I understand why you would see it that way, but the tailgate isnt rusting out, its not perfect either, but its a mechanical device with parts, of which a piece has received damage. The tailgate still functions as a tailgate and safely supports the load of me and tools sitting on it, which is more weight than i will need it to support in its function. The bed is also solid minus one support in the forward part of the bed, so for 0 dollars I have a very functional trailer, and less than 100 in switching from split rims to some regular rims/modern radials(already had, will be putting trailer tires on eventually), upgraded the topper(cap, camper, etc whatever people call it), pulled axle shafts to make it handle better on the road, fixed its dangerous safety chains situation, and threw some paint on the whole thing to shine the turd for a little while, at least not be so trashy in how it clashes. If you count the temporary taillights and the replacement of the vent tube + r and r i WILL be doing, its about 250 in the end for a mostly purpose built, but very multi functional trailer that will do a lot of work for me and served to help me learn more about things i find interest in, better understand 14 bolts, and better understand tailgates. I also learned a bunch with pexi, but thats all side-stuff.
I am aware I have a lot of junk.
I am aware its a lot of scrap iron, some good bit of brass, copper.
But I am UNaware of what it all is/was/can be, and if i were to go through it all rn, and decide on current knowledge, I would have thrown away my free, functional tailgate, perfectly fine manifolds, an oil cooler adapter, perfectly useable body panels(some quite literally mint, some rusty but strutcturally good, 4 rust free fenderwells, loads of driveshafts, an OE jack, a decent 1965 or so impala grille, countless pieces of flat stock, square tubing, carb cleaners, useable square body parts, and etc. That list is just my quick ones i can name, but there is more, because what ive learned is that my grandpa had a pattern for things he discarded, and it wasnt a pile is scrap or if its disregarded its junk, it was a complex system that only can be interpreted by his brain, because there is literal junk inside while good, useable and meant to be kept things are in piles outside the shed getting rusty..
Never claimed he was logical. Lol. He was a different one. But ive learned I cant throw it away unless its clearly scrap(Like a hacked up core support so it stacks nice, cut with a torch) or just a burned out refrigerator. And a large portion of what ive got left to learn is from square bodies, hes only rebuilt, destroyed, owned, parted out, worked on, etc like at least 10 by my estimation, if parts were good and he could use it, he kept. if bad but worth for a core charge, kept, bent or rusty/stilll functional, he sent it.
And in all, I enjoy this. It may sound like heartache but if I didnt want any of this i would list it on fb to come pick it clean, 2k bucks, but i dont want to do that nor will I. But I got a lot of quite literal junk to sift through to find what to keep, what to toss, and ive got trailers to fix up because where else is this scrap gonna go haha. But i also have nothing-to-me things that i know are mostly junk, but have a place in someones heart. they will be sold, mostly for parts to someone elses dreams. hope it helps them.
But i object to the label of junk if it works, it is not in fear of failure(think rod knock that gets bad), is still functional in its original or applied purpose, and is good at what it does.
So, this tailgate. Works like any tailgate, and its not binding up or unable to do its task(simple task) and I also didnt have to buy it, and by using it, its not rotting away in a pile. Now, there is my concern of the handle. Ive never been inside a tailgate or have experience with more than 4 tailgates, so the play and kinked aspect makes me think its not doing well, but because it works smoothly, my gut reaction is the metal is fatigued on the handle from being bent to ****, and they make new handles. but ive also never bought a tailgate handle/installed, so i need to evaluate if i should be buying a 100+ dollar tailgate or a 20 dollar handle and the labor of installing the handle.
Because this trailer holds trash and makes ilfrequent trips to the dump, where the tailgate sees being used only to open the rear opening, where i pull it off and place it in my truck bed so i can dispose of my trash at the incinerator, i dont think the thing needs a tailgate purchased new or used, because if it can be fixed for less(potentially none, assuming the handle is fine and im just overthinking) and without having to repaint my tailgate, just a handle, i think my inexpensive project that helps me a lot in my daily life is worth 25 dollars for the experience and knowledge and function it may return.
I know you southerners think that rust means its not working or its of no value, but i could say the same thing about UV and heat damage, poor driving skills, mud(
@Vbb199 no offense, but you guys have way more mud), dust, or busch light.
But the nice part is, there is a level of rust that can be remedied on most applications and there is usually ways to repair things back to 100% or to avoid rust all together, and we can all do that together and share our tips and tricks, impart knowledge, and help keep quality american relics alive as a testament to their quality and impact they have had.
And lets be real, paladin, a normal girl my age would see any of our trucks and think its absolute trash, no stops. It doesnt have modern annoyances or meet the standard of the average person, so what value could they possibly have? Its just junk, new trucks get better MPG and have better statistical performance, so therefore you and i just drive our squares to the scrap yard and walk to the dealer.
If you are on this form, youve accepted that there is a reason to, for some personal or selfless, keep puting money, time, effort, and headache despite the readily available options of today.
I justify fixing my rusty problematic things because its monetarily wise to spend less money fixing what i already have(esp if i have the parts, tools to do so) and cause myself grief and learn new things rather than spend more money, learn nothing, and accomplish the same goal, and potentially miss out on something enjoyable.
You have found working on your truck at some point relaxing or enjoyable, yes? Even if you haveent, it has brought you happiness or done good work for you, yes?
@Paladin
The real square is the good times we had along the way.
I will keep Learning, I will keep fixing, and I will attempt to best-use my resources, and i will clean up my property so its nice to look at, and i will enjoy doing it. Had my box been shot or the frame rotted, etc, then there would be a calculated choice to make, potentially a different route, but the enjoyable, informational, and cost effective option suits me, so i choose square body.
ITS A WAY OF LIFE
