Howdy all....
I've been trying to track down a rattle in my '82.... Ends up it's the tailgate rattling ; the bolt is not tight in the bracket . I took the latch brackets off, and tried to adjust it , but no luck.... the only way I could get it tight was to rack the taolgate , w/1 bracket all the way out and the other all the way in ; I figured that was not realy a good solution....

My tail agte doesn't have any 'bumpers' anywhere, and no 'weatherstripping/padding/etc' on the side rails, I just have a lower rubber seal, that's it.

Do they make felts/weatherstrips/bumpers/whatever to tighten things up? (the latch & bracket are in good shape). If so, can y'all point me to them ( I've looked)..... if not, What you y'all do to keep your tailgate from rattlin?

thanks,
jeff
Orlando

My tail agte doesn't have any 'bumpers' anywhere, and no 'weatherstripping/padding/etc' on the side rails, I just have a lower rubber seal, that's it. Do they make felts/weatherstrips/bumpers/whatever to tighten things up? (the latch & bracket are in good shape). If so, can y'all point me to them ( I've looked)..... if not, What you y'all do to keep your tailgate from rattlin?

The local Pep Boys sells all different types of weather stripping. I found a roll of generic weather strip that works fine for the side tailgate rails. It came on a six foot roll but you only need about 12" on either side. IIRC, it cost about $13 for the roll. This will help to get rid of the tailgate rattle.

BTW, this is the same "El Camino tailgate seal" that some people on ebay were selling for $20 a set. :roll:

Try J.C. Whitney too. They sell lots of different types of weather stripping.

:mrgreen:

BTW, this is the same "El Camino tailgate seal" that some people on ebay were selling for $20 a set. :roll:

:mrgreen:maybe i should start selling it for $18 :D

Here's my two alternatives. 1, buy some rubber hose, might have to experiment with different sizes, slit it it and install it on the flange. 2, weld your tailgate shut like I did, a lot more work and definitely more expensive but ??? Check out my tailgate at okhuskers.com/elmpala

the shaved tailgate looks great, but kinda defeats the purpose of having an el camino.

I just went to the local homestore/lumberyard and bought some closed cell foam caulking backer rod in a 5/8" diameter.

This stuff is cheap, doesn't absorb water, and works as well as weatherstripping on the tailgate.

You will either need to glue it with a waterproof glue to the tailgate flange or to the body where the tailgate flange meets it (thats where I put mine).

This stuff is a round, gray, closed cell foam that is used for the purpose of stuffing in a crack to help take up space that you want to caulk that is too wide or deep to fill up with caulk alone, such as in a driveway or fireplace chimney, etc. Worked great for me!

weld your tailgate shut like I did

Although it's a drastic alternative, I think it looks pretty cool. The Corvette tail-lights and the roll pan are done so well that they look like they came stock from the factory.

Does the bed double as a jacuzzi? :wink:

:mrgreen: