90 Dodge Pickup

I have a full size Dodge pickup and can't figure out how to get the
tailgate off -can anyone help?

 

Figured it out - looked in owners manual. Is the problem with poor paint
quality in these years a problem with the paint itself or the undercoat?
Huge sections have flaked off of the white color - it appears to be a
problem with many makes during this era.

 

my 89 truck had that issue. lots of trucks from all makes seem to have
issues back then with white paint, and some others occasionally.

body shop told me it was poor prepping of the body back at the factory so
the paint doesn't "bind" to the metal correctly, like maybe it was coated
with something before it was shipped from stamping plant to the assembly
line and the coating wasn't removed or something, but haven't heard from
anyone who can confirm that.

 

I've read pretty consistently that the problem was EPA requirements
that the manufacturers didn't have the technology to meet yet -- and
while light colors were bad, the dark colors (I had a beautiful maroon
'87 Lebaron coupe that had pretty much no paint left after about 1995)
the dark colors were far worse.

 

This was a common problem for almost all late 1980's through 1990's
cars. The primer coat was electrostaticly applied, and would oxidize,
causing the top coat to come off. I have seen "milky" clear coats on
vehicles just a few years old.

-KM