I have been around Jeeps a long time and The Plan was to cut a piece of 3/16th steel and weld it to the tub and between the Rokmen corner guards. I couldn’t cut the steel so I called up my good friend, John Hunter at Hunter Offroad and told him what I needed. He told me to stop by a bit later in the week and we would shoot the pigeon. I did and he even welded it in and that now gave me the support for the hinges.
Latches:
The tailgate came with OEM CJ latches which simply rotate in a gravity
based open or closed position. Living here in Arizona where we average 8
in of rain a year and about 315 sunny days a year I just leave my Jeep open and
in fact most of the time sans doors. For that reason I didn't want any
elaborate locking setups.
Cost:
About $100 gross. Tailgate $50, paint - glue $15, new seal and cables
$35. Less the sale of your TJ tailgate, I sold mine for $90 for a net cost of
about $10.
Time:
About 3 hours spread over a couple of days if you just go at it.
I spent much more time experimenting with glue's and then just
welding in the support.
Worth it factor:
Looks good, gives you a place to sit and eat lunch on the trail or a table for a trail repair, good move and worth the expense.