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adam
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2003
15:28:55
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 Subject: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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i dont much about body work, but instead of blowing 200-300 on a tailgate skin, cant i just bondo up or weld in my tailgate and roll pan and all the spaces and shave the handle and then get it repainted? it would look flush like a one piece tailgate skin w/o the cost. oh yea, i never ever use my tailgate so if i would need to get in my bed i could open the hard tonneau cover. any replies on wat u think.
97 5.2L v8 reg. cab Dakota Sport 5spd
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conig
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2003
17:07:25
|  RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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I didn't even know you could get a tailgate skin for a dak. I'd like to see that. while your at it you might fill your tail lights in and get a line of fire led to replace your tail lights.
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UFdakota
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2003
18:20:19
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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OK, this i can definitely help with. 1ST, DONT BONDO! u gotta weld it. My friend got the ass shaved on his s10. He went through the same decision. A shop will prolly tell u that it'll be alot easier if you just get the skin/rollpan combo, cuz its one piece and they just have to weld the sides. if u dont have a rollpan OR if u have a fiberglass/urethane one, this'll be the way to go. If u do already have a STEEL rollpan, u can definitely just shave the handle and weld the sides and the bottom, but the bottom Could be a little problem depending on how much gap there is between the rollpan and tailgate; but, this is what my friend did and he didn't have any problems with that.
Another thing is if u still want those two body lines in the tailgate. If u dont, the skin prolly is all flat, and it'd be a BIITCH to nicely fill in the stock tailgate. if u want them there, this isnt a problem.
BUT, one BIG thing u want to think about is if you're gonna stick with the stock taillights (i dont know how crazy u wanna go). if you're keeping the stock lights, you're gonna want to have access to the screws to get them out (if a bulb goes). This is a BIG DIFFERENCE.If u go with the skin, i'm pretty sure it gives u access cuz theres no inside, just the outer skin; and it looks nice and clean. If u weld the tailgate closed like my friend, you'll have to cut some small holes or a BIGASS hole to reach em, and it wont look as good. Plus, i'm pretty sure the skin comes with support bars (since it's just that outer skin) If u just weld the tailgate and cut out the inside like the skin, just make sure u have some support or the welds could very well crack.
SOOO... if u don't have a STEEL roll pan already, I'd go for the skin/rollpan combo, it's the whole thing and the best bet.
If u have the steel pan, it depends on what's cheaper, and how clean u want the inside to be. Sorry if it's long-winded, but hope it helps! Good luck and post a pic when u do it!
-Dan
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Adam M
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2003
20:27:27
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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thats good info dan thanks, i plan on keeping my APC clear tails so i would need acess to them through the bed somehow like u 2 said. my roll pan is a Lund and its fiberglass so that sucks. also i dont like the look of it and i think the SS rollpan looks the best b/c of its curve that mirrrors the upper tailgate. my question is does the SS pan come in steel too? so i can weld it in the future
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UFdakota
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2003
05:19:20
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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OK sorry, another long one:
hmmm.... i REALLY dont think the SS makes their roll pan in steel. That's one thing that kinda sucks. I actually liked how that rollpan looked, just like u said, with that curve; but, the thing that sucks about steel rollpans is that every steel roll pan i've seen is pretty much just straight across. i guess u cant really form it nicely like plastic. the only variation i've seen is the location of the license box.
OF Course... u technically could get the urethane molded in smooth with the rest of the metal backend. (Just like imports get their bodykits molded on to the car so there's no lines.) But, it's probably more expensive, cuz it takes some CRAZY skills to do it right. And even then, whoever does the work probably wouldn't even guarantee it from cracking cuz it most likely would. if welded metal can crack, fiberglass and epoxy is twice as likely to. U could get lucky, but if you're looking to get rid of your rollpan anyway, u might as well go with the skin/rollpan combo. I dont think it's toooo expensive. Try www.alter-images.com or www.fbimini.com
Can you tell I LOVE BODYWORK!!?? my kota's "fully" shaved (it can never be REALLY FULLY shaved), but i have a welded roll pan, and...: shaved tailgate handle, 3rd brake light, gas door, door handles, the black vinyl stickers on the doors(it's more of a bitch than it sounds), all stickers and emblems, and antenna. & more to come as soon as the $ (or the welder) comes. i have 1 or 2 pics, but i want to get better ones and i'm gonna post em on streetsourcemag.com so i can post em here.
Good luck again. and if u cant tell, i can talk about this forever, so keep posting. PEACE
-Dan
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UFdakota
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2003
05:36:41
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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Well; DAMN! i went to Alter Images' website, and i guess they're out of business or something?? BUT, if u go to www.FBIMINI.com (Fender Bender Intl.) they have the full skin combo for the dakota, and it should be about $250 with the license box. Really not too bad b/c it really should take some good $ off the labor price, cuz it's not too hard. Also, www.stylinconcepts.com has them too. there might be a few others too. Hope this helps.
-Dan
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lowdak
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2003
09:57:50
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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I have a weld in tailgate skin for a 1997 to current dakota I will sell for $100 plus shipping.I can send pictures if interested.
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adam m
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2003
14:18:15
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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HEY UFdakota, all that shaving sounds sweet. i wanna start small and do my antenna then maybe the tailgate handle. how did u do the antenna and where did u place it to get good reception or do u not listen to the radio at all? lol also when u shave, u fill in the space then sand and prime and sand and paint just the area or the entire piece so u cant tell its been worked on?
hey lowdak, can u send me some pics of the skin and is it tailgate and rollpan? heres my email adam69in2000@yahoo.com thanks
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UFdakota
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2003
19:56:54
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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Lowdak, i'd like a pic too: ufdakota@yahoo.com
Adam:
well, i didn't shave it myself, i can't do bodywork myself... yet. But, i got pretty much everthing done at once, so he painted almost the whole truck. i'm not sure if you'd just be able to paint that small area and blend it in nicely; it could look good from afar still, just maybe not up close.
Part of the antenna is still kinda by the hood, in the fender, and i only get one station that i like (and that's SOMETIMES on a clear day) BUT, autoloc (i think) makes an internal antenna that i plan on getting. either that or XM radio. If u want to start with some small things, if u get the antnenna, might as well get the emblems on the fenders too (V6,V8, magnum) they have 2 small holes). and the tailgate handle is real nice too; if u have a bed cover, it's makes it nice and secure.
-Dan
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pappie1
Dodge Dakota
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1/23/2003
01:27:26
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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Any "skilled" painter can blend in new paint on old with desent outcomes. If it's something like a fender where you got a desent hardline...... might as well paint the whole fender.
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IntenseDak39
*GenIII*
1/24/2003
13:52:37
| RE: tail gate skin/ homemade?
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I have halfass shaved the back of my truck... i just havent finished the rolled pan. I welded the stock tailgate shut and gutted the inside to still have access to my lights. For a rolled pan i first had my old fiberglass one on but i kept having problems with getting it to blend to the metal, so i just made me a metal rolled pan out of some pretty thick steel. There are a few places i need to touch up and i can get you sine pics later
Turbocharged V6
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