two big dents in my tundra tailgate.

I just bought my 02' Tundra in dec. 10'. I noticed these two big dents in the tailgate but today we figured out how they were created. The limiter cables for the tail gate attach to star headed bolts on the body and on the tail gate. On my truck all four bolts are bent allowing the tailgate to hit the bumper. The actual bolts are not bent but the bolt holes are distorted and pulled towards the cable giving the cables extra length causing the dents. Anybody else have this problem? Thanks, Les, bdooners1

Reply 1 : two big dents in my tundra tailgate.

Correction: The bolts are bent. I also tried to straighten the threaded holes in the gate but the welded nuts broke loose. I had to remove the access panel from the gate to get my hand inside to hold the nut while I screwed the wobbly bolt back in. I added a washer to each bolt so the wobble faced away from the cable making it shorter. I need new bolts and they must be the flat headed star type due to limited clearance between the body and the gate. The plot always thickens!! Another visit to Toyota parts dept...

Reply 2 : two big dents in my tundra tailgate.

I'm sure you can find the same bolts at a hardware store for 2-3 bucks just take one in and match them up instead of paying dealership costs?

Reply 3 : two big dents in my tundra tailgate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwj620 I'm sure you can find the same bolts at a hardware store for 2-3 bucks just take one in and match them up instead of paying dealership costs?

These bolts have "torques heads" and are real thin. Ace hardware has an awesome bolt stash but nothing that would work. I tried regular bolts but they would bang into the cable hardware. Thank you for the suggestion.