how did u guys go about gettin rid of the handles? did u just bog them up or did you weld a new piece of metal i and then bog?

cheers

nah mate. grind back the paint to metal so the weld has somethign to stick to then cut a piece of metal a pooftinth smaller than the handle hole. tack it all up then weld all round grind back welds and file finsh so no high or low spots. if low spots occur use minimil bog. if high spots occur use hammer to knock them down then use bog. when bog is dry( 5-10) mins depending on hardnener and heat snad with a hard block and some 80-180grit paper and feel for high and lows. conintue ntil you are happy with result. then prime and paint.

i spent the extra time and welded in a new piece of metal then a small amount of bog to smooth it out

so did u use a donor tailgate to get the correct line across the top... if u know what i mean?
like if u take the handle off it just has a high part at the top... do u just tap it down? or can i cut the middle out of my other tailgate and weld it in instead?

i cut the piece out and welded a curved pice in which was made from some 1.2mm mild steel