Tailgate differences?

[mountainkowboy]

I thought my tailgate was bent/bowed slightly, checked it today with a straight edge and its now. I bought a cheap camper shell that needed some repairs and finally got it on the truck, only to find out that the tailgate isn't flat on the outside. There is a slight arch to it, so the rear hatch window doesn't seal on it. Was there a year when the outside of the tailgate was flat, and will it fit on a 2011?

 

[adsm08]

All the tailgates are pretty interchangeable as far as fit. Finish might be another story.

83-92 were flat.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Might see if the door seal is hard from age and is not contouring to the tailgate like it should.

 

[mountainkowboy]

Might see if the door seal is hard from age and is not contouring to the tailgate like it should.

Rear hatch is all glass with a rubber D seal

 

[91stranger]

You could change the d seal to something bigger or thicker to make a better seal. I work at an RV dealership and I've seen all sorts of different shapes and sizes of seal. its pretty cheap too. around a dollar a foot give or take some change per foot. we keep a lot of different stuff in stock too. if you have a local camper place I would start there and see what they got. how badly do you need this hatch to seal? are you camping in it or something?

 

[adsm08]

how badly do you need this hatch to seal? are you camping in it or something?

Some people just like their bed cap sealed.

At the last dealership I worked at we had this guy who pretty much wanted his bed and cap hermetically sealed. He bought a new truck every two years and would make us completely seal off the bed from the outside. We had to line the cap up perfectly, pull the bed liner out and caulk the drain plugs, everything. We were in a farm town and his driveway was about a mile of dirt and gravel, and he hunted with those trucks, but seemed to think that even a little bit of dust inside the bed was the same as someone taking a crap on his driver's seat and then smearing it all over the steering wheel.

 

[91stranger]

Some people just like their bed cap sealed.

At the last dealership I worked at we had this guy who pretty much wanted his bed and cap hermetically sealed. He bought a new truck every two years and would make us completely seal off the bed from the outside. We had to line the cap up perfectly, pull the bed liner out and caulk the drain plugs, everything. We were in a farm town and his driveway was about a mile of dirt and gravel, and he hunted with those trucks, but seemed to think that even a little bit of dust inside the bed was the same as someone taking a crap on his driver's seat and then smearing it all over the steering wheel.

hahaha some peoples children. my truck got dusty wah wah wah lol

 

[mountainkowboy]

You could change the d seal to something bigger or thicker to make a better seal. I work at an RV dealership and I've seen all sorts of different shapes and sizes of seal. its pretty cheap too. around a dollar a foot give or take some change per foot. we keep a lot of different stuff in stock too. if you have a local camper place I would start there and see what they got. how badly do you need this hatch to seal? are you camping in it or something?

It's a pretty big difference from center to the outside but I might be able to make it up with a different seal on the outer edges of the window. I do use it to camp in sometimes too, but not anal about it sealing......lol.

 

[adsm08]

hahaha some peoples children. my truck got dusty wah wah wah lol

Tell me about it.

I once had a woman yell at me for getting in her car with a dirty shirt on. It was 8:05 in the morning and that shirt was as clean as it was going to get. Unfortunately it was also a lighter shade of blue, and so it was stained really badly and looked much dirtier than it was.

Or the guy who spent five minutes screaming at me for "leaving a hole on the inside of his car". He brought it in for a noise from the seat belt's shoulder height adjuster, under warranty. Ford said to put anti-rattle felt tape on it, so I did. His interior was tan, the only color the tape comes in his black. He never even investigated, just came back and started screaming about me having cut a hole in his car.

We eventually got warranty to buy a new seat belt because he was unhappy with the color difference, but still, his reaction was way out of line.

And we had so many of those there, but for some reason I miss that place more than any other job I have quit from.

 

[Curious Hound]

Tell me about it.

I once had a woman yell at me for getting in her car with a dirty shirt on. It was 8:05 in the morning and that shirt was as clean as it was going to get. Unfortunately it was also a lighter shade of blue, and so it was stained really badly and looked much dirtier than it was.

Or the guy who spent five minutes screaming at me for "leaving a hole on the inside of his car". He brought it in for a noise from the seat belt's shoulder height adjuster, under warranty. Ford said to put anti-rattle felt tape on it, so I did. His interior was tan, the only color the tape comes in his black. He never even investigated, just came back and started screaming about me having cut a hole in his car.

We eventually got warranty to buy a new seat belt because he was unhappy with the color difference, but still, his reaction was way out of line.

And we had so many of those there, but for some reason I miss that place more than any other job I have quit from.

Customers....

Can't live with them.
Can't live without them.

In the service industry, you have a different "boss" on every job.

 

[91stranger]

yeah I can relate to those type of customer a LOT. ALL the time people are trying to get us to fix something they broke by saying we messed with something or "it was working just fine BEFORE we brought in to your shop" An RV is typically pretty big and lets say we fixed someone's air conditioner on top of their unit, they call back 3-4 weeks later saying they are getting a vibration when they drive a 55 mph and its somehow our fault? This happens ALL THE TIME. The reality of the case is people not maintaining their units properly. Yes, your brand new camper will have a dead battery if you leave it sit unplugged for a month. they just cant seem to wrap their heads around maintenance. batteries and sealant issues are the most common thing people think warranty should cover. However, salesmen don't tell them what their warranties don't cover so people think they get bumper to bumper coverage for 2 years without doing any kind of maintenance or care. Just wanted to vent a little lol

 

[pjtoledo]

Customers....

Can't live with them.
Can't live without them.

In the service industry, you have a different "boss" on every job.

definitely, that's why I retired early




oh yeah, we're supposed to be talking tailgates. be careful if you try to straighten it. long spans tend to kink in the middle instead of bending evenly over the entire width.

 

[mountainkowboy]

I worked retail for 23 years and told all my newbs that people are idiots and they prove it all the time. Guess the seal doesn't matter now...yesterday morning I woke up the the rear window blown out on the shell. Cause unknown