welding shut tailgate

I am about to weld the tailgate shut on my s10 blazer and just wanted to know what everyone who has welded the tailgate shut wihtout a cali combo has done. Do I just weld it on the outside or do I have to support it on the inside so it will not crack. Any info or pictures would help

U will have to get rid of the tailgate structure and I would buy a skin from grant so u wont have a 3/16 gap to fill. U want the skin to flex with the body and not be rigid thats what causes the cracking. Weld a bar behind it to keep the sides from flaxing in though i know it sounds contradictory but this is how it works.

I cant do a skin. They dont make one for the blazer. So I want to cut so just the outside skin is left? and when you say a bar behind it do you mean just a par going all the way across?

Like to see some more responses on this one myself. IMO, you should be able to weld that tailgate in a manner to not have any cracking. Filling that gap with some metal before welding is where I would start.

They dont make one for a blazer, but do you think you could make an s10 one fit with a little triming?? Your goning to have a hell of a time welding up 3/16" gaps the chances of warping sht is very high. Far as bracing goes, You would want to brace across the top, down the sides, and possibly some across the midde. main concern about cracking is at the corners, top and bottom. Gusset all corners the best you can tying the skin into the rest of the truck. Oh and I cant remember how the window latch setup is on those but if you have to transfer the latching system to the skin, be sure to reinforce the mounting area, maybe even tie it into the top reinforcement bar.

Josh Skin FL

i used vw front end shims when i welded my old isuzu tailgate shut filled the gaps perfectly

Use a small piece of flat strap on the ends to fill the gaps or Even some scrap sheet metal, use only the skin of the gate. the cross bar they are describing just like on the inside of doors. i like to put 2 bars across usually one towards the top and one near the center. I think the bar in the door is the best way to describe it, keep it about 1/8 to 1/4 away from the skin and use a flexible seam sealer in between.

i just welded the gaps on mine and had no cracking at all. its not that hard to fill the gap.