OEM vs Aftermarket tailgates?

[Imagineer]

This is probably a dumb question, but I’ll ask anyway…how do replacement tailgates from Crown measure up to OEM in terms of strength?

The existing tailgate on my ’97 still works fine, but is rusted out at the bottom middle. I’ve not been able to find a decent used one for reasonable ($200 or less). Once I get the hinge bolts out, I’ll look into cutting away the rot, forming and welding a patch.

However, if it turns out that it’s too far gone to salvage, I’m thinking of buying an aftermarket one. My worry is that it won’t be sturdy enough to carry a 35” spare without flexing or bending.

 

[TJ4Jim]

This is probably a dumb question, but I’ll ask anyway…how do replacement tailgates from Crown measure up to OEM in terms of strength?

The existing tailgate on my ’97 still works fine, but is rusted out at the bottom middle. I’ve not been able to find a decent used one for reasonable ($200 or less). Once I get the hinge bolts out, I’ll look into cutting away the rot, forming and welding a patch.

However, if it turns out that it’s too far gone to salvage, I’m thinking of buying an aftermarket one. My worry is that it won’t be sturdy enough to carry a 35” spare without flexing or bending.

Just replaced my tailgate with the Crown gate and I have nothing to complain about. The only issue is the third brake light harness hole is missing but not a big deal. I hung the gate about a 1/4 in high on the latch side to counter the weight of the spare.