IH tailgate interchangeability, a cautionary tale... Curved sides vs. Straight sides
My 1956 S120 is missing the original tailgate, so when my brother spotted an IH tailgate at a local salvage yard he picked it up. The yard said they thought it was from a 'late 50s IH pickup', but didn't know what year exactly. At first it appeared to be the correct style and size, however fitment was an issue. When we installed it, we found the overall length to be
too short as well as the tabs for the chain latch pins to be the wrong length. Upon closer inspection, our new salvage yard tailgate has
curved features on the sides while photos of original S120 tailgates have
straight sides.
I've attached photos of each style for reference. I don't know enough to clarify every possible size or style of IH tailgate, but I thought I would share my experience. Happy hunting!