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There is a thread on here somewhere about the BD to TG conversation cracking the upper hinge mounting part of the chassis.
Apparently the OEM tailgate has an extra strengthening piece across the top.
Conversation without that bit can end up cracking the chassis at the top.
Can anybody get a link to that thread?
Apparently the OEM tailgate has an extra strengthening piece across the top.
Conversation without that bit can end up cracking the chassis at the top.
Can anybody get a link to that thread?
I've had zero issues with this in four years since the conversion - that said, we're always careful when we open the tailgate. It would be interesting to see how many conversions are affected.
I've just picked up on the spreader plates topic, that ones that mount behind the tailgate hinges
I'll be fabricating some plates to suit the hinges and send them off for hot dip zinc galvanising
I noticed they're quite pricey, around £36 pair off eBay for OEM parts,
If anyone is missing these on their van get in touch, I have a fabrication shop at home if you have a need
I'll be fabricating some plates to suit the hinges and send them off for hot dip zinc galvanising
I noticed they're quite pricey, around £36 pair off eBay for OEM parts,
If anyone is missing these on their van get in touch, I have a fabrication shop at home if you have a need
How did you get on with finding the hinges you need?
Someone very unhelpfully bent my RH one when lifting the lid to fit a gas strut as I was shouting "stop!"
The lip at the top of the spare wheel carrier on the tailgate acted as a fulcrum against the roof and bent it out of shape.
I can see multiple part numbers for hinges for what looks like the same hinge.
My van is a 2018 T6 Panel van
Someone very unhelpfully bent my RH one when lifting the lid to fit a gas strut as I was shouting "stop!"
The lip at the top of the spare wheel carrier on the tailgate acted as a fulcrum against the roof and bent it out of shape.
I can see multiple part numbers for hinges for what looks like the same hinge.
My van is a 2018 T6 Panel van
Hi buddy
I'm not too sure or how bent your hinge is
If you could send a few pictures I'm pretty sure I could fettle it for you
My background is formally
Vehicle mechanic then digressed into engineering
I'm blacksmith trained, fabrication and welding
Then finished off my years as a nuclear engineer after back fitting a raft of education
With regards to my hinges, it's been a bit of nightmare
You're right about the different OEM numbers
I tried to get some through a company called lllPartsLtd but found them difficult and unhelpful.
Because I'm converting barn doors to tailgate my vin relates to barn doors, and no matter how many times I explained this to the spares technician, he basically said "computer says no"
In the end up I took a punt on a pair on eBay
TPS sell them for around £45 mark each, not sure if this is with or without Vat
There's folk selling on eBay but have a huge markup on them, I refused to buy on principal
So, if your van has a tailgate as standard and not converted, and you can't wait, TPS or lllPartsLtd would work for you if you provide them with your Vin number
I'm happy to straighten it out for you, but obviously no guarantees
It would need heated in the furnace and when straightened, it would need tempered
I'm unsure what steel composition VW would use for this application, maybe something like 50D which has a higher carbon content than your normal mild steel
So if you're stuck and don't want to buy a new one, and you're not jumping up and down for it I'm happy to have a go at it for you
I'm not looking for financial reward either, just happy to help if I can
Pop some pics on if you can and let's see how bad
It must have had some forces applied to bend those
Thank you for all this. This is exactly what forums are for!
I've bent the tailgate back so it is left-right aligned again.
Now there is a significant gap the top - I can see sky from the inside!
I now think it's the box section that's bent, and not the hinges. Also the part of the lid where the hinges attach could have bent.
With the lid open. I've been positioning a block of wood against the hinge that is against the body and giving it whacks with a lump hammer.
This has been closing the gap but I had to stop because of the freezing wind here. It's also a pain in the arse as I've only one arm and have to position the wood every time!
So basically, at this point, the lid is slightly up and quite a lot out at the top. The wheel carrier is on the right - where most of the bending occurred.
I might have to elongate the holes for the guide mounts on the side of the body to allow for the extra adjustment needed.
I've considered drawing it in from the inside, kind of like a bearing, and positioning a plate across the entire box to take the force, but without cutting through the carpet lining, I don't know how much thread is there. I'm pretty sure there's no room to fit a die and create fresh thread.
Another solution could be to remove one bolt holding the hinge to the lid and replace it with a longer bolt, hit that bolt a few times, reassemble and repeat. The idea being to sink the attachment points back into the lid.
I really want to avoid pulling it all apart.
The drawing shows what happened when my back was turned....
They're lengths of wood for holding the lid when swapping out the struts
I've bent the tailgate back so it is left-right aligned again.
Now there is a significant gap the top - I can see sky from the inside!
I now think it's the box section that's bent, and not the hinges. Also the part of the lid where the hinges attach could have bent.
With the lid open. I've been positioning a block of wood against the hinge that is against the body and giving it whacks with a lump hammer.
This has been closing the gap but I had to stop because of the freezing wind here. It's also a pain in the arse as I've only one arm and have to position the wood every time!
So basically, at this point, the lid is slightly up and quite a lot out at the top. The wheel carrier is on the right - where most of the bending occurred.
I might have to elongate the holes for the guide mounts on the side of the body to allow for the extra adjustment needed.
I've considered drawing it in from the inside, kind of like a bearing, and positioning a plate across the entire box to take the force, but without cutting through the carpet lining, I don't know how much thread is there. I'm pretty sure there's no room to fit a die and create fresh thread.
Another solution could be to remove one bolt holding the hinge to the lid and replace it with a longer bolt, hit that bolt a few times, reassemble and repeat. The idea being to sink the attachment points back into the lid.
I really want to avoid pulling it all apart.
The drawing shows what happened when my back was turned....
They're lengths of wood for holding the lid when swapping out the struts
I'm really not bothered if it ends up being slightly higher.
I can raise the striker plate and the side guides.
And if the wind catches it I'll make a fairing of some kind.
This is in no way a "show and shine" vehicle. It's for practical use and I'll likely be living in it soon due to crazy rent rises.
Having a good seal is important, though, as I've built it to be arctic ready
I can raise the striker plate and the side guides.
And if the wind catches it I'll make a fairing of some kind.
This is in no way a "show and shine" vehicle. It's for practical use and I'll likely be living in it soon due to crazy rent rises.
Having a good seal is important, though, as I've built it to be arctic ready
Morning
First off, whereabouts are you?
I'm just firstly trying to fully understand the cause before rushing into remedy mode
Has the tailgate been forced upwards, beyond the normal travel limits
If that's the case then I'd probably agree the body shell or the tailgate has deformed, the weakest areas are going to go first
I would exercise a little caution there, ultimately you want to the tailgate to seal and achieve a consistent gap again
If you're not too far away and don't mind the travel I've got a well equipped workshop, and obviously out of the elements
It could be the tailgate needs removing to get the shell back into shape
I'll have a set of hinges here next week and a tailgate that isn't fitted yet
So there's items to compare one against the other for a reference guide
From the pics it doesn't look a million miles away, it's making the informed decision what needs to be adjusted and how far to get it back to how it was
I'm near Cardiff.
Yes, forced upwards, and the lip of the wheel carrier against the edge of the roof forced it outwards too.
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