 

hate to say it but a flat sheet isnt gonna do much for strength. I rock the relentless fab wrap around skin with the stock composite cover, easy to install fits just like you got going on but also wraps around the top adding strength due to bends.

 

You defintely have some skills, but how does this make the tailgate any stronger ? You didnt adresss the major issue which is that the top of the tailgate can bend.

 

Well, if my big ass can jump around on it without it giving, it's plenty strong for me. Plus, at less than half the cost, I'm happy with it.

 

I liked the pic of your little helper.

 

It keeps the composite cover from bending and flexing by giving it a sturdy backing. I have yet to load anything into the back of my truck that is heavy enough to buckle the tailgate lengthwise. If I ever did load something that heavy, I wouldn't rest it on the tailgate in the first place, I'd probably just remove the tailgate altogether. My main concern was only with the composite bending and flexing when I walk on it; not too worried about the whole tailgate bending.

 

This ^ with no bends in the sheet,it has no support value.

 

Sure it does. It doesn't add any lateral support to the whole tailgate, no. There is a significant increase in support between the front and back edge of the tailgate though; virtually no flexing of the composite cover now. If I put a huge load on the center of the tailgate (like a motorcycle), of course a flat sheet of thin metal isn't going to add any support value. That wasn't my concern. I do however walk on my tailgate all the time oftentimes holding/carrying something heavy. I might mention too that I weigh over 250lbs. My concern was with the obvious flexing and bending of the plastic underfoot because, as you can see in the pics, there's nothing behind it from the factory. Adding even a thin sheet of metal underneath the flimsy factory plastic absolutely adds support and fixed my concern.

 

To each his own.

 

I see where you're going with this. Same concept as the metal sheets they lay down in the road to cover massive holes during construction. They're not designed for extreme weights but they can support the car. Especially since the weight load is distributed (usually unevenly) between 4 tires. Same concept here. It sounds like it's enough to hold you while walking on it but could still bend and cave if say a motorcycle tire was parked on it while travelling on the interstate. It doesnt add lateral support which you already know. And if it works for you, then that's all that matters

 

Exactly. Thank you. Those plates are able to support so much weight because they're evenly supported on all four sides by the road surface. If you were to support one of those plates on only two sides, the weight of a car would bend it much more easily. Support it on four sides though and you can drive a dump truck over it.

Continuing with your road construction example, I think what some of the above users are saying is that putting a plate over a hole doesn't do much to add to the strength of the road surface, which I agree with. I'm not worried about the road caving in though, I would just rather drive over a steel plate and not a plastic one.

 

Makes sense to plenty of us.

Some were being kind and wanted to ensure you knew what you have/haven't achieved, and that's cool.

Others want to criticize you for not overbuilding for no intentional reason, and that's usually not cool.

You're cool.

The tailgate's cool.

Cool.

 

The strength of the unrestrained sheet flat steel panel - at any span - is based on the thickness squared. The 14 Ga is about .075 thick and most all grades are about 35,000 psi yield strength. You could also use sheet aluminum - at this thickness and get the same result but lighter. Type 6061 Aluminum is the same yield strength as the sheet steel and at say .100 thick would be 1.78 times stiffer.

I think this looks like a well made part - and if he ever bends it (a maybe), he'll know what the next step is by intuition. make it a little thicker.

 

Justins' think alike.

 

Thought of making one out of aluminum. But then I got lazy and bought a steel one from Mobtown.

 

Looks pretty serious.

 

Added unnecessary weight every time you open/close. Just cut a board to fit, store it under the mat.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tail-gate-reinforcement.614774/#post-20870194

 

Wanted to match the cross-bed tool box.



1/8 inch thick aluminum diamond plate 6061 Aluminum - replaces the plastic cover. Made with an added center row of screws. Still haven't built a proper cap for the rascal - but the day is coming...... The pattern for this full cover style (2nd Gen) is in my album, I had the piece sheared out - then dressed the edges.