Looking for new tailgate. 85 K5 Blazer.

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CaseyM

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Casey
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1985
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K5 Blazer
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5.0 liter
Hello! I have a 1985 K5 Blazer Silverado and am looking for companies who manufacture or distribute new tailgate shells for mid 80s Blazers. I've made a lot of calls and searched online but I'm not finding anything. Any ideas? Thank you in advance!
 

warrpath4x4

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Go with a soft top and you can use a pickup tailgate
 

CaseyM

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Never thought of that, but my plan is to put a rooftop tent on the hardtop so it wouldn't be possible.
 

CaseyM

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With 11 years worth of 80s and early 90s blazers needing tailgates, you would think at least one company would be producing them. It seems easy enough to find 73-80 tailgates.
 

PrairieDrifter

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Is this 80's?
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warrpath4x4

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350/ 350/ 350
That tailgate band is '73-80, don't know if they'll interchange on a Blazer
They will interchange, you just need the matching hinges and stuff from the truck. The blazer tubs are already pre drilled/tapped to bolt the hinges up
 

ZIMM78Blazer

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Hello! I have a 1985 K5 Blazer Silverado and am looking for companies who manufacture or distribute new tailgate shells for mid 80s Blazers. I've made a lot of calls and searched online but I'm not finding anything. Any ideas? Thank you in advance!
I have a GM tailgate, I will sell. I live in south Texas. Dont know what shipping would cost. Its like new, no glass. Dont know what you are looking to spend.
 

Fat 454

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Hi all - sorry what is the difference with the later model tailgates to the earlier ones ? Just the external body mould line at the top lip ? LMC sells up to '81.
I prefer good ( un rusted ) used parts to "new" stampings anyway. If you are in the high desert area you should have no problem finding a gate from a wrecker ??
 

TotalyHucked

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5.3
They will interchange, you just need the matching hinges and stuff from the truck. The blazer tubs are already pre drilled/tapped to bolt the hinges up
I was talking about the tailgate trim band. That's a '73-80 trim band, the '81-up has a black border all the way around it inset ~1/2" from the edges. The '73-80 has a top and bottom raised ridge and is solid stainless all the way across. This is an '81-up

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TotalyHucked

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Hi all - sorry what is the difference with the later model tailgates to the earlier ones ? Just the external body mould line at the top lip ? LMC sells up to '81. I prefer good ( un rusted ) used parts to "new" stampings anyway. If you are in the high desert area you should have no problem finding a gate from a wrecker ??
From the outside, they all look the same. The main issue is the latch style, '73-76 is the "wedge plate" style. Then mid-year '76 they changed to the later style and kept that all the way through '87

This is the early style, '76-down. The gold truck is our early '76 shop truck:

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This is the '76-up style. This is my '85:

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TotalyHucked

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Hi all - sorry what is the difference with the later model tailgates to the earlier ones ? Just the external body mould line at the top lip ? LMC sells up to '81.
I prefer good ( un rusted ) used parts to "new" stampings anyway. If you are in the high desert area you should have no problem finding a gate from a wrecker ??
They also changed the shape of the inset for '81-up. This means later tailgate bands can go on the early 'gates fairly easily but to put an early trim band on a later 'gate takes some modification because it's backer support is shaped different (it's mainly much wider) than the '81-up version.

So '73-76 has the early latch style, '76-87 has the later latch style. But all '73-80 have the earlier inset design:

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And '81-87 have a revised version:

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'73-80 tailgate band:
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'81-up tailgate band:
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