If it isn’t painted, remove the tailgate and tap the topside of the tailgate pivot pocket (on the tailgate), effectively giving it a slight egg shape. It tightened up my reproduction’s slop. Very little is needed.
If it’s old and sacked out, you could try the above, or break out the mig and weld a couple tack welds on the tailgate pocket. Die grind to fit/taste.
Being that it’s a 57, if the box pivot is worn, it should be split (IIRC) on the bottom side and you might be able to drive a wedge in the bottom expanding it slightly to a size that is tight. My 70 C10 pivot has no split along its bottom edge.
Good luck.
Last edited by Fox; 09/27/2022 4:52 AM.
