WC 53 hinge area progress
Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2022 1:07 am
The strip of metal below the tailgate (I don’t know what it’s called) on my carryall was beat up pretty badly. Since I was rebuilding the tailgate hinges I decided to remove the center section and weld in a replacement. The damaged strip is 16 gauge and I don’t have the tools to form an exact replacement, so I made it from two pieces. I used a spot weld cutter to remove the damaged piece. Once apart I decided to remove the entire piece and treat the hidden rust. I welded the cleaned and treated ends back on and then cut the center section to length. The center section has about a one inch curve in it, along its length. This would be very difficult to fabricate in one piece. I found a small crack in the lower left corner of the tailgate opening, and the factory welds were fugly, I will be addressing those at a later time.
