I'm making a tailgate and need and pin to go through the bed railto locate the tailgate. It would be a pin with spring tension holding it out, or you can pull in the pin to remove tailgate. Any ideas???

yea. I have a great idea. You can use a muffler bearing ratainer spring, or a piston return spring. theyw ould work wonders for you.

Dimitri

eh :confused: :confused:

What if you took a standard trailer hitch pin and welded a thick washer near the bend. Then slid a spring over the long smooth side. Slide it through your bracket, and then weld another washer on to keep it from flying out. You could weld the second washer in place so that it was as long as you needed or the tension was right.

If you don't want to weld, you could always to something similar with a grade 8 bolt and some nuts and washers.

Well I found what I'm looking for at the local steel & fab shop. I think it was called a cane pin. It begins as a plate, then a retainer holding the pin is welded to the plate. Inside the retainer is the pin and the spring butts up to this assembly somehow. So I'll be able to pull the pin and pull out my tailgate, but normally the tension of the spring will hold the pin through a hole the inner lip of my truck bed to keep the tailgate located. They are only $5. Now the question is whether I shoud use a gate latch on one side so I can lock it in there.