In other news I added another layer of weatherstripping to the doors. I had it on decent authority from other bored, nitpicky Tacoma owners that it's a way to reduce wind noise that's cheaper and easier than Dynamat. Well, 50ft of foam later, I think it made a difference. I wish I could be more confident but it wasn't the dramatic reduction I was hoping for. I know it's there by needing to learn to close the doors harder now, but to be fair I didn't have a ton of noise before. I thought it was worth a try. You win some, you lose some.
What turned out great, though, is my tailgate panel. 1/4" marine ABS from TAP Plastics. I used the old one as a template of course, but I took about a half inch off the bottom. Where the stock tailgate panel and bed join is a pretty tight fit so it's best to just avoid trying to extend the bottom of the new one as far. Other than that I recommend drilling the holes oversized for two reasons. First, many of the holes in the stock panel aren't round and the center of those holes aren't necessarily where the screw nuts are in the tailgate itself. Second, it'll help prevent warping from temperature changes.
What turned out great, though, is my tailgate panel. 1/4" marine ABS from TAP Plastics. I used the old one as a template of course, but I took about a half inch off the bottom. Where the stock tailgate panel and bed join is a pretty tight fit so it's best to just avoid trying to extend the bottom of the new one as far. Other than that I recommend drilling the holes oversized for two reasons. First, many of the holes in the stock panel aren't round and the center of those holes aren't necessarily where the screw nuts are in the tailgate itself. Second, it'll help prevent warping from temperature changes.
