Pickup tailgate rivet question

W

wrndln

Well-known member
I have a question about the bottom rivet on pickup tailgates. I have a tailgate that does NOT have a bottom pair of rivets and one that does have a bottom rivets. I am attaching pictures of each tailgate. My question is what date and years are each used? My gut feel is the rivet was added later due to a problem, so the tailgate with the rivets at the bottom of the two straps was probably the later tailgate. I would like to know when the change over was made. If anyone would post what their tailgate has as far as rivets and the date of mfg of the pickup it would be appreciated.
Rusty Nelson
 

Attachments

  • Rough tailgate bottom.jpg
    Rough tailgate bottom.jpg
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  • Tailgate sandblasted w black stuff 1.jpg
    Tailgate sandblasted w black stuff 1.jpg
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Mine is like your first picture, 2 rivets. Frame number A40573XX
Edit-opps it has only one like the first picture. It is most likely a 70’s reproduction.
 
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I believe the two rivets are an improvement to the wrap around hinge point. Strength would be given after continued use if weight is placed and the tailgate used as a shelf. Farmer selling produce from the back of trucks comes to mind.
 
GPierce,
It sounds like your pickup is a 31. Do you know if the tailgate on your pickup was original? I thought the lack of the bottom rivets was only on early pickup tailgates. It surprises me that a 1931 pickup would have no rivets on the bottom straps.
Rusty Nelson
 
NCRebel,
I think you are correct. Ford must have had some problems near the hinge and needed to reinforce the hinge area. Thanks to those that posted responses.
Rusty Nelson
 
wrndln said:
GPierce,
It sounds like your pickup is a 31. Do you know if the tailgate on your pickup was original? I thought the lack of the bottom rivets was only on early pickup tailgates. It surprises me that a 1931 pickup would have no rivets on the bottom straps.
Rusty Nelson
Click to expand...


Like your first picture. I assumed you were referring to the two rivets that attach the hinge to the rear bed cross member.
I believe the tailgate is a later repo. Met a gentleman in Alabama who told me he worked for a company in the 70’s that stamped those from the original Ford dies and due to a very minor imperfection in the die he recognized it. I received the truck as a project and the tail gate was dipped red oxide primer.
 

Attachments

  • 1BB893BD-8096-4A22-8C8C-C289D53B12C9.jpg
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GPierce,
My first picture does not have the "extra" rivets or double thick straps at the bottom. The additional rivets go through the double thick straps, which your tailgate doesn't have. It looks like the first picture I posted, which I believe is probably the first tailgate Ford used on pickups. If your tailgate is probably a repro, like you said, all bets are off, as repros could be made different ways. That isn't to say the repros are not good, but since your tailgate isn't an original it wont help me much to try to figure out when the "extra" rivets were added. Thanks for posting the information you did.
Rusty Nelson
 
Rusty-

From what I've seen, many many PU's have been restored. In that process many parts may have been 'shuffled', so a lot of your data may be tainted.

When I got my PU a few years ago I ran into the same problem. My truck was generally original, but it had many hands, over many years, doing many things to it. It took a lot of work to sort though the 'data' to determine the most likely correct original configuration.

I was unaware that there were two different tailgate configurations. Thanks for expanding my knowledge. I don't envy your search, but I do look forward to seeing the results.

Alex
 
Gary WA,
Thanks for the picture. I believe that probably the non-lower rivet tailgates are either repros (I have seen a few of them) or early to mid 28's it appears. Except of the repro on GPierce's tailgate, it looks like 1930 and 1931 pickups had the doubled strap and bottom rivet on their tailgates. I have a mid 29 pickup and it is looking like the correct tailgate is the type with the lower rivet and the doubled strap at the bottom, but I am still not sure of when Ford changed over from the no rivet tailgate and the bottom rivet tailgate.
Rusty Nelson
 
I looked in the body parts book and it only shows one hinge A-78454 and looking
at the MAFFI site the last drawing date is 11/19/1928 but none of the part numbers
show a suffix.

Bob
 
Bob C,
I suspect the hinge is probably the same for all years - the part that bolts and rivets to the U channel. I know for a fact, there are 2 style of tailgates. I just don't know when they were used, except the doubled strap style appears to be used on 1930/31 pickups. Unfortunately I am restoring a mid 29 pickup.
Rusty Nelson
 
Russ/40,
Your pickup is close to my pickup as far as the mfg date, I believe. It sure appears my pickup tailgate should have the lower rivets and doubled tailgate straps. I think my pickup was partially assembled from various parts, so I am not sure what parts it should have on it. I am trying to figure out what I should have as far as parts to be the most correct.
Rusty Nelson
 
Rusty,
Another thing you will notice about the earlier tailgate hinge is that the top of the hinge is flat, the later doubled-over hinge has beveled corners at the top. I'm sorry I don't know when the change occurred in production, my guess at this point in time is sometime in 28.
-DAN
 
I was always told that the doubled over hinge was Model A and the other style was Model T. I have never seen a doubled over hinge on a Model T, and my friends 28 pickup has the doubled over hinge as well as both my 30 and 31 pickups.
 
midgetracer,
I have a rough Model A bed with the non-doubled straps and no bottom rivets on its tailgate. The tailgate on the bed is shown in the first picture in this thread.
Rusty Nelson
 
wrndln said:
Gary WA,
Thanks for the picture. I believe that probably the non-lower rivet tailgates are either repros (I have seen a few of them) or early to mid 28's it appears. Except of the repro on GPierce's tailgate, it looks like 1930 and 1931 pickups had the doubled strap and bottom rivet on their tailgates. I have a mid 29 pickup and it is looking like the correct tailgate is the type with the lower rivet and the doubled strap at the bottom, but I am still not sure of when Ford changed over from the no rivet tailgate and the bottom rivet tailgate.
Rusty Nelson
Click to expand...

Maybe they are Model T
 
I wouldn't put it past Ford to have used up the 'left-over' T gates on early A's. Through dealer/customer feedback, by 1927/28 Ford probably realized they had a problem with the T gates. They only had about three years of pickup bed production under there belt by then. The New Ford was the perfect time to implement the 'fix'.
 
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