After forcing the rear skin forward into position, I crimped the…

After forcing the rear skin forward into position, I crimped the lip along the top to hold it in place temporarily while I drilled a hole thru the outer skin & side skin. I'm using a black STEEL (also called steel/steel; not Aluminum/steel) 1/4" pop rivet to blend with this black t/g. On other color gates, I sandblast the rivet before popping it, and then paint it to match (usually AFTER popping it).

If your t/g isn't torn yet (even if the tab is broken), you can skip this, but it won't hurt to do it as a preventative measure on tailgates without any damage yet.

Owner caption October 2009 · Photo 2943 of 5000