No tailgate-to-tailgate. Possible???

HI all. My 80 CJ5 does not have a tailgate. The back end is pretty rotten anyhow,so I gotta do a bunch of cutting and welding. Is it possible to cut out the hole for a gate, or is there other structure in a body with a gate that mine woulden't have?
Of course this means I'd have to come up with a gate, hardware, swing out tire rack, and a folding rear seat to replace the hard mounted one in there now.
Also, anyone have a reason why some Jeeps had tailgates and some diden't. I don't often see them without one like mine. Maybe I should leave it that way.

 

Somebody out there, maybe D.L. Bensinger or Jeepanelsplus, offers new tailgate surrounds, or frames. That might work, if you can fab it into the rear panel?

 

That's a CJ-7 "plug" tailgate. Pretty sure the CJ-5s used the "traditional" style tailgate to the end of the run.

<edit> Solid back panel and rear mounted spare was an added cost option, tailgate and side mounted spare standard, starting in 1973. AFAIK this continued to the end of the run.

 

I see more 76-83 CJ5s without tailgates then with. The solid back came as an option on Renegades and other 5s the tailgate was a standard issue.

The tailgate Howard posted will not work as Tim mentioned although the width will fit the height of the gate with be 1 7/8 over the height of the tub.

 

Thanks for confirming my memory, Chuck. One small nit to pick though - the Renegade package (all the early Ren 1s and 2s, and the intermediate Rens, at least through '75) included the solid back panel. If you bought a Renegade, you got a solid back panel and rear mounted spare. The solid back panel first appeared on the regular added-cost option list for CJ-5s (not 6s) in 1973 (I was there and was Jeep crazy then too).

 

Re: No tailgate-to-tailgate. want a free tailgate

I'm going to remove my tailgate to make a solid rear. Go to the intro section under tango59 I posted a pic of my 75 showing the tailgate. If you want it you got it..
Terry

 

Tango 59 AKA Terry, I may take you up on that. Welding in some angle iorn is not a problem. Like I said, the rear end is in need of some major welding anyway. And since this is gonna be a utility vehicle, it'd be nice to be able to drop a tailgate to jam in the odd motor or tranny, or camping gear when I need.
Terry, My email is berway@stny.rr.com send me a note and we'll work out the details.
Thanks everyone for all the details. It saved me grabbing the gate off a CJ7 in the local u-pull-it yard, only to have it not fit.
By the way, that CJ 7 had a fiberglass hardtop on it when I looked at it monday. If anyone needs it I could grab it. but you'd have to come and get it from me. It was metallic blue, and needed a new back window.