I am ordering some parts from the el camino store and figured I might as well replace that old scratched and dented tail gate top while I was at it. From all the searches I hear they fit like crap, that true? Anyway, how do I get the old one off? Will I need to buy new clips? Thanks for your help guys, really appreciate it.

-Brett :beers:

https://www.elcaminostore.com/onlinestore/product05-1761.htm

PS; Are the $22 reproduction sill plates even worth it? :confused:

Brett... they suck.. you won't be happy with the fit, you would be happier with your scratched up orig, or looking for a better condition orig...

However that being said... getting it off is easy.. Take off the tailgate access panel, reach inside, and there are about 5 speed nuts that stick down from the chrome to the inside of the tailgate, just use a nut driver to take them off, and the chrome just comes up.

Simple as that! Just make sure you wear a sweatshirt, arms get cut up really easy reaching up inside!

Ben, thanks for the response. I thought it was possibly that was how you did it until I saw clips for sell at the el camino store. They are clips for the top of the tailgate it sais. Perhaps these are attached to the chrome, then the speed nuts are fastened to the clips?

https://www.elcaminostore.com/onlinestore/product05-1770.htm
https://www.elcaminostore.com/store/store_images/05-1770.jpg

I suppose I could attempt to polish it, would have been much nicer to buy a repo. I dont have a power polisher, doing it by hand would be nearly impossible. They are really that crappy?

As to the sill plates, I dont think I'm ready to buy more expensive ones. After doing a search the $21 dollar jobs are supposed to be crap. :sad: I suppose also something I could polish if i had a polisher.

its true those clips are on there holding it on... but i'll tell ya, its a heck of a lot easier to reach inside and pull the speednuts than it is to try and figure out the right way to squeeze the trim to get it to pop off those clips!

With the inspection cover off the tailgate, it's no big deal to undo the nuts. I put a new top piece on our el Camino. It fit reasonably well but did take a lot of polishing to bring up the shine to match the rechromed corner pieces. The long side and front pieces fit fine too. I think the fit problems are with the repro die cast pieces. I had the originals rechromed but the original front corner pieces don't fit perfectly either.