[gda]

We recently bought a well used and abused 2008 Tundra and the tailgate had been overloaded, bent, and sagging. It was bowed so much it hit the bumper and tried to lift itself off the hinges when opened. The lower inside of the shell was beaten down. I had nothing to lose, so I went about bringing it back to life. I welded a chunk of angle iron to the inside and levered it up with some hardware, a pipe, and a jack.

More to come.

 

[gda]

I got it straight, but when standing on the tailgate loading bales of hay, it started bending again. So, surgery was required. I used a length of 1"x1.5" rectangular tube, cut a hole in one end, slipped the fitted tube in, and plug welded it in place. I'll get around to painting it this weekend or next. If this doesn't work, it might be time to get serious.