Tailgate rust repair. Mine was in fairly good condition, but had some small rust spots along the bottom edge where it meets the bed floor. This was caused by the truck being used for years as a trash container. When we lived out in the country when I was a kid, we did not have trash pick up service. Instead we threw the bags into the back of the truck. When it got full we hauled it to the dump. So it sat outside getting rained on, etc. with food juices draining into the bed. Gross huh? I should apologize for that story, but it's the truth. Part of the inglorious history of the family truck.
Anyway, the repair. I had a piece of steel cut and bent to closely match the contour at the bottom of the tailgate. I cut out a slot where the rust was, all along the bottom.
I cleaned it out as best I could with a wire brush, etc. When I cut that piece out, the inner panel pushed inward a bit, maybe a 1/4", so I made a little brace from some scrap metal and tacked it in to hold it out level.
I sprayed some rust preventer/zinc primer in there as much as possible, and on the back side of the patch.
Then used the panel adhesive to glue the patch on. I used some well placed tack welds to hold it in position. And a few clamps as well.
I did it this way, mostly because I did not want to weld out 12 feet of bead on the tailgate. The patch will barely be noticed after it's installed and the bed liner is sprayed over it. It should be pretty well protected against rust also. It only took me a couple hours for the job. It was a nice break from door repairs. Let me know what you think.