Tailgate Table

[JKFlyfisher]

Hey guys

Saw a lot of people had already done this, but I'm in the midst of building a tailgate table for my jeep that'll fold down and provide about 13" X 26" of space. I've got pretty much everything I need to do it, just wondering what people did to attach the table to the actual tailgate. In other words, whats the best way to mount the brackets for the fold down table into sheet metal. Rivets? Anchors? Screws eek?

Any ideas would be awesome.

 

[cybercat]

I was looking into the same thing for my JK. The Rivet Nut seems be popular choice. Found a couple of links. http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15647 http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ri...-Rivet Nuts>Rivet Nut>Broad-_-Rivet Nut&xi=xi

 

[SulVento]

Nutserts work quite well. I've used them to put body armor on, install my own tailgate table...etc...etc....


My only suggestion is get a GOOD tool to do the job. Nothing sux worse than a nutsert that's gone bad. :Wow1:


More than you ever wanted to read about nutserts HERE

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

+3 on the riv nuts. You can make a tool with a bolt and a couple nuts.

http://www.carolinarovers.info/croc-stuff/tips/259-make-your-own-rivnut-tool

A little dab of JB weld on the rivnut if you happen to be the belt and suspenders type...

 

[ZMagic97]

I also agree with nutserts. I have the Vector MP Table nd that is what they use for mounting hardware. 1.5 years of it with 0 issues coming loose.

 

[JKFlyfisher]

Awesome. Thanks guy's. I'll post up a photo of the completed project when I get it all installed (probably next monday)

 

[UnlimiDozer]

I'm hoping some of the guys above are using the terms (riv-nut and nut-sert) interchangeably. They are two very different things which use different mechanisms for holding in the surface. Riv-nuts are what you want for sheet metal. They pull up behind the surface like a pop-rivet (thus the name), and pinch the sheet metal between the head and the deformed portion behind the sheet metal. Nut-serts, on the other hand, have a conical segment which actually pulls into the hole from behind and wedges itself against the wall of the hole and the portion of the nut-sert that it just broke loose from. They are designed for thicker metals and can achieve Grade 8 strength when installed properly. But the sheet metal on our Jeeps (the JKs, at least) is too thin for this system to be viable. Do a search on the two and you'll see the difference.

I mounted my tailgate table with riv-nuts and, I believe, #10 stainless button heads, can't remember for sure on the size. The sheet metal will deform long before they'll will break though. I didn't want to just run screws into the sheet metal, although a lot of folks would. I've just never had much confidence in a sheet metal screw -- too easy to pull out. Just MHO.

 

[SulVento]

I was referring to an actual nutsert above. While I do hate installing them at times, I've never had an issue with them on my JK. I used them to install my sliders and other body armor as well as my tailgate table and another couple of mounts............

My $.02 :bike_rider:

 

[UnlimiDozer]

I was referring to an actual nutsert above. While I do hate installing them at times, I've never had an issue with them on my JK. I used them to install my sliders and other body armor as well as my tailgate table and another couple of mounts............

My $.02 :bike_rider:

Well, it seems I may have spoken a bit out of turn above. It just didn't seem reasonable to me that nutserts were holding up for body armor in sheet metal, so I did a web search and it appears that there are "nutserts" which are designed and function exactly like the riv-nuts I described above. The only devices I was familiar with by the nutsert name can be seen at the following link, and would not be good at all in that application! http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/nutserts.php Apologies for adding confusion.

 

[JKFlyfisher]

I ended up using weathercoated jack nuts. The reason was two-fold, I wanted something rubber in the middle to keep dampen any rattling and didn't want water to easily flow down into the tailgate (I fish a lot in the rain). They worked great! A little bit of steel angle and 3/32nds cable and it was all set and ready to go. Install probably took about 3 hours total (there was a lot of screwing around and beer involved too).

I used black bbq spray paint i had laying around for the whole thing after a nice coat of primer. I am considering using that neverwet stuff on it too just for kicks. I found the best way to get the wire cut was using a dremel and a grinder, way better of a cut than fussing around with wire cutters.

Also, a critical part of using the jack nuts was NOT to exceed 9 lb on a torque wrench. I over cranked the first one (wasn't using a torque wrench, dumb-*** mistake) and stripped it. I ended up being able to crush it with a pair of vice grips and get the big chunk out. After that, the little bits fell down by the vent holes there and I was able to tease them out with forceps. It was like playing operation, so there's a useful skill from my childhood.