ideas and advice for a 3G tailgate repair

[DZink24]

my 'o4 is exibiting the common rust along the bottom edge of the tailgate. it is not yet all the way thru, and is only in each corner of the gate. there is some significant bubbling on the driver side, and less severe on the pass. side. the 3 feet or so in the middle is untouched. has anyone had the same issues, and how did you repair it? i was thinking along the lines of turning it into the same look of the 2G tailgates, with the black plastic running the length of the gate. fortunately the rest of the body is in excellent shape, but i think the design of the tailgate allows water and salt to set in the bottom w/o draining.

 

[bsnemt]

Hey Dude!
So, this is on the outside lower corners just above the bumper, right? If so, sounds like maybe the rear wheels are spraying everything in that areas direction. Maybe some mud flaps? Does your truck have the black plastic wheel well molds?
Other things that come to my mind are: Diamond plate, DIY Rustoleum, DIY Bedliner, Aftermarket tailgate, or move to SoCal

 

[mrtrombley]

Was having the same problem, so I just got my tailgate refiinished/repainted. Took it off the truck and left it with my neighbor, who paints, for a few days. He stripped and repaired all across the bottom, then painted the whole thing. After that, he filled the whole inside with fresh motor oil to keep it from rusting from the inside again. Looks great now, just like new.

 

[JBallou]

Might want to check the drain slots in the tail gate. They are there for sure, mine and all of the trucks I know of have them. If I leave the gate down when it rain part of the inside fills with water, then drains out very visibly when the gate is put in the up position.

As far as the rust I would consider a rust converting epoxy that can be put inside then on the outside lower lip.