Chopped the top....got a tailgate question...

[BIIHawg]

So i chopped the top off my 89 Bronco II and have reached the point of installing a tailgate. Now, I know a ranger tailgate will work but my question is....Am i restricted to the 84-92 ranger tailegate or will a mid 90's one work?

The reason I'm asking is that my local wreckers have an abundance of mid 90's rangers but all the older ones have been well stripped.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks.

One added question.... Are there any speedbumps I should watch for when installing the tailegate (i.e. placement, alignment etc), are there any tricks to any easy install?

Thanks again

 

[Mudhound]

The 93 and up are a totally new sheetmetal design, with no interchange of sheetmetal onto the older models. Good luck hunting an 83-92 model down for the tailgate.

 

[BroncoDan]

pics! Just like seeing the chop tops...

 

[Mudhound]

Uh, wait a minute. IF you don't mind driving to Kentucky, you can have the one of my shortbed. I am flatbedding it.

 

[BIIHawg]

That's probably a little far to drive for a tailgate. And i'll get some pics up as soon as i can. Its been a while since i updated the build thread.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ok, I've been down this road....

83-92 tailgates work and the body lines match up. I did find that they can be slightly wide though, I had to trim the edges of mine down a little to fit nicely.

93+ tailgates will work, but the body lines will not match up so nicely. Width may have to be trimmed slightly too.

You'll need the hinges and possibly the latches for the tailgate off the Ranger bed.

When I put my tailgate on, I removed the two pins that the hatch latched to and screwed the bolts for the tailgate cables in those holes. Then I located the hinges (I had to trim the one hinge some to fit) and bolted them on. I backed them with some heavy washers and the bolts I used for attaching them were stainless that I grabbed from the local hardware store (I make a habit of using stainless where-ever possible). I couldn't figure out how to make the latch for a first gen work and line right without extensive modification so I fabbed two extended catches out of some heavy stainless sheet I had laying around. I'll have to get a couple pics of it all. It's not perfect, but it works.

 

[BIIHawg]

Thats some handy info. I'd like to see those pics if possible.

 

[IlovemybroncII]

gate

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[retep88]

that turned out really well. Looks like it had that from the factory.

 

[jims89broncoII]

i wanna see some more pics of that thing. good job!

 

[crisd]

Chopped Top B2 on Wagoneer chassis

I've set a Bronco II on a shortened Wagoneer chassis. Also, cut the top off the rear and welded on a Ranger rear. Does anyone care to read how I did it? Here are some random pics during the build.

www.therangerstation.com