Cheap DIY Power Locking Tailgate

First off, this is not a good write up. This was a ‘proof of concept’ project that I decided to document and share after 1 year of use. If you want to do this yourself it will take a little bit of leg work on your end to do it, but it’s an easy project and I have confidence in you. Also, this mod requires existing power door locks so if you have manual, well, you're on your own.


Alright, materials:


Tailgate handle (I got a $10 Amazon one but you can use your existing one if you can go without it for a couple of days)

12V Door lock actuator (you can usually get these pretty cheap, like $5 each if you can wait for shipping)

Metal rod (1/8 or 3/16 is good IMO, you’ll need ~1ft)

2x Coarse Screws (These will be used to mount the actuator so size accordingly)

Wire (14 or 16ga should be plenty, need enough to run 2 strands the length of the truck)

Electrical Connectors (Everyone has their preference on what to use so I’ll leave it up to you. I would recommend a waterproof connector at the tailgate in-case you need to remove the tailgate)

Small Washer, eyelet, or block of wood- (I used a small eyelet for reference in the pics)

Epoxy




Ok, let's get into it. First, disassemble your handle. This can usually be done by removing the top pin:



Next, take a look at the handle that you grab, and look at the side that engages the metal lever mounted to the body. Fill these webs with epoxy so that the surface is flush. DO NOT drill the hole yet.



Once the glue has cured, reassemble the handle and install it into the tailgate (I won’t cover how to do this, it is so simple).


Next we will install the actuator. I found this support to the right was a great location and I mounted the actuator with the 2 coarse screws through the sheet metal and directly into the plastic body of the actuator. Be mindful if there are any holes the rod will have to pass through to get to the handle, I can’t remember if there is one or not. With the actuator in place, bend the metal rod so that it can attach to the actuator. I added a hole in the rod for a copper safety wire but anything that holds the rod in place will suffice.





Next we need to cut the rod to length. With the actuator in the RETRACTED position, mark and cut the rod so that the end is just short of the moving portion of the handle. It should be pointing directly at the webs you filled with epoxy. You may want to round the end of the rod just a little for smooth operation later on.




Now you need something to support the rod when it is not locking the handle. I did this by filling another web with epoxy and screwing in a small eyelet that just fit the rod I was using. This could also be accomplished by gluing a small block of wood with a hole in it or a washer so the body of the handle. If everything was done just right up to this point, the rod should be captured and held in place by the actuator and your support so that it cannot pop out on its own. In the ‘unlocked’ position, you want the end of the rod just shy of the moving handle. The closer you get it here the more engagement you will get when ‘locked’. (During testing, just be sure the actuator can reliable pull the rod far enough back, you may have to tailor the length of the rod for everything work consistently.)





With the rod held in its operating position, you can now mark and drill the hole in the moving portion of the handle for the rod to insert into. Size this hole up just a little to help the rod engage in-case the handle doesn’t return to the exact same location after usage.

Some photos of the rod in the 'locked' and 'unlocked' positions:



Next you just need to wire up the actuator with the rest of the power locks. I don’t have any photos of this but here is what I did.

-Remove drivers side door switches and determine which wires actuate the door locks.

-Trace these wires down to the kick panel and use your method of choice for splicing in your 2 new wires.

-Run these wires back to the tailgate following the usual guidelines (avoid hot things, moving things, snag points, ect)

-Attach your connector if you want and TEMPORARILY attach the power solenoid and test the system. If your polarity is correct, the actuator will extend when you press ‘lock’ and retract for ‘unlock’. Simply reverse your wires if the actuation is backwards

-Now you can make all your connections permanent and do whatever you want to finish it off.




Like I said, this was a pretty simple project, but I have been very happy with how everything has worked over the past year and it has helped me secure the bed of my truck. Feel free to ask any questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.

 

Nice! I like it even better than the one you can purchase (who shall remain nameless).

 

Thanks for the great writeup - I'll be using this!

 

I bookmarked this post. Pretty cool... Thanks for the information.

 

Nice, very clever.

 

Awesome! Bookmarked for later use also Need to figure out the fob for my "factory" Toyota alarm system first. Not to mention many other project.

Thanks for sharing