Body Trimming Project

At the 10th Aniv. Run in Attica, I tore off my passenger rear fender. I'm going to keep 3.5in of lift and will be adding 36s in the next year. I plan on tubing the rear end of the truck, but want to keep the interior as is, but remove a portion of the rear fenders. I'm thinking of hacking it at the horizontal line where the metal has peeled away. I'm not sure if i tie the steel into the bumper or the cage. I plan to just harbor freight bend some black pipe from the rock slider into the rear. Just not sure where to take it from there.
Here's how she looks today:

and here is the damage up closer:

What do you guys think? Photochop pics in if you wish of how to tie the tube in, in the rear.

 

[Burns]

hey that sucks about the fender i was at attica and i was wondering how that come off. was it age and rust or draging the fender on the banks

oh yeah my dad would love to make his like yours

 

[FROADER]

 

[RFR2212]

Froader-- Nice job, but do that from the rear and i want to see what you come up with... I'd like to keep the tailgate operational, but if you figure something out, lemme see!

Burns-- actually i was wheelin on the green trail somewhere and tipped it into a tree
stump an tore it off that way.

 

[FROADER]

 

[Burns]

that is nice i like how u have brought the tail lights into the rear deck

 

[RFR2212]

here's what i was thinking if i eliminate the tailgate. The red circles would be semi LEDs and all the white metal would be tube, and id use the extruded lattice metal to hold my gear in.

 

[Burns]

the good thing about that is u have almost eliminated body damage

 

[RFR2212]

Hacking has begun!
Here's my problem. I like the stock tailgate. I'd like to keep it. It's waay too much work to narrow the thing about 8-10in where i'd like to really bring my tube. However, I could easily create a tailgate out of tube and expanded steel. I think the tube should follow the current edge of the fender and continue to the back of the truck. There, it would turn 90 degrees and and then bend down at about 45-60 degrees into the rear bumper, or to the frame rails. Within that, I would build the new gate.
Below are pics of where the cutting is to at this point, and a poor mspaint of what I'd do if i scratch the tailgate. However, if I keep the tailgate, about all I can do is run the tube back to the back of the cage, and 90* it into and it ends there. I can't run the tube straight down b/c the bumper isn't wide enough...

What y'all think? Ideas?