How to disassemble tailgate?

half-breed · Apr 26, 2015

I am looking for a step by step guide with pictures and tips on how to disassemble the tailgate. My son recently picked up a 2003 EXT and the tailgate has a few gouges, probably from a trailer hitch. In addition, it was obviously repainted once, and the diamond white is more white than the rest of the car. We picked up a tailgate from a junk yard, but the car was totaled due to an interior fire. The fire toast the bed covers as well as the spoiler on the top of the tailgate, so I need to remove the outer shell from the new tailgate and put it on the original tailgate.

How do I disassemble the tailgate to get the shell off, and then put back together?

Old tailgate (spoiler matches the rest of the car, the diamond white just looks different at different angles):

New tailgate:

Melted spoiler:

This post used to have a lot of pictures but most of them are now broken links.....

http://chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,48532.msg2110564.html#msg2110564

half-breed · Apr 26, 2015

Donner vehicle:

EXT4ME · Apr 26, 2015

MS03 2500 · Apr 27, 2015

I don't have pictures but I can tell you how to do it.

redheadedrod · Apr 27, 2015

And this is why we need to fuse anything you add to your truck.. Or it can become a barbeque...

Basically you need to remove the bolts that you can see on the top piece including pulling off the handle cover. If you remove the three larger bolts that are in a triangle those hold your latch assembly in place...

The rest of the piece is on with double sided tape. I believe the sides are held together with double sided tape and there are some rivets that need to be drilled out on the top and bottom possibly.

I think that pretty much is what the thread talks about. I need to pull mine apart at some point too but I am not ready to do so yet.

Rodney

half-breed · Apr 27, 2015

I am really looking for tips...do I take the spoiler off first, or drill the rivets? Do I use a putty knife for the double sticky? Someone indicated a razor blade in a handle.....do I pry to get the double sticky free, or cut it? Maybe a long blade utility knife?

Tips?

Any tips on the rivets - do I need to put back together with rivets, or can I buy some black screws?

MS03 2500 · Apr 27, 2015

Yea take the spoiler off first, start at one end and pry up the top it's held on with double sided tape on the top and has little hooks on the bottom. Behind it are mounting screws and also screws on the bottom. Then all you have to is pry up the sides it had a tons of double sided tape.

Pry slowly the outer skin is not steel it's fiberglass.

WCFields · Apr 27, 2015

MS03 2500 said:
Yea take the spoiler off first, start at one end and pry up the top it's held on with double sided tape on the top and has little hooks on the bottom. Behind it are mounting screws and also screws on the bottom. Then all you have to is pry up the sides it had a tons of double sided tape.

Pry slowly the outer skin is not steel it's fiberglass.

As I recall, there was a need for 4 rivets to be replaced or inserted per Rod's Mod.

I'll try to do a search for this over the next few days.

The real PIA was after separating the skin, cleaning off all of the residue of the 2 sided tape from the skin and the gate frame.

Take one step at a time, take your time, and have a crew with you to take shifts with the residue. Hot Dogs, Burgers, and lots of beer helps to keep them near by when needed.

MS03 2500 · Apr 27, 2015

You are correct they are rivets

WCFields · Apr 27, 2015

MS03 2500 said:
You are correct they are rivets

I can't do this tonight, but back in May, 2004, we had a great SoCal GTG where we did 5 or 6 Rod's Mod & BackUp Cams, or possibly more. Take a look back in that time window. "Rod's Mod" should be the key words to get one there.

We had a great crew, I provided the Dogs & Burgers, I don't recall where all the beer came from but there were not any ReDos, recalls, or Post Op procedures required.

Of course, Sperry attended and we did his Avalanche too, so what could go wrong? :B:

I was responsible for not letting him see his skinned gate. Heck, he never noticed all the time we spent cleaning off the residue from his truck.

WCFields · Apr 27, 2015

We did Ken & SoCal Cindy's 02 in December of 03. We started early and it took all day to insure we were following the directions to the absolute letter. Ken was good about the disassemble. We were all surprised with the residue and had to approach it from several different angles. We almost missed the Rivet portion on reassembly it was getting very late. Don't Speed Read.

We had short daylight hours in December and we were terribly disappointed at the end of the day, in the dark, and it didn't work. It turned out to be a bad actuator that was corrected a week later with a quick reply from Rod. The second disassembly was not nearly as bad as the tape had not cured yet.

Our mass Rod's Mod in May went much better, and we still finished in time to do a Photo Op before sunset.

Yes, we did the All 4 on High Mod too.

RENORCR · Apr 28, 2015

I have taken 2003 mine apart at least twice.
Will be taking mine apart again to replace the solenoid.

The spoiler comes of first. It's held on with double sided tape. Where it folds on top of the tailgate. I used a putty knife.
Two small screws hold on to the handle cover. The lower portion of the handle cover has two molded plugs. Gently pull outward after removing screws.
The skin is doubled side tape on the left and right edge. Then with a chisel, knock off the rivets and punch the rest into the tailgate.
Take should be it.

half-breed · Apr 28, 2015

Before posting this I had read all 37 or so pages of rods post on the tailgate lock, I think there used to be a lot of pictures, but they all seem to be broken links now, web sites that are no longer around, etc.

If anyone has any pictures post them here or email them to me at dave@groe.us. Thanks.

half-breed · May 3, 2015

No one has pictures?

redheadedrod · May 3, 2015

Sounds like time for someone to do this again and provide pictures...

I will be doing something with my tailgate at some point this summer but I have too many other things to do to pull mine apart right now.

I want to add a power lock, backup camera, tilt sensor and a couple other items to my tailgate...

I AM considering a Marquee display but not sure taping 8 lines of RGB addressable LED's is going to look all that "cool". LOL
If I could figure a way to do it without looking like crap I would do it. Thinking of incorporating them into the rear cladding or something but just not sounding too pretty just yet.

MS03 2500 · May 3, 2015

Need4Speed said:
No one has pictures?

How about this one.

http://chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,79744.0.html

half-breed · May 4, 2015

I still can't get the stupid spoiler off. I removed the two bolts on the inside that hold the tailgate handle cover on, it is loose, but I can't get the handle cover off. Tips for getting the cover off? Anyone have some good pictures of the backside of the cover?

As you can see from the pictures the spoiler top was completely melted off, so there is no double sticky there.

There is nothing holding it at the top now.

Is there double sticky in the area where the spoiler meets the main part of the tailgate skin? No matter what I try I can't get the spoiler apart where it meets the rest of the tailgate skin.

Tips?

Tricks?

On a better note, I think that once I get the spoiler off I can use the rest of the tailgate as is. It looks worse than it is. Originally I thought that the inner part of the tailgate would be melted, but it looks like it was only the spoiler that melted.

Once I get the spoiler off I still need to remove the spoiler from the tailgate that is still on the car.

What a pain this is becoming.

MS03 2500 · May 5, 2015

Yeah there is double sided tape on the top of the spoiler holding it down.

Try a painters tool use the pointy end, heat may help also.

RENORCR · May 5, 2015

Looks like the EXT tail skin is not the same setup has the Avalanche tail skin. Base on the pics. Hard to tell what's up.

HawaiianBrian · May 5, 2015

there is a clip on the handle part is i remember right, that may be holding it on.