Not sure what to do about dent in liftgate

[zombiedawg]

Hey, everyone. New to the forums and to Explorers. And to body work, for that matter. Just bought a 2000 with a massive dent in the back. Apparently, a boat came unhitched. Lucky me. I was speaking to a paint and body man about it and sent him this picture. He said "You probably just want to see what you can find in a salvage yard for that." It wasn't until later that I realized I didn't fully understand what he was saying. Replace the entire liftgate?? Or can I replace the molding? Sorry if it's a newbie question.

 

[King of So Cal]

You could get the tailgate cheap at a junkyard. Myself though it's more fun to fix things. Detrim the inside of the door and out, and start hammering from the inside. You may need to buy/watch a demo on bondo. As for painting take it to a pro.

 

[RKH58]

If I lived in Texas I'd be in the salvage yard in a heartbeat getting a complete tailgate. There's got to be plenty of rust free '98 -'01 Explorers in Texas salvage yards.

 

[MONMIX]

That thing is hammered.

If it came in my shop I would replace it no question.

There is a TON of metal stretch, repairing it would be quite daunting. If time is money, your better investment is replacement.

 

[melvinabney]

I'd heat it and hammer it up inside out and give it to a pro for the paint.

 

[MONMIX]

That would be the wrong way to repair it though.