I'm a dyed in the wool tailgate guy. I love my Burbs with tailgates and will always prefer them over barn doors. Just the ventilation alone makes it better.
A member here converted his Burb from barn doors to a tailgate.
@Daveo91Burb I believe it was.
Yep, that was me and it most definitely can be done. Lots of work, though. Took me several months and I had a parts burb with TG. Interestingly, while these posts were being made I was camping with my burb and sleeping in the back. TG burbs are much nicer to sleep in than barn doors. I wired in an interior rocker switch for the window so I can roll it down from the back with the key off. (started to rain midway through the night so I just reached out and rolled up the window!) I also wired in a switch so I can turn the interior lights on from the back. TG burbs are also nice to sit on and use as tool platforms as previously mentioned. They also don't swing into the car next to you in the parking lot when you open them. Drawbacks include more rattles, window adjustments, motor difficulties, etc. But I love mine and would not go back.
Here's my build
thread. Biggest issue by far is the tailpiece (part where the TG hinges mount to). After the early 80s GM made the diverge point between the two models much earlier on the assembly line . Barn door models are missing supports in the tailpiece for the TG - it will flex way too much from the weight of TG without any support. Tailpiece is replaceable, but it is a major bodywork operation. I modified mine in place instead. I used pressure treated wood as a support - just blocks of wood in between the flanges of a C-channel. Cheesy yes, but it works and it will last a long time. Alternatively one may be able to weld some vertical plates in as support, but I'm not a good welder and the access is horrible.
Here's another
thread where I was planning the project - may be some useful info.
Good luck, PM me or tag me in this thread if you have any specific questions.
