XM708 Tailgate

[JimC2]

Started work on building it today.
Set the lower hinge in place (6 foot bar 1-1/8" diameter).
Tailgate lever up at the cab was frozen. PB Blaster and a bigggg hammer got it started working, but it doesn't have full travel yet.
Need to buy a sheet of 10 gage steel and have it cut to length and 18" top to bottom to form the gate.
Also need to get a 6' length of 3"×3" square tubing and cut it lengthwise to make the 2.5"×3" U-channel that braces the top length of the tailgate.
Cleaned up the left exterior of the bed and primed it today - probably not permanent - just protecting it for the winter.
Started straightening the right front fender, but not much progress there yet.

Tomorrow, I will measure the jackshaft that powers the bed pump (I'm making a replacement) and pull the hood in order to remove a dent.

 

[JimC2]

Hydraulic pump Jackshaft is 33" by 7/8" diameter.
Didn't get the hood removed today.

 

[JimC2]

Jackshaft diameter 7/8", Length 33'.
Still don't have full travel on the tailgate release handle.

There is a small chain dangling from the front of the bed support structure.
I don't know what attaches to it.
For the moment, I am assuming that it is a Tee-bar that goes through the hole above the chain, possibly intended to pin the dump bed during transport - but that's currently just a guess.

 

[JimC2]

23° outside. Too darn cold to work on the truck.

 

[JimC2]

It was warm enough today to work on the 708, so I freed up the blockage on the tailgate release mechanism, worked a bit on hood dents, and removed a dent in the left front fender.

 

[JimC2]

I got an alert that my XM708 Tailgate building thread was moved to a different forum. Anybody know which forum it was moved to?
Since the 708 is built on a 1954 M37 chassis, I had assumed that was where it should be and thought that was where I put it.

 

[JimC2]

Tailgate opinions wanted - as ya'll know, I am scratch building a 'replica' of the XM708 Tailgate. The 18"x approx 65" main sheet is called out to be 10 ga. I have a sheet of 8 ga (0.03" thicker) in hand. Using it would save me substantial material, cutting, and shipping costs. I don't think anybody would notice the difference, and it would be more resistant to dents.
What do you guys think?

 

[Roller]

Tailgate opinions wanted - as ya'll know, I am scratch building a 'replica' of the XM708 Tailgate. The 18"x approx 65" main sheet is called out to be 10 ga. I have a sheet of 8 ga (0.03" thicker) in hand. Using it would save me substantial material, cutting, and shipping costs. I don't think anybody would notice the difference, and it would be more resistant to dents.
What do you guys think?

Use it, no one will know the difference.

 

[JimC2]

This is what the finished tailgate should look like.

 

[JimC2]

Notice the circular hole in the vertical tailgate brace.
Anyone know what its purpose is?

 

[SgtMajHarper]

Notice the circular hole in the vertical tailgate brace.
Anyone know what its purpose is?View attachment 963397

I'm just spit balling here, could it be that you put a rod into it so that the tail gate almost closes so you can dump and sprinkle your load onto a surface like a roadway?

 

[fsearls92]

Wouldn’t that be to put excess chain into to keep it from swinging and banging while driving?

 

[JimC2]

New windshield/hood holddown latches and hood bumpers arrived today. I painted the latches with 24087.

Repaired two bends in the top left rail of the dump bed.
Lower right rail is bent far worse where some idiot (not me) appears to have hooked a chain on it and attempted to drag the truck sideways. Repairable, but tedious. I'm going to pull a trackhoe up next to the dump bed and jack against the counterweight to straighten the rail.

I can't find my NOS outer windshield frame, but think I can repair the rotted out section of my old one with a 6" piece of 1.125" square tubing.

I'll be cutting pieces for the tailgate assembly this weekend.

I think I may be making headway overall, but I sure as **** can't tell it myself.

Rod idea won't work because the rear reflectors would interfere with the rod alignment. The holes might be for excess chain - I dunno. It's a GarWood bed, and he's the guy who came up with the concept of hydraulic rams for dump trucks, so he knew what he was doing. I'm glad of that because I sure don't.

 

[JimC2]

Sometimes serendipity happens. The 8 ga steel sheet that I'm using to make the tailgate is 4'x8' and weighs 230 pounds. I needed to move it 180 feet across a gravel parking lot to get it to a location where I could cut it to size. Nobody was at the site when I arrived, so I started moving it by hand. Doable, but a slow go - it was heavier than me. I made about 10 feet of headway when one of the crews arrived. They cranked up a forklift and moved it for me. So, I'm good to go on cutting it to size in the morning.

 

[JimC2]

I cut the tailgate to size today (8ga instead of 10ga)

 

[JimC2]

The tailgate reflector standoffs were 12ga.
Think anyone would notice if I made them out of 8ga?
I don't have any 12ga - I've got 8ga running out my ears.

 

[John Mc]

Hey, it's your truck. If it doesn't bother you, go for it.

 

[JimC2]

On one this rare, I don't feel that way about it.

 

[ab705]

The tailgate reflector standoffs were 12ga.
Think anyone would notice if I made them out of 8ga?
I don't have any 12ga - I've got 8ga running out my ears.

I don't think it would be noticeable to most people without a direct side-by-side comparison to an original XM708 tailgate, but if you're concerned about keeping it as original as possible, I think that changing the gauge of the reflector standoffs/brackets would be more noticeable than changing the gauge of the main body of the tailgate because the edges (thickness) of the standoffs would be in plain sight.

What tool(s) are you using to cut steel plate?

 

[JimC2]

7 1/4" metal cutting blade on a circular saw.
Same for making longitudinal cuts in the rectangular steel tubing I'm using to form the top, bottom, and side braces.