Cheap ebay tailgate reinforcement kits?

[Wapiti]

Got rear-ended last week, and the tailgate will need to be replaced. Since it has to be completely taken apart, it's a good time for a reinforcement kit (kind of an extra treat for myself to take the sting out of getting hit less than 6 weeks into ownership- I don't even have the license plates on yet). This would only be to add a little more durability if I decide to add rotopax or something similar- I have no intention of going any bigger than the stock Rubi wheel/tire combo, and probably wouldn't even worry about this except that the installation would be a lot easier now rather than later. Based on that. not really sure I need to spend 500 bucks on the mopar version if the cheap knockoff will do the same thing for 150. Anyone have experience with these?

Sponsored

 

[relayer4u]

I bought one on Amazon and the hardware that came with it was substandard both in designed purpose and strength wise. I had to buy some new hinge bolts from Fastenal to make myself comfortable with the installation. Now I have to paint the bolt heads because the black oxide finish on the Fastenal bolts is very thin and I'm getting rust already. The Amazon kit didn't include any retainer washers like the factory kit has and there wasn't any spacer material to hold the tailgate in place while everything got unbolted. So I had to improvise all of that myself. I would recommend getting the factory kit from BAM Wholesale or something, or use a different tailgate kit altogether like Rusty's Off-road.