Vehicle tailgate lift assist support structure

A vehicle tailgate lift assist support structure comprising:

• a vehicle rear end structure including a first wall, a hinge plate having a plate portion disposed on an inboard side of the first wall portion and a pivot bearing sleeve extending from the plate portion through an opening of the first wall, and a nut plate disposed on an outboard side of the first wall and coupled to the hinge plate, the nut plate having an arcuate recess proximal to the opening of the first wall to accommodate the pivot bearing sleeve;
• a vehicle tailgate pivotally coupled to the vehicle rear end structure to open and close by rotation about a tailgate pivot axis;
• a bellcrank arm including a first end attached to the vehicle tailgate and a second end offset from the tailgate pivot axis with the first end extending through the pivot bearing sleeve;
• and
• a lift assist device including a first connection coupled to the second of the bellcrank arm and a second connection coupled to the vehicle rear end structure to dampen opening movement of the vehicle tailgate relative to the vehicle rear end structure and to apply a closing torque to the vehicle tailgate during closing movement of the vehicle tailgate relative to the vehicle rear end structure.